Back in 2007, an album came out called Raising Sand, a collaboration of Alison Krauss & Robert Plant. I spent a lot of time with that record, not because of the singing, or Marc Ribot's tasty guitar playing. The thing that drew me to the recording was the interaction of the drums and bass. I loved the sound and space that they created together as a unit, in the same vein as Al Jackson and Donald "Duck" Dunn, or Tony Williams and Ron Carter. When you play with a great drummer (not just good) there's a sense of infinity in the beat that they can capture even if they're just playing with a kick and a snare. The bass moves with and within that infinity. I think of it like puffy clouds, but also more defined. It was clear on Raising Sand that the drummer and bassist, Jay Bellerose and Dennis Crouch, were working together in this way. I listened to their space over and over. Fast forward to July, 2012. I was in Amsterdam nearing the end of my tour with Lou. Staying in a beautiful million star hotel, but riddled with anxiety because the tour and the income it provides are coming to a close. I get an email from Marc Ribot that Diana Krall is looking for a guitarist. Two weeks later I'm in Vancouver for the first time, playing How High The Moon with her and the great Stuart Duncan on fiddle. And a couple of months later I had the honor of joining her and this incredible rhythm section on tour, actually getting to be in that space of rhythmic infinity for a few hours a night, and getting to hear Diana's beautiful phrasing night after night, both as a vocalist and a piano player. These types of opportunities are a gift, and while eventually that band changed, I'm forever grateful to have been able to feel the power of that rhythmic machine in my bones. After the show last night we had a nice hang with Stuart Duncan and Dennis, both of whom remembered my daughter, who was just a baby last time they met, and now towers over both of them. I told Stuart that my daughter and I often watched his videos with Goat Rodeo when she was younger. I could tell at the concert that she understood his sound and the spirit that is behind it. It was also so nice to see Diana again after so many years - she is such a gracious and classy human. And I also feel like having lived here in Vancouver for a decade, I finally understand her song Departure Bay, and the quietness that is in her music.