July 13, 2019

Next Time:

Sam's Add-A-Tune:

Things got under way with Sam (trumpet, trombone), Jack K (trumpet) and Steve H (piano, soprano). Soon enough, Tony (bass), Wes (tenor), Ari (trumpet), and Roger (tenor) joined in. By 1:20, Annie (vocals) and Carl (trombone) rounded out the congregation.

Sam's Add-A-Tune this week was Bud Powell's Parisian Thoroughfare (II-307). Jack liked the changes on the Ellington/Tizol classic, Perdido (II-311). Your scribe likes playing Pennies From Heaven (II-309, especially on soprano. Tony asked if it would be OK to work on the funky/floaty Cantelope Island (II-76). Sam took an easy pace on Four Brothers (II-138). Jack went to another classic set of chord changes, Bye Bye Blackbird (II-73). Yours truly had often wanted to pull out Oscar Pettiford's Blues In The Closet (II-61), and finally did. Tony's second call was Four (I-149). Wes got his first chance, wanting the Latin Ceora (I-72). We found Days Of Wine And Roses (IV-99) for Ari, loping along with a medium swing; Annie present, tossed in a vocal chorus.

Following protocol, the vocal portion gives the singers several tunes with only two choruses maximum of instrumental. But things began to drift, with everyone taking choruses, so we only took one pure instrumental break. Annie's first two calls were Without A Song (II-428), and It Never Entered My Mind (III-205). Roger got to name the instrumental, Some Day My Prince Will Come (I-367). From there on, Annie decided the rest of the tunes, but a lot of solos got involved: I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free (I-195); People Will Say We're In Love (II-310); Fine And Mellow (III-122); Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars (I-335); and Take The A-Train (I-298). We finished with our traditional St. Thomas, though this time at slower, but surprisingly effective, pace.

--SJH