March 4, 2017

Quite a little gathering at TowerLight this cold morning and early afternoon. Matt (vocals) had not been around for five or six years; he stopped by for an encore. We were pleased to have his rich baritone on hand, and hopes he can make it a regular thing. A number of the regulars as well: Steve M (alto), Serdar (guitar), Jim (alto and Casio that he picked up at Goodwill for $12), Wes (tenor), Annie (vocals), Carl (trombone), and Steve H (alto).

Matt got us going with All Of Me (I-20). Yours truly made the next pick, Honeysuckle Rose (II-167). Serdar opted for All Blues (I-15). Jim decided to take a whack at Black Orpheus (I-##). Wes, often looking for something with some tricks so we can really "workshop," chose Joy Spring (I-229), with all those nasty but beautiful triplet flips. Steve M went with the more user-friendly I Could Write A Book (I-186). Back around to Matt, we took up a nice mid-speed version of It's Only A Paper Moon (II-209).

Annie and Carl had settled in by now, and Annie got the official vocal portion of the day with It Might As Well Be Spring (III-###). Matt did a nice job on Angel Eyes (I-##). Jim called something which I can't read, but I'm sure we enjoyed it. Back to Matt for another vocal, we covered Don't Get Around Much Anymore (I-###). Annie, working on her Easter program, called one she brought in, Everything Must Change. Matt requested East Of The Sun (III-###), which we happily obliged. Wes called another favorite "workshopper," Donna Lee (I-##) which, despite our having played this many times, crashed and burned. Jim needed to sing, so he chose Time After Time. We reprised Joy Spring for Annie. Matt pulled out Fly Me To The Moon (II-###). Annie continued to work on her program with Easter Parade. One my way out the door, Matt was calling It Had To Be You. After that, Matt wrote down the tunes: Let's Get Lost, I Love You, Polka Dots And Moonbeams and some others.

--SJH