2011 is about to end, and this has been a great year music-wise. Thank God for all of these happenings. I’d like to spend a moment to reflect on these.

So, early this year, I got more serious into hand-drumming and formed a rebana band with Nur Kholis and Honest Molasy. It was so much fun. We had 5 gigs, public events and private functions. I wish to be able continuing doing this again next year.

One big thing that I have been so grateful for was Guildford Lane Gallery (which has also closed down this year). I have met great musicians there. I was so glad that the Melbourne jazz icon Steve Sedergreen greeted me and asked me to play.

I started doing a residency there, playing the piano solo from 8 April until 22 September. That was by itself great, but I still wished to play again in a band.

In June, I was lucky to meet a great drummer from Brisbane who just recently moved to Melbourne, Chelsea Allen and we had a jam, and I loved (and still do) her playing style. Moreover, we shared the same idea of forming a piano-bass-drum trio. We got our first gig together on 7 July (for which we didn’t do any rehearsal), with Chris Schürmann on acoustic bass. Before we started, I didn’t even have a name for the band, and I hadn’t seriously thought of one as we probably wouldn’t need one. When Chelsea and I had a chat during a break, a guest came to us and asked us the name of our band. Chelsea, being the smarter one and with higher brain engagement speed, quickly replied, “ade ishs Trio”, while I was mumbling, “Mmm…”. The name stuck since then.

Since then until August, I spent a lot of time rehearsing with other bands, too. Daigo Nakai joined the trio and we had many rehearsals together since then to prepare for our debut gig on 15 September. Early August, I was enlisted by MOU Quartet, something I’ve also felt grateful for. Playing contemporary jazz pieces is both fun and challenging, and the band has been a great outlet for this purpose. I was also asked by Linda Pearson to do a bassoon/flute/voice-piano duet for a gig on 1 September.

September was a big month. Duet with Linda on 1 September, MOU Quartet on 8 September, and a very memorable one with Chelsea and Daigo on 15 September. On 22 September, I opened Bob and Steve Sedergreen great duet.

I went into a musical “seclusion” in October. I didn’t do any gig. I just did a lot of sitting, thinking, and contemplating, and a few jam sessions. In November, I just did two gigs.

And came the last month of the year now. Jeff Karutz and I did a saxophone-piano duet early this month. Chelsea, Daigo, and I had a corporate function gig and we have been preparing for our gig next month. We will play more of my compositions.

This year, I have been more active on the performance side, and a bit passive on the composition side. Not a bad thing, after being almost passive on the performance side for years. My resolution for 2012: do more gigs and prepare materials for a new album. Wish me all the best!