Back at the Hook and Ladder after a short break. We started with Jack (trumpet), Serdar (guitar) and Steve H (alto and piano). Annie (vocals) and Carl (trombone) soon arrived, followed by Jim (alto and piano) and finally Sam, who had been out buying a new bass and was eager to try it out.
Jack got us going with Comin' Home, Baby (II-89). Blue Bossa (I-50) was Serdar's choice. Yours truly called Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me (II-107), and Annie and Carl were able to get in on the tail end of that one. Annie was up next, and made us work on Joy Spring (I-229), but it does seem to be making progress. Carl went with the much easier to play Blue Monk (I-52). Annie took another turn with Gravy Waltz (II-152). Jim thought he'd go vocal as well, and went with How High The Moon (I-180). Annie took the next two, Lullaby of Birdland (I-256) and Blame It On My Youth (II-51). Jack wanted the next one, and requested Bye Bye Blackbird (II-73). Annie took two more: and easy lope through The Very Thought of You (III-###) and a straight ballad, Never Let Me Go (III-299). Unfortunately, we were running out of time, and some of us had to leave, so we shut it down.
--SJH
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Monday, March 13, 2017
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
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
Thursday, March 9, 2017
Next Gathering
We'll be meeting this Saturday, March 11, 2017, at the Hook and Ladder, at Lake St. and Minnehaha. Set-up at 2:30, downbeat at 3:00, and we're finished by 6:00.
I'll get the March 4 posting up soon.
--SJH
I'll get the March 4 posting up soon.
--SJH
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
February 25, 2017
We'll be getting together again this coming weekend, March 4, at TowerLight, 36th and Wooddale in St. Louis Park.
An odd Workshop this past week, one without vocalists. Sam (bass), Serdar (guitar), Steve M and Steve H (altos), Jack D and Jack K (trumpets) were in attendance.
We kicked things off with my own choice, Oscar Pettiford's Blues in the Closet (II-61). Sam looked back a page and decided to make us work ("It's a Workshop!") on Blues for Wood (II-60). Steve M pulled out the classic I'm Confessin' (II-185). Serdar was set up by the time we got to our next tune, Comin' Home Baby (II-89), Jack D's pick. Jack K went with one of his favorites, Time After Time (III-408). Back to me again, we played East of the Sun (III-104). Serdar got us all in a mellow and grateful mood with What A Wonderful World (III-431). Sam looked back a page again, and we took up What A Diff'rence A Day Made (III-430). Steve M. thought we might have some fun with the deceptively tricky Let's Face The Music And Dance (III-238). Jack D called I Remember You (II-179). We followed that with the warm My Ideal (III-292), Jack K's choice.
Around to yours truly again, we changed tempo with Bernie's Tune (III-39). Serdar, liking to get in at good bossa every now and then, requested Quizas, Quizas, Quizas (Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps) (III-329). Sam turned us in another direction with Miles Davis' All Blues (I-18). Steve M asked whether any of us knew You Brought A New Kind Of Love To Me (I-458), which none of us thought we knew until we heard the tune. Jack D made his final call Birth Of The Blues (II-49).
The Jacks (D and K) both had to pull up stakes at this point, so we had some rhythm and a couple of altos for the rest of the time. My turn, so I called an immortal that I had yet to hear us do at the Workshop, Hoagy Carmichael's Stardust ((II-367). Serdar opted for Look For The Silver Lining (II-249). You never know what Sam will come up with; this time it was Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum (I-139). Steve M, with an encyclopedia of great standards in his head, called for S'Posin' (II-376). This time it was my turn to look back a page, only it was a page in front of Sam's pick: Falling In Love With Love (I-138), with it's nice 3/4 time. We were running up against 3:00 by now, but took on one last tune, St. Thomas (II-339).
Participant Picks
Johnny Smith, Kaleidoscope
(Album, 1967)
Woody Shaw, Blues For
Wood (1981)
Oscar Pettiford, Blues
In The Closet (1953)
S’Posin’
Fats Waller
Doris Day
Miles Davis
Enjoy!
--SJH
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
February 18, 2017
On Saturday, February 28 (assuming we are not completely snowbound) we will be holding our weekly hootenanny at TowerLight from 11 to 3.
Jack got us started with something even more out of season, George Gershwin's Summertime (we didn't have it in the Real Book, but we had loose copies). Annie's first tune was Everything Must Change (also not in the book; Carl supplied copies). She followed this up with The Gravy Waltz (II-152). Serdar tried to turn things around with a slightly accelerated version of Early Autumn (II-114). But Annie battled back with Joy Spring (I-229) and It Might As Well Be Spring (II-205). Yours truly broke the string by ordering up COle Porter's It's DeLovely (III-213). Annie opted for another Porter tune, I Love You (I-190). Wes saw an unfamiliar song on the following page, I Mean You (I-191), a collaboration of that popular songwriting duo, Theolonius Monk and Coleman Hawkins.
Jack had to skip out around this point, but we pressed on despite our sadness, with Annie calling Put On A Happy Face (III-328). Serdar went to one of his favorites, Black Orpheus (I-49). Carl turned to one of his standby's, Two Degrees East, Three Degrees West (II-408). We finished up with a rough and ready off-book version of Fine and Mellow. We were interrupted by guys coming in to place equipment for the evening show at the Hook and Ladder, so that was that.
Participant Picks
Joy Spring
Clifford Brown
Manhattan Transfer
It Might As Well Be
Spring
From State Fair
Stacey Kent
Libby York
Up Jumped Spring
Freddie Hubbard
Let It Snow! (It’s a
weird week.)
Karrin Allyson
Enjoy!
--SJH
Saturday, February 11, 2017
February 11, 2017
Your scribe arrived at the Hook and Ladder a couple of minutes before the downbeat, only to find himself alone. Jack D came in shortly thereafter, and finally Carl and Annie, but alas, there were no rhythm players, so we called it a day at 3:30.
--SJH
--SJH
February 3, 2017
Only Serdar (guitar) was available as rhythm section this week, and he was hoping to get in some solo work, so yours truly (alto) pulled out the Hook and Ladder's big electronic piano to give us some alternative chords and bass lines. Steve M (alto), Wes (tenor) and Jack D (trumpet) joined in the festivities.
We began with Charlie Parker's Billie's Bounce (II-44), Serdar's choice, and one he wanted to work on. Sensing a theme, I went with Jersey Bounce (III-223) as my call. Wes wanted to keep working on Donna Lee (I-123), so we did; we're starting to get the hang of it. Jack slowed things down with But Beautiful (II-62). Up next, At Long Last Love (III-32), Steve M's choice this week out of the Songs That Don't Get Played Enough songbook. Back to Serdar, we did a reprise of Billie's Bounce, because he really wanted to work on it. Your scribe went with the unseasonal Warm Valley (III-412). Jack had to fly at that juncture, which was too bad, because we got in the groove fairly well with Wes' next pick, Robbins Nest (II-330). I'm pretty sure Steve M had another call at this point, but I didn't write it down. Serdar called for another tune he's been working on each week, All The Things You Are (I-22). I requested All Of Me (I-20), which I counted off thinking it was going to be one thing, but turned into at least three other things as we proceeded through solos. Wes, always looking for a challenge or a tune he hasn't tried, pulled out Boplicity (I-158). Steve M's next choice of underappreciated song was Love Me Or Leave Me (III-255). Wes and I had to pack up, but I managed to squeeze in a bit of piano background for Song For My Father (II-373). We left Steve M and Serdar still jammin'.
Participant Picks
Miles Davis, Boplicity
(Birth of the Cool, 1957)
Frank Sinatra, At Long Last Love (A Swingin’ Affair, 1957)
Enjoy.
--SJH
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