This morning I was thinking about a musical gig I did the other night. Luckily now that the pandemic part of COVID seems to be behind us, playing music has picked up once again and we are seeing live music return in full force.

Last night I was reunited with two musical friends that I have had a long association with and have enjoyed immensely playing music with them. Doug Shimmin is a musician that is part of the legendary Detroit band, Immigrant Suns (amongst other great Detroit-based groups) Doug and I connected many years back and at one point, not only were we playing a lot of music together, we formed a group called Eastern Winds and made an album together. Doug played acoustic guitar last night and it was such a delight to be on stage with him again.

His nephew, Michael Shimmin is an extraordinary percussionist. Mike plays in too many groups to mention in this short group – but he is a working musician always on the go! He played with Doug and I on darbuka at this gig. He is flawless drummer  that provides high energy and excitement to his performances.

The three of us performed at TechCity Jam, an event sponsored by Bank of Ann Arbor that consists of musicians that by day, work in the Michigan entrepreneurial ecosystem. Its event that I was introduced to over three years ago and performed it with Doug & Mike. We had fun in 2019 and we had fun in 2022.

Ironically, the last time I performed with Doug & Mike was this exact event – but you wouldn’t have known it. We performed only one set for about twenty minutes, but the music was tight and rocked. I don’t think any of us missed a beat. That was what got me thinking about this gig and the musicians I have had the good fortune to play with over the years. Some you click with and others you do not. There are times you get reunited with musicians and you may wonder “Gee, why did I ever play with that person?!” Well, with Doug & Mike, that isn’t the case. Good job guys, such a fun gig!