Attendees: Wes (Tenor Sax), Jack D. (Trumpet), Jim D, (Piano/Vocal), Sam (Bass), Victor (Vocal)
Ken (Piano), Andy (Guitar), Dick (vocal), Craig (Guitar).
Songs Played: Fly Me To The Moon
I Could Write A Book
Pure Imagination
Foggy Day
Red Top
All Of Me
Basin Street Blues
Cherokee
Robbins Nest
I Thought About You
Dear Old Stockholm
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
Monday, October 2, 2017
September 30, 2017
NEXT WEEK (October 7), and probably the following week (October 14) at TowerLight, 3601 Wooddale Avenue S., St. Louis Park, 11am-3pm.
Early Segment: Groovin' High (I-166), Red Top (III-332), Robbins Nest (II-330)Add-a-Tune: Take Five (I-397)
Another busy day at the Workshop. Things got started with Wes (tenor sax), newcomer Bob (baritone sax), Jack D. (trumpet), Craig (guitar), Sam (bass), and Steve H. (piano and alto). We worked first on our Add-a-Tune, Nica's Dream (I-299), a shifting, drifting dreamy Latin thing that we started to get hold of after several run-throughs. Then we worked on three Early Segment numbers: Groovin' High (I-166), Red Top (III-332), and Robbins Nest (II-330). This is all we did from 1:30 until close to 3:00, when the singers and others began arriving.
By 3:00, we had assembled the above, along with Victor (vocals), Annie (vocals), Carl (trombone), Serdar (guitar), and Dick (vocals), with Steve M (alto) arriving shortly thereafter. Victor, being the first to arrive, chose Avalon (II-25). Annie took the next two, first doing the less familiar Sammy Cahn tune, Day By Day (II-100), followed by the more familiar Dearly Beloved (I-103). Dick took a swingin' swing at A Sunday Kind Of Love (I-392). We took an instrumental break with Lullaby of Birdland (I-256), which I think Sam ordered up. Back to the vocals, Dick took another turn, this time on I Thought About You (II-180). Victor passed to Annie, who requested Without A Song (II-428), though none of us could imagine her without one. Victor in the meantime had come up with one that we had in the books, I Can't Give You Anything But Love (I-185). Imagination (II-195) was on Dick's mind next, so we obliged. Annie opted for a nice ballad, The Folks Who Live On The Hill (II-137). Dick was feeling all Latin, and called Black Orpheus (I-99). Serdar followed suit with the instrumental Speak Low (II-364) in alternating Latin and swing. As time wore late, Annie decided to cut loose A Good Man Is Hard To Find (III-133). Dick kept things going with I'm Confessin' (II-185). We finished up a smidge late because of the need to play St. Thomas (II-339).
Participant Picks
Nica’s Dream
Art Blakey/Jazz Messengers
Horace Silver
Wes Montgomery
Dee Dee Bridgewater
Day By Day
Frank Sinatra
Sarah Vaughn
Doris Day
Jimmy Scott
Enjoy!
--SJH
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
September 23, 2017
A lot of bodies in the house--13--this session at the Hook. We got rolling with Jim D (clarinet and alto), Craig (guitar), Jack D (trumpet), Jeffrey (piano), and Steve H (alto). We got started on My Funny Valentine (I-287) because Jack was playing it as a warm-up. Craig suggested Limehouse Blues (I-244), which we took a bit down tempo. Wes (tenor) arrived, and we got on to the Early Segment tunes, working on both Robbins Nest (II-330), and Red Top. We took a regular call from Jim for There Will Never Be Another You (I- ) before another Early Segment tune, Groovin' High. By this time, Ken (piano) and Kelly (harmonica) had arrived and joined in the festivities. Ken and Jeffrey alternated a few tunes before Jeffrey, Craig and Jack had to pull out before the main vocal segment. We got in a few tunes which Dick (vocals) and Serdar (guitar) joined on. We cruised through another Early Segment song, Out Of Nowhere (I-318), with Dick throwing in a vocal, before struggling with Cole Porter's tricky Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye (III-173). We rebounded with Dick's choice of Don't Blame Me (I-121).
By this time, Victor (vocals), Annie (vocals), Carl (trombone), and Steve M (alto) were on hand to replace the people who left, and we got full bore into the vocals, starting with Annie's choice of Let There Be Love (III-236), followed by I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance. For the instrumental break, Carl put in the call for Blue Monk (I-52). Dick went to a favorite, Mean To Me (III-274). Next up was Annie, who sang It Could Happen To You (II-204). Victor took a turn on Avalon (III-25). Dick and Annie did a duet on Centerpiece, with Carl providing music. Ken got a swing at a pick, and went with a very quick version of One Note Samba (I-314), which most everyone had a hard time keeping up with, though it was entertaining for all. Serdar and Dick both wanted to work on Black Orpheus (I-49). We wrapped up with an Annie vocal, I Wish You Love (III-172).
Participant Picks
By this time, Victor (vocals), Annie (vocals), Carl (trombone), and Steve M (alto) were on hand to replace the people who left, and we got full bore into the vocals, starting with Annie's choice of Let There Be Love (III-236), followed by I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance. For the instrumental break, Carl put in the call for Blue Monk (I-52). Dick went to a favorite, Mean To Me (III-274). Next up was Annie, who sang It Could Happen To You (II-204). Victor took a turn on Avalon (III-25). Dick and Annie did a duet on Centerpiece, with Carl providing music. Ken got a swing at a pick, and went with a very quick version of One Note Samba (I-314), which most everyone had a hard time keeping up with, though it was entertaining for all. Serdar and Dick both wanted to work on Black Orpheus (I-49). We wrapped up with an Annie vocal, I Wish You Love (III-172).
Participant Picks
Ev’ry Time We Say
Goodbye
Ella Fitzgerald
Nat King Cole
Chet Baker
John Coltrane (soprano sax)
Limehouse Blues
Django Reinhardt/Stephane Grapelli
The Mills Brothers
Cannonball Adderly and John Coltrane
Enjoy!
--SJH
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
September 16, 2017
Next Time: Saturday, Sep. 23 at the Hook and Ladder (Minnehaha Ave. just below Lake St.), 1:00-5:00 pm.
We met at TowerLight again, and quite a crew it eventually was: Sam (bass, trumpet, valve trombone), Wes (tenor), Ray (bass, violin), Carl (trombone), Annie (vocals), Serdar (guitar), yours truly (alto), and a couple of newcomers to the workshop, Jeffrey (keyboard), and Josh (tenor). Good to have a bit of young blood in here.Sam, Wes, Jeffrey and I got the Early Segment going with Sam's Add-A-Tune, Cantelope Island (II-76), once again proving the wisdom of the ancient Greek proverb, "Never mix old men and jazz funk." Still, we gave it a gallant effort, then moved on to the possible gig tune, Robbin's Nest (II-330). Wes called the next one, and while we forbade him from choosing anything ending in "-ology," we left ourselves open to picking Groovin' High (I-166), which went better than expected. Meanwhile, Ray got set up. Your scribe got to call Up Jumped Spring (I-425). Jeffrey's first choice was another possible gig tune, Out of Nowhere (I-318).
Serdar, Annie and Carl had arrived, and Josh showed up at some point soon thereafter, so we got cooking on vocalist time with Annie asking for Dearly Beloved (I-103), followed by Bye Bye Blackbird (II-73). Carl had the option on the first instrumental, and went with old favorite Two Degrees East, Three Degrees West (II-408). Annie next pulled out the sultry Angel Eyes (I-28), and then the bouncy Let There Be Love (III-236). Josh got his first shot at a call, and went with All The Things You Are (I-22). Autumn Leaves (I-39) and Fine And Mellow (III-122) were Annie's next two vocals. Sam decided on Dear Old Stockholm (I-102). Annie tackled One Note Samba (I-314), and finished things off with a lively version of On The Sunny Side Of The Street (II-298).
Participant Picks
Herbie Hancock, Cantelope
Island
Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Groovin’ High
Freddie Hubbard, Up Jumped Spring
Dear Old Stockholm
John Coltrane
Stan Getz
Enjoy!
--SJH
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
September 9, 2017
Next Session: TowerLight, 3601 Wooddale Ave. 11:00am to 3:00pm
Early Segment: Robbins Nest (II-330)
Work-In Tune: Cantaloupe Island (II-76)
Back to the Hook and Ladder, we had a merry gathering for Annie's birthday. Serdar (guitar) got the place opened up, followed by Wes (tenor), Jack D (trumpet) and your scribe (alto and piano). Along about 2:30 Annie (vocals) and Carl (trombone) swung by, followed shortly thereafter by Dick (vocals) and finally Steve M (alto).
The first four of us got started just playing, even before the Early Segment. Serdar got it going with All Of Me (I-20), followed by my request for Autumn in New York (I-38). We moved next door to Autumn Leaves (I-39), and sung back for Jack and Angel Eyes (I-28). Then we took on the Early Segment tune of the day, Red Top (III-332), which we worked on a few times.
After the Early Segment tune, we continued with a medium speed version of Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise (II- ). Annie, having gotten settle in, wished for a reprise of Autumn Leaves, which we were now all warmed up to cover. Carl suppled his sheet music for Walkin', which we have promised to keep working on. Annie's next call was the 3/4 time Lover. Wes took a turn choosing an instrumental, and we took on Sweet and Lovely (III-383).
Dick was ready by now to sing one, and we did Out Of Nowhere (I-318). Always looking for stuff we've never done, Annie asked for Never Will I Marry (I-298), which was oddly arranged in the book, but we worked it out. Dick had some sheet music for By The Time I Get To Phoenix, but it was only in concert, so we did not do a lot of soloing. Song For My Father (I-373) was Annie's next song, followed by Dick and Serdar's combined choice of Corcovado (Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars)(I-335). We rocked through A Good Man Is Hard To Find (I-133) for Annie, and Dindi (II-105) for Dick. Steve M wanted Skylark (II-351), which was a nice instrumental moment near the end. We finished up with a swingy The Nearness of You (II-285), with Dick on vocals.
Participant Picks
Never Will I Marry
Anthony Perkins!
Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderly
Buddy Rich Swingin’ New Big Band
A Good Man Is Hard To
Find
Bessie Smith
Brenda Lee
Fats Waller
Walkin’
Miles Davis All Stars
John Coltrane
Monday, September 4, 2017
September 2, 2017
NEXT TIME: September 9, at the Hook and Ladder.
Early Segment: Robbin's Nest (II-330)
Add A Tune: On the Trail (IV-318)
We were out at TowerLight this session. It was Sam (bass and trumpet), Serdar (guitar) and I (alto) to get things started. Annie (vocals) and Carl (trombone) joined us a little before 1:00.
Without the usual people to do the Early Segment work, the three of us got things rolling by running through our chart of Double Clutching. Then, at Serdar's request, we had some fun with Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise (II-355). Yours truly also had a request, On The Street Where You Live (III-310). Sam decided to work on a chart we hadn't looked at for a while, Irv Williams' Swiggles.
Serdar realized that we could do some work out of Volume IV of The Real Book which, since the Workshop is dedicated to working out of the first three volumes, is typically out of bounds. We spent the remainder of the session in IV. We started with a slow version of Summertime (IV-435). I have a favorite from that book, Days Of Wine And Roses (IV-99), which the others accommodated. Sam found Adios (IV-11), which we tried out. Serdar thought Sunny (IV-436) would be fun, and so it was. We then went to Doctor Jazz (IV-112).
Carl, with his penchant for strange little blues tunes, supplied the chart for Walkin'. Annie asked for Save Your Love For Me (IV-376), a lovely tune with a complicated set of chord changes, which we did not butcher as badly as we could have. Sam suggested Minor Swing (IV-284), which swung fine. Annie's next call was The Best Is Yet To Come (IV-41). Serdar suggested Kansas City (IV-238), which hit a pretty good groove. The arrangement of Mr. Wonderful (IV-293) too us a few minutes to work out, but once done, it worked fairly well until the ending. Somebody called for Night And Day (IV-304), which was straightforward enough for us to get through successfully. We finished with Annie's idea, I Got You (IV-183), but it turns out that one of the things that disappears with age if not practiced regularly is the ability to get down with James Brown. Sad!
--SJH
Early Segment: Robbin's Nest (II-330)
Add A Tune: On the Trail (IV-318)
We were out at TowerLight this session. It was Sam (bass and trumpet), Serdar (guitar) and I (alto) to get things started. Annie (vocals) and Carl (trombone) joined us a little before 1:00.
Without the usual people to do the Early Segment work, the three of us got things rolling by running through our chart of Double Clutching. Then, at Serdar's request, we had some fun with Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise (II-355). Yours truly also had a request, On The Street Where You Live (III-310). Sam decided to work on a chart we hadn't looked at for a while, Irv Williams' Swiggles.
Serdar realized that we could do some work out of Volume IV of The Real Book which, since the Workshop is dedicated to working out of the first three volumes, is typically out of bounds. We spent the remainder of the session in IV. We started with a slow version of Summertime (IV-435). I have a favorite from that book, Days Of Wine And Roses (IV-99), which the others accommodated. Sam found Adios (IV-11), which we tried out. Serdar thought Sunny (IV-436) would be fun, and so it was. We then went to Doctor Jazz (IV-112).
Carl, with his penchant for strange little blues tunes, supplied the chart for Walkin'. Annie asked for Save Your Love For Me (IV-376), a lovely tune with a complicated set of chord changes, which we did not butcher as badly as we could have. Sam suggested Minor Swing (IV-284), which swung fine. Annie's next call was The Best Is Yet To Come (IV-41). Serdar suggested Kansas City (IV-238), which hit a pretty good groove. The arrangement of Mr. Wonderful (IV-293) too us a few minutes to work out, but once done, it worked fairly well until the ending. Somebody called for Night And Day (IV-304), which was straightforward enough for us to get through successfully. We finished with Annie's idea, I Got You (IV-183), but it turns out that one of the things that disappears with age if not practiced regularly is the ability to get down with James Brown. Sad!
--SJH
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
August 26, 2017
NEXT MEETING: September 2, 2017
Meet at TowerLight, 3691 Wooddale Ave. S. (Enter from parking lot)
11:00am-3:00pm
Early Segment: Out of Nowhere (I-318)
Add-A-Tune: Softly As In A Morning Sunrise (II-355)
A busy Saturday afternoon at the Hook and Ladder this time around. Sam (bass), Steve H (soprano and piano), Steve M (alto), Wes (tenor), Jack D (trumpet), Carl (trombone), Annie (vocals), Serdar (guitar), Dick (vocals), Jim D (alto), and Victor (vocals).
The first four of us chatted about the kind of song list we should develop for playing at gigs. Once Jack D was there, we set to practicing on Cherokee (I-77), and threw in Out of Nowhere (I-318) and Red Top (III-332). We made Annie wait until 3:00 by picking up Jack's request, Only Trust Your Heart (I-315); it's a lovely tune, but we made a hash of it, so it was time to move on to the vocal portion.
We've been trying to get back to flow of playing and vocals that is more like we used to do when we were operating out of the park system. So until 3:00, it's all instrumental, and after 3:00 vocals with fewer instrumental solos, and every three or four songs an instrumental.
Annie kicked things off with Dindi (II-105), including an a capella introduction. Next up, Dick took a turn on Stormy Weather (III-382), which seemed appropriate. Annie called the moody and difficult Detour Ahead (I-105). Dick gave us a flirty/swingy Sunday Kind Of Love (I-392). Victor was there to give away Halloween music, so he took a turn on Avalon (II- ). Instrumental time, and Steve M thought a slow-swingy version of Here's That Rainy Day (I-175) would do well, which it did. Back to vocals, Annie picked Without A Song (II-428). Dick kept the swing going with There Will Never Be Another You (I-407). Victor took another spin with All Of Me (I-20). We all grooved to Annie's next call, A Good Man Is Hard To Find (III-133). Serdar got the instrumental choice, and St. Thomas (II-339) was it. Dick did a reprise of Out Of Nowhere, so we cooked just fine. Victor pulled out a great oldy, The Birth Of The Blues (II-49). We finished the afternoon with all the vocalists sharing time on The Glory Of Love (III-131).
Participant Picks
Meet at TowerLight, 3691 Wooddale Ave. S. (Enter from parking lot)
11:00am-3:00pm
Early Segment: Out of Nowhere (I-318)
Add-A-Tune: Softly As In A Morning Sunrise (II-355)
A busy Saturday afternoon at the Hook and Ladder this time around. Sam (bass), Steve H (soprano and piano), Steve M (alto), Wes (tenor), Jack D (trumpet), Carl (trombone), Annie (vocals), Serdar (guitar), Dick (vocals), Jim D (alto), and Victor (vocals).
The first four of us chatted about the kind of song list we should develop for playing at gigs. Once Jack D was there, we set to practicing on Cherokee (I-77), and threw in Out of Nowhere (I-318) and Red Top (III-332). We made Annie wait until 3:00 by picking up Jack's request, Only Trust Your Heart (I-315); it's a lovely tune, but we made a hash of it, so it was time to move on to the vocal portion.
We've been trying to get back to flow of playing and vocals that is more like we used to do when we were operating out of the park system. So until 3:00, it's all instrumental, and after 3:00 vocals with fewer instrumental solos, and every three or four songs an instrumental.
Annie kicked things off with Dindi (II-105), including an a capella introduction. Next up, Dick took a turn on Stormy Weather (III-382), which seemed appropriate. Annie called the moody and difficult Detour Ahead (I-105). Dick gave us a flirty/swingy Sunday Kind Of Love (I-392). Victor was there to give away Halloween music, so he took a turn on Avalon (II- ). Instrumental time, and Steve M thought a slow-swingy version of Here's That Rainy Day (I-175) would do well, which it did. Back to vocals, Annie picked Without A Song (II-428). Dick kept the swing going with There Will Never Be Another You (I-407). Victor took another spin with All Of Me (I-20). We all grooved to Annie's next call, A Good Man Is Hard To Find (III-133). Serdar got the instrumental choice, and St. Thomas (II-339) was it. Dick did a reprise of Out Of Nowhere, so we cooked just fine. Victor pulled out a great oldy, The Birth Of The Blues (II-49). We finished the afternoon with all the vocalists sharing time on The Glory Of Love (III-131).
Participant Picks
Benny Carter, Only
Trust Your Heart
Bessie Smith, A Good Man Is Hard To Find
Enjoy!
--SJH
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