Sunday, July 24, 2016

July 18, 2016

A muggy summer evening drew a good crowd. Phil (piano), Steve M (alto), Jack D (trumpet), Tom (drums), Sam (bass), Wes (tenor), and yours truly (alto and soprano) got things going, with Annie (vocals), Carl (trombone) and Dick (vocals) joining in later.

We got rolling with a suggestion from Phil, I'm Old Fashioned (III-186). Next was a surprise call from Steve M, a bit of bop called Barbados (II-35). Jack D took it a bit easier with Yesterdays (I-454). Your scribe slowed it down even more with Hoagy Carmichael's Baltimore Oriole (II-34). Back to bop, only down-tempo, Wes got us to tackle Donna Lee (I-123). 

Annie got the next call, Dearly Beloved (I-103). Dick sang There Will Never Be Another You (I-407).  Back to Annie, we worked on Gee Baby Ain't I Good To You (I-153). Dick called In A Mellow Tone (I-206). For an instrumental break, Tom chose Alright, OK, You Win (I-24), which turned into quite an extended version. Back to the vocalists, we went with Annie's choice of Never Let Me Go (III-299), followed by Dick's pick, Doxy (II-110). Finally getting around to Sam, we tackled his choice, I'm Sitting On Top Of The World (III-187). More vocal fun followed with Annie singing When I Fall In Love (I-439). Dick chose something out of his usual repertoire, I Should Care (I-194). We finished the evening with a call by Phil, My Romance (I-289).  

Participant Picks
Carl
Charles Mingus
Pussy Cat Dues

Dick
How High The Moon
Mary Ford and Les Paul
June Christy (vocal), Nat King Cole (piano), Mel Torme (drums)

Wes
Charlie Parker
Barbados

Jack
Chet Baker
Alone Together

Phil
Bill Evans
Spartacus Love Theme

Tom
Herbie Hancock
Watermelon Man

Steve H
Hoagy Carmichael
Baltimore Oriole
Carmen McRae
Judy Roderick

Enjoy!

--SJH

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

July 11, 2016

After a week off (it was the 4th of July, after all), we convened a fairly sizeable group for our usual Monday shenanigans. Present were Phil on piano, Ray on bass, Tom on drums, Sam and Jack D on trumpet, Bob on trombone, Steve M on alto, Steve H on alto and soprano, and Wes on tenor.

Phil got the first pick, and we kicked off the proceedings with Dream A Little Dream Of Me (I-124). Sam punished us for not letting him go first by calling Dear Old Stockholm (I-102), which held up pretty well until the last couple of choruses. Steve M made the more traditional call of a mid-tempo Autumn Leaves (I-39). We all got a turn to let our bluesy sides out with a relaxed but not too slow Angel Eyes (I-28), Jack's choice. Bob returned to that 60's mood with Call Me Irresponsible (I-67). Your scribe was not quite prepared for his turn, but after a few minutes opted for the always solid Don't Get Around Much Any More (I-122).

Tom took it from there with Blue Monk (I-52). Ray finally got us off Book I by calling Poinciana (III-322). This didn't stop Wes from returning to Book I, but with the challenging Donna Lee (I-123), which we took well down-tempo. Back to Phil, who likes to pull out the unfamiliar tunes, we tried I'm All Smiles (I-198), a complex jazz waltz, but abandoned it in favor of the more accessible Somebody Loves Me (I-369). Sam pulled out another one we had more trouble with than we thought we should, All The Things You Are (I-22), with a Latin beat. We closed out with Steve M's choice, Wave (I-431).

Participant's Picks

Tom: Poinciana
Glenn Miller
Xavier Cugat

Jack D: So What?
Miles Davis

Wes: Donna Lee
Charlie Parker

Steve H: Blues for Madeleine
Johnny Hodges and Wild Bill Davis


Enjoy!

--SJH