Bring your own chair and stand.
Besides Sam (trumpet, trombone), Steve (soprano), and Raphael (bass), there was someone we had not seen for quite a while--Bob (trombone)--and an old timer on the Twin Cities music scene, but a newcomer to the Workshop--Jim (trumpet). Much chatting and exchange of stories ensued. Also, jazz.
Bob was given the first call and, thinking to keep it simple, got us started with All Of Me (I-20). Yours truly kept it easygoing with C'est Si Bon (I-65). Jim flipped through the pages and landed on Black Coffee (I-45), which was played in a suitably bluesy fashion. Sam went with the trickier A Night In Tunisia (I-302), which kept us busy for a while getting the form right, until we found the groove. We then played Happy Birthday for four-year-old Stella, whose party was happening nearby. A bit of rain, prompted Raphael to move his bass under the cover of the front entryway, but then we slid into the obvious Stella By Starlight (I-382).
The swinging Gershwin tune Somebody Loves Me (I-369) was Bob's next choice. Your scribe changed the flow with a somewhat Latin version of Django's Nuages (I-307). After getting the tune under our fingers at a slow pace, we settled into a decent clip on Jim's pick, Oleo (I-309). Sam went Latin again, but on a typically non-Latin All The Things You Are (I-22). Raphael wrapped things up by calling J.J. Johnson's Lament. A lot of people had to leave at that point, and the weather go pretty threatening, so we packed things up.
Here's hoping we see you next time!
--SJH
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