Spring is (almost) here!

Woo-hoo! Spring is on the way, and that means nice weather, which of course also means outdoor special events! I've got new additions to my musical arsenal—party lights and a fog machine! Can’t wait to bust them out at the next gig!

As always, I’ll be hosting the Swingin’ Seniors Club on the last Friday of every month from 2 to 4pm at the Durham Center for Senior Life (downtown at 406 Rigsbee Ave, 688-8247). I‘ll also be hosting my signature Worldwide Dance Party at CCB Plaza on certain Fridays.

Here are some upcoming events that I’ll be providing music for:

• Friday, March 21, 5–8pm—Gallery opening and Third Friday party at The Scrap Exchange (548 Foster St, 688-6960); free admission; jazz, pop, classical

• Friday, March 28, 2–4pm—Swingin’ Seniors Club at the Durham Center for Senior Life (406 Rigsbee Ave, 688-8247); free admission + snacks; oldies/Motown + line dances.

• Sunday, April 6, 1–5pm—Durham Art Walk at CCB Plaza; jazz + international.

• Saturday, April 19, noon–6pm—emcee for Earth Day + music by acoustic musicians and groups.

• Friday, April 25, 2–4pm—Swingin’ Seniors Club at the Durham Center for Senior Life (406 Rigsbee Ave, 688-8247); free admission + snacks; oldies/Motown + line dances.

• Saturday, April 26, 10am–2pm—Campus Hills Community Day (2000 S Alston Ave, 560-4444); free admission; upbeat, cussfree R&B/hiphop + black and Latino international.

Year in review — 2007

Wow, it’s been quite a while since I last posted anything here. The final illness and death of my aunt, who had Alzheimer’s disease, kept me busy, although I was able to continue deejaying. Actually, deejaying has allowed me to stay positive; not only has it brought in much-needed revenue, but it has also cheered me up greatly.

I've been working with Durham Parks and Recreation quite a bit, and have enjoyed every minute. My monthly Worldwide Dance Parties in CCB Plaza ended in October. They were great fun. Come spring, CCB Plaza will feature live bands on Third Fridays — my dance parties will be in regular rotation as opposed to being the only thing going every month.

I enjoyed deejaying for the Durham Art Walk this past month. On opening night, Friday, November 16, I was stationed in the second-floor balcony of the Durham Arts Council building. I played a mix of jazz, classical, and world music. On Saturday and Sunday I was outdoors at CCB Plaza, and was it fun (and somewhat chilly)! I played dance music of all kinds, TV themes, world music, country, old-skool R&B, hip-hop, and who knows what else. It was great.

Friday, November 30 marks my one-year anniversary providing music for the Swingin’ Seniors Club at the Durham Center for Senior Life downtown. I came up with the idea and, to my delight, it’s caught on as a monthly event at the Center (always the last Friday from 2 to 4pm)

For next year, I’m hoping to widen my scope as DJ Piddipat. I intend to keep working with Durham Parks and Rec, as well as other City and County departments, and I plan to market my services to hotels and other venues. My Worldwide Dance Parties will become a fundraising tool that can be employed by local nonprofits. The Herald-Sun has been really good at listing my events, as well as running my photo a couple of times! It’s great publicity and I appreciate it to no end. Hopefully, the notoriety will lead to more gigs! ;)

Well, here’s to next year!

upcoming gigs

Friday, August 3, 6:30–10:30pm — Senior Prom at the Ivy Community Center (4418 Fayetteville St)

Saturday, August 11, noon–4pm — Durham Parks and Recreation’s Mature Adults Cookout at West Point on the Eno Park (5101 N Roxboro Rd)

Friday, August 17, 8–11pm — DJ Piddipat’s Worldwide Dance Party at CCB Plaza (Chapel Hill and Corcoran Sts), sponsored by Durham Parks and Recreation

Saturday, August 18, 10am–2pm — Durham County Library’s Summer Reading Club Finale at the Main Library (300 N Roxboro St)

Saturday, August 18, 3–6pm — The Volunteer Center’s Back to School Party at the Durham Central Park Pavilion (Foster and Corporation)

Friday, August 31, 2-4pm — Swingin’ Seniors Club at the Durham Center for Senior Life (406 Rigsbee Ave)

1st Worldwide Dance Party!

Wow! My—or should I say—our first Worldwide Dance Party was a success! In partnership with Durham Parks and Recreation, I put on CCB Plaza’s first special event (after Durham Rising) this past Friday (July 20). We only had a week to pull it off, but, all things considered, it was great. I was amazed at how good my speakers sounded! I was worried that my 12-inch ElectroVoice speakers wouldn’t have enough juice—but I shouldn’t have worried. They were PLENTY loud!

The weather was perfect! It started out pretty warm, but as the evening wore on, the humidity lifted and the nighttime temps were gorgeous. The dance party started at 6pm. Folks came and went; some danced, others sat and relaxed by eating Locopops and listening to the music. I got compliments for my choice of music, which was great, especially considering that I was playing music that I’m sure most folks were unfamiliar with. (I was playing music from the USA, South Africa, Japan, Mexico, France, Mali, etc.) It was SO much fun!!!

What was funny was that so many people showed up after the event should have ended. I think it was the cooler weather and the dimmer lighting, which I think inspired some people to dance. LOTS of kids were out there, so I started adding Disney pop (and got a big scream when I played "We’re All in This Together” from High School Musical). Of course, I got a request for the Cha-Cha Slide. Boy, did THAT bring ’em out! We stayed out there until at least 10:30.

Juliet Jensen (from Durham Parks and Recreation) and I came to the conclusion that starting and ending later might be a good idea. Tentatively, we came up with 8pm to midnight on Friday, August 17. We’ll see!