HWY 100 is back up and running, yet very few showed up for today's version of the Workshop very generously sponsored by TowerLight. Sam (bass), Steve H (alto), and Greg (guitar) were all who were there until some time after 1:00, when Annie (vocals) and Carl (unavailable to play) stopped in, followed soon after by Jim D (alto, clarinet and bongos). So Sam, Greg and yours truly had a good time of it for a while, getting plenty of songs and extra solo work.
While Greg got set up, Sam and I got a nice duet groove going on All Blues (I-18). Sam thought it might be fun to get out some off-book stuff, and we gave a run at On The Trail (from Ferde Grofe's Grand Canyon Suite). We followed this with something that is surprisingly not in the first three volumes of the Real Book, Gershwin's Summertime, which I had in the case with me. Back to the regular stuff, Greg picked the classic When You're Smiling (III-437). Sam called for Straight, No Chaser (I-386). Why? "Nostalgia." Guitar man Greg went with the great Django Reinhardt's Nuages (I-367). Inspired by the Romani influence, I pulled out my original, Lungotevere. Speaking of nostalgia, Sam went with Nostalgia In Times Square (I-306).
As Annie and Carl were coming in, we began You Took Advantage Of Me (I-460). Annie was ready to go, so she called up Black Orpheus (I-48); Jim, freshly arrived himself, grabbed his bongos, and I my egg, to accompany. Annie followed this up with Easy To Love (I-128). Sam thought we should have an instrumental ballad, and Greg suggested Autumn In New York (I-38), which Annie naturally joined. She then decided on Besame Mucho (III-42). Jim wanted to give the clarinet a turn, and called for Benny Goodman's Slipped Disc (II-353). One last one from Annie, who sang Polka Dots and Moonbeams (II-318). We finished the afternoon with My Little Suede Shoes (II).
We'll be back again for the next few weeks at TowerLight, though we will be expecting one of these weeks to try out the Hook and Ladder in Minneapolis, before we make any final decisions about where to settle down.
--SJH
Saturday, October 29, 2016
October 22, 2016
Our first visit to TowerLight on Wooddale Avenue proved an adventure for many. Highway 100 was closed for the weekend to finish off a major project, throwing off a lot of people's travel plans to get to the place from around the city. So nothing really got off the ground until noon. But the crowd was good: Sam (bass), Serdar (guitar), Wes (tenor), Jack D (trumpet), Steve M (alto), Jack K (trumpet), Steve H (alto), Carl (trombone), Annie (vocals), Jim D (alto and vocals). We even had Greg stop by just to visit.
Things got rolling with Sam's suggestion, Bye Bye Blackbird (II-73). Jack D opted for the bop blues, Solar (I-363). Annie, in early because of afternoon commitments, called Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered (I-43). All The Things You Are (I-22) was Wes' pick. Back to Annie for a vocal, this time Blame It On My Youth (II-51). Jim got a turn, and decided to sing Tangerine (II-386). Don't know who, but someone requested Cousin Mary (II-93).
By 1:30, we had lost Annie, Carl, Jack D, Sam, and even Greg. We plugged on with a guitar as sole rhythm. Come Rain Or Come Shine (II-88) was next, though I neglected to note who called it. I'm also not sure where we got it from, but we played Coming Home Baby. We followed this up with Serdar's call, Basin Street Blues (II-37). We changed gears to go to Charlie Parker's Yardbird Suite (II-433). I felt like I hadn't had a good day and, to get my confidence back up, requested Georgia On My Mind (II). It felt good, but then I had to go, though I almost stayed when Steve M pulled out The Nearness Of You (II). If they played on after that, I was not present, and have no report.
--SJH
Things got rolling with Sam's suggestion, Bye Bye Blackbird (II-73). Jack D opted for the bop blues, Solar (I-363). Annie, in early because of afternoon commitments, called Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered (I-43). All The Things You Are (I-22) was Wes' pick. Back to Annie for a vocal, this time Blame It On My Youth (II-51). Jim got a turn, and decided to sing Tangerine (II-386). Don't know who, but someone requested Cousin Mary (II-93).
By 1:30, we had lost Annie, Carl, Jack D, Sam, and even Greg. We plugged on with a guitar as sole rhythm. Come Rain Or Come Shine (II-88) was next, though I neglected to note who called it. I'm also not sure where we got it from, but we played Coming Home Baby. We followed this up with Serdar's call, Basin Street Blues (II-37). We changed gears to go to Charlie Parker's Yardbird Suite (II-433). I felt like I hadn't had a good day and, to get my confidence back up, requested Georgia On My Mind (II). It felt good, but then I had to go, though I almost stayed when Steve M pulled out The Nearness Of You (II). If they played on after that, I was not present, and have no report.
--SJH
Monday, October 17, 2016
October 15, 2016
So sorry about not posting for a bit (he said to what he hoped was somebody out there).
We met a couple of weeks ago in Jack D's garage studio, but yours truly forgot to take notes. We met last week at Minnehaha Community Center, but never got around to playing, as we spent a great deal of time discussing relocation options.
This week, though, we played again at Jack D's garage, as a possible site in Hopkins did not pan out. We began the session with Jack (trumpet), Sam (bass and trumpet), Serdar (guitar), and Steve H (alto). Carl (trombone) arrived a bit later. The small group worked out well, as it gave everyone a chance to play an extra chorus on each song. Jack really hit his stride today, dishing up some clean and cool solos. And when Sam's turn came around, he abandoned the bass, letting Serdar carry the rhythm, and flashed some trumpet himself.
We started with Sam's pick of In A Mellow Tone (I-206). I asked for Too Young (II-403). For Jack, it was Bye Bye Blackbird (II-73). Next up was Serdar's choice of Georgia On My Mind (II-145). We got surprised by Sam's next pick, Monk's Well You Needn't (I-435). With the small group, yours truly was unprepared when the call came back to him so quickly, so he passed to Jack, who chose Beautiful Love (I-40). Now ready, I went with Blue Room (I-53). Carl came in during this one, and was ready when Serdar requested St. Thomas (II-339). Sam was really pulling stuff out of a hat today, this time counting off Samba De Orfeu (III-344). Carl had brought along some arrangements he had found on a shelf at home, and we played a small group arrangement of Jumpin' At The Woodside. My turn next, and I went with an easy-going, Mulliganesque version of Broadway (I-61). Jack had to duck out for an errand, so his turn went to Serdar, and we went with Blue Bossa. We wrapped things up with another pre-arranged tune from Carl, this one Ja-Da.
Our thanks to Jack and his wife for their hospitality.
Looks like next week we'll be playing at The Towers retirement community, though that is, as usual under the circumstances, subject to change.
My Picks for the week
Gerry Mulligan/Lee Konitz (w/Chet Baker?)
Broadway
Oscar Peterson and Andre Previn (interview and duets)
Count Basie and Duke Ellington (both bands)
Jumpin’ At The Woodside
Enjoy.
--SJH
Saturday, September 17, 2016
September 16, 2016 LOSS OF VENUE
Well, if I had checked my GMail account sooner, I would have let everybody know here that the Black Dog did not work out. We were too loud for customers just coming in at lunch to relax.
Obviously, we still need a place to play, so we'll keep looking, and keep all of you (and my crazy dream is that there is at least one of you) informed.
We take this moment to express our feelings with a song.
Ella Fitzgerald/Duke Ellington, I Ain't Got Nothin' But The Blues
Obviously, we still need a place to play, so we'll keep looking, and keep all of you (and my crazy dream is that there is at least one of you) informed.
We take this moment to express our feelings with a song.
Ella Fitzgerald/Duke Ellington, I Ain't Got Nothin' But The Blues
--SJH
Sunday, September 11, 2016
September 10, 2016
Our thanks to the folks at the Black Dog in St. Paul's Lowertown for hosting the Jazz Workshop, at least for the time being.
Things looked a bit grim at first. Your scribe arrived late due to construction perils and unfamiliar parking, to find only Jack D (trumpet) and Steve M (alto) present, and also discovering that there would be no rhythm section. So I pulled over the (very nice!) piano in the back room at the Black Dog, Bob (trombone) showed up, and we got started. At about 1:00, Wes (tenor) arrived, followed immediately by Annie (vocals) and Carl (trombone). At about 1:30, Steve and Bob had to head out, but the rest of us enjoyed ourselves until 2:30.
Unfortunately, when I am on piano rather than sax, I end up playing songs using my Eb Real Book, and have to spend a lot of time transposing chords to concert key before we can play a song. So I tend to forget to write down what we played. I remember we started out with All of Me. We did Blue Monk, For All We Know, Unforgettable, Somebody Loves Me, Two Degrees East Three Degrees West, maybe six or seven others which escape me.
Anyhow, while we will be meeting at the Black Dog next week, and perhaps for a few more weeks, the situation remains fluid. So stay tuned to this blog.
Participant Picks
(They're all my picks this week)
For All We Know
Nat King Cole
Billie Holliday
Chet Baker
Johhny Hartman
Donny Hathaway
Joe Sample and Lalah Hathaway
Barbra Streisand
Paul Desmond/ Dave Brubeck
Enjoy.
--SJH
Saturday, September 3, 2016
CHANGE OF VENUE
Well, it appears we are no longer wanted at McRae Park, but Jack D has found us a location (at least temporarily).
Starting September 10, for the next few Saturdays, at least, we will be playing at the Black Dog Cafe, 308 E. Prince St, St. Paul, MN 55101. It's at the corner of Prince and Broadway, between Union Depot on Kellogg and the Farmer's Market, and a block from CHS Field, the new Saints digs.
Sam reports that there is parking on Prince St. for $3.50. There is also metered on-street parking all around.
--SJH
Starting September 10, for the next few Saturdays, at least, we will be playing at the Black Dog Cafe, 308 E. Prince St, St. Paul, MN 55101. It's at the corner of Prince and Broadway, between Union Depot on Kellogg and the Farmer's Market, and a block from CHS Field, the new Saints digs.
Sam reports that there is parking on Prince St. for $3.50. There is also metered on-street parking all around.
--SJH
Thursday, September 1, 2016
August 29, 2016
ATTENTION READER WHO IS INTERESTED IN WHERE WE WILL BE MEETING NEXT TIME (there could be one!):
Our time for meeting on Monday nights in the summer is over, and we should return to our regular Saturday times. HOWEVER, we are not sure where we will be meeting; the rules have changed with the Minneapolis Parks people, and we may or may not be meeting at McRae in the future. Stay tuned.
Not quite your usual mix set-up this week. No bass, no drums. But with Phil there on piano, we had enough rhythm to accompany Steve M (alto), Steve H (soprano) and Wes (tenor). We had some good instrumental time; and then moved to vocals with the arrival of Annie and Dick, along with Carl (trombone).
Your scribe forgot to take notes until about halfway through the evening, so we don't have page numbers, but we do have tunes. Phil started us out with the shifting chord changes of Pick Yourself Up. Steve M called for the old standard You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To. Steve H pulled out Gerry Mulligan's Line For Lyons, which several of those present had not heard before, though they spoke approvingly. Wes wanted to get back to work on Donna Lee, which is slowly getting better. Back to Phil, we took on the moody Black Coffee. Steve M thought we should try Donna Lee in a different key, so we played Indiana.
With the arrival of the rest of the group, we turned to vocals. Annie got two back-to-back: All Of You and Angel Eyes. Dick then took two together: A Night In Tunisia, with it's tricky structure, followed by Have You Met Miss Jones. Time for an instrumental again, and Carl got the call, Blue Monk (I-52). At Long Last Love (III-32) is a tune I don't remember playing before, but we got it going. Dick went with one of his favorites, Out Of Nowhere (I-318). Annie tried to get us playing My Melancholy Baby (III-295) at half speed, which we finally got right after some false starts. Dick handed out a chart in a key he preferred of Like Someone In Love. Annie next called So In Love (III-362). For Dick's last solo, we played There Will Never Be Another You (I-407). We finished up with something everyone got a shot at, Ellington's Take The A Train (I-398).
As I said, keep your eyes peeled for where and when we will meet next.
--SJH
Our time for meeting on Monday nights in the summer is over, and we should return to our regular Saturday times. HOWEVER, we are not sure where we will be meeting; the rules have changed with the Minneapolis Parks people, and we may or may not be meeting at McRae in the future. Stay tuned.
Not quite your usual mix set-up this week. No bass, no drums. But with Phil there on piano, we had enough rhythm to accompany Steve M (alto), Steve H (soprano) and Wes (tenor). We had some good instrumental time; and then moved to vocals with the arrival of Annie and Dick, along with Carl (trombone).
Your scribe forgot to take notes until about halfway through the evening, so we don't have page numbers, but we do have tunes. Phil started us out with the shifting chord changes of Pick Yourself Up. Steve M called for the old standard You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To. Steve H pulled out Gerry Mulligan's Line For Lyons, which several of those present had not heard before, though they spoke approvingly. Wes wanted to get back to work on Donna Lee, which is slowly getting better. Back to Phil, we took on the moody Black Coffee. Steve M thought we should try Donna Lee in a different key, so we played Indiana.
With the arrival of the rest of the group, we turned to vocals. Annie got two back-to-back: All Of You and Angel Eyes. Dick then took two together: A Night In Tunisia, with it's tricky structure, followed by Have You Met Miss Jones. Time for an instrumental again, and Carl got the call, Blue Monk (I-52). At Long Last Love (III-32) is a tune I don't remember playing before, but we got it going. Dick went with one of his favorites, Out Of Nowhere (I-318). Annie tried to get us playing My Melancholy Baby (III-295) at half speed, which we finally got right after some false starts. Dick handed out a chart in a key he preferred of Like Someone In Love. Annie next called So In Love (III-362). For Dick's last solo, we played There Will Never Be Another You (I-407). We finished up with something everyone got a shot at, Ellington's Take The A Train (I-398).
As I said, keep your eyes peeled for where and when we will meet next.
--SJH
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