Posted on October 6, 2006 at 2:48 pm

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I shouldn’t be noticing the changing of the leaves or the chill in the air, I shouldn’t be aware of the sharp edge on the wind, I should be happily oblivious to all of that because I live in Los Angeles where the seasons never really change, but instead I am unexpectedly here in New York, so I get the ambiguous joy of watching autumn coming in, and I get to sit at a Starbucks in Rockland County and write to you lovely people.

Here’s the new news: Audra McDonald called and asked me to be one of her special guests during her American Songbook concerts next week at the Allen Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center! I’m always thrilled when I get asked to board the Audra Train, and this set of concerts should be sensational, since in addition to me, there’s Patti Lupone, Nellie McKay, and a ten-piece band led by Ted Sperling, all celebrating Audra’s new album, “Build A Bridge” on Nonesuch Records. But even cooler: we’re all going to be on television! That’s right, Thursday night, October 12, you can watch us all Live From Lincoln Center at 8:00 EST on your local PBS station. So if you’re in the city and you haven’t gotten your tickets yet, there may still be some available for Wednesday and Thursday night’s shows, and those of you in the hinterlands, watch me on TV and then make fun of my haircut.

Speaking of the American Songbook series, I’m really honored to be able to announce that on Friday, February 9, 2007, at 8:30 pm, I will be doing a solo concert at the Allen Room! It’s a real thrill to be a part of this series, I’ve always been cranky that they didn’t ask me to do it and deeply jealous of all the other people who got invited, and I’m planning a real blowout with new songs and special guests and all sorts of other nutty treats, so you can go ahead and book your flights now and order tickets. It’s gonna be so cool! More details later.

And then there’s the stuff you already know about: concert and masterclass in Toronto on October 16, concert and masterclass in Santa Rosa CA on October 20 and 21, concert in Birmingham AL on November 3 & 4, and of course my new show, “13”, starting performances December 22 in Los Angeles. You can find out more about all of that on jasonrobertbrown.com.

One last thing: I can’t go into it now, but if you’ve sent me an e-mail in the last month and a half and I haven’t gotten back to you, it’s because I’m in the middle of some complicated stuff (among the reasons I’m back in New York). I will try to get back to everyone soon, and if it’s urgent, don’t feel self-conscious about writing again.

Have a great fall, and don’t forget to watch me on TV! (It ain’t gonna happen often, that’s for sure.)

Rock on,
Jason Robert Brown