Jazzmaxxing At A Sake Bar Above A Warehouse — Akila's Trio Live @ Sake Desu (6/20/26)

What an absolute treat making music w/ "Akila's Trio" at Sake Desu last night — Max Field has curated an incredible space for live jazz in the most unexpected place — directly above a warehouse in the Industrial District of Central Eastside in Portland, Oregon. It's a tiny room, but it fills up quickly, and always seems to be full of the most attentive and avid listeners — you could hear a pin drop during Matthew Holmes's bass solo, and it was so moving to see so many friends come out to support Akila Fields as a new bandleader. Akila has put together such a stellar book — his originals are catchy and thematic, yet he picks some very uncommon covers that blend in perfectly with his style and sound. I recorded the whole set and posted it here for your listening pleasure! ______ I'm playing on a boutique kit from the now-defunct "PT Drums" in Brooklyn (that I found at a yard sale), along with a snare from the also defunct "Slant 6" in Seattle (picked up from Trading Musician; also defunct!) The cymbals are a wide assortment of boutique stuff too: a 22" Sunset Ride by Hwang Yong Ha (main right), a Marcus Gilmore-inspired 22" custom by Paul Francis AKA Cymbal Craftsman (secondary right), a 20" Bettis Cymbals "Strong Edge" ride, 14" Craig Lauritsen top and 14" Jesse Simpson bottom Hi-Hat, and a 12" Upcycled Percussion FX stack (I'm calling it "The UFO") ______ There are two non-boutique cymbals too; a 20" Paiste Traditional Flat Ride (from the '90s) and a very unusual Zildjian K Istanbul mini stack (from the '40s) Very excited for release of Akila's debut trio album: "A Secret Third Thing" — no release date announced, but it's mixed, mastered, and ready for the world whenever Akila decides to drop it. In the meantime, enjoy this live set! ________ Akila's Trio Is: Akila Fields, piano Matthew Holmes, upright bass Machado Mijiga, drums ______ Recorded on a Zoom H6 and DJI Osmo Pocket 3 at Sake Desu in Portland, Oregon on June 20th, 2026 Mixed and Mastered by Machado Mijiga _____ Setlist: 0:00 – "Certified Turtle" (Akila Fields) 5:58 – "Muddy Silk" (Akila Fields) 13:06 – "Dewdrop" (Machado Mijiga) 19:45 – "Maski" (Ian Stapp) 26:21 – "I'll See You" (Akila Fields) 35:03 – "Slow King" (Akila Fields) 42:02 – "Shadow Shifts" (Akila Fields) 52:33 – Bass Interlude (Matthew Holmes) 54:17 – "Mentiroso" (Akila Fields) 1:01:52 – "Ghost Dance" (Darren Klein) 1:07:58 – "String Of Pearls" (arr. Akila Fields) 1:14:53 – "The Shell" (Akila Fields)