November 17, 2018

Next Time: Saturday, Nov. 24, 11am-3pm, TowerLight (3601 Wooddale, St. Louis Park)

Coming up: December 8, noon-1:00, Christmas performance for TowerLight folks.

Add-A-Tune: Christmas Songs!

The usual gang showed up again for the Workshop this time: Sam (trombone, trumpet), Raphael (bass), Craig (guitar), Steve H (piano), Ari (trumpet), Wes (tenor), Jack K (trumpet), Bob (guitar), Carl (trombone), Annie (vocals), Jim D (piano, percussion), and Victor (vocals).

Things got swinging (gently) with Sam's first pick, All The Things You Are (I-22). Jack K kept the mood with an easy-going Time After Time (III-408). Craig changed tempos by going to Pure Imagination (III-327). Your scribe, manning the piano today, called for Makin' Whoopee (III-261). Raphael changed speed with a lively version of The Lady Is A Tramp (III-227). Wes moved over to some Charlie Parker (at a reasonable tempo) by calling Donna Lee (I-123). Ari let the bass set the pace with All Blues (I-18). Back to Sam, we went to Horace Silver's Lucky Southern (I-255), which sounds like it should be a train song, but is actually a bossa. Craig went traditional with Satin Doll (I-349).

Vocal time, and Annie got in the Blue flow with two very different tunes: The Blue Room (I-53), and Little Girl Blue (III-243), which by all reports went a bit better than last week. Yours truly, just before departing for the afternoon, asked for Skylark (III-356), which turned out a bit swifter than planned, but still held its own. Jim D arrived just in time to take over piano duties as Annie sang about the Old Man From The Old Country (I-300), then lightened things up on Without A Song (II-428). Bob had missed a chance on the instrumental rounds, so he got to call Georgia On My Mind (II-145). Annie next reprised Time After Time (III-408), a little lighter than before, and followed with What a Diff'rence A Day Made (III-430). Victor got a shot and went to old reliable Avalon (II-25). Sam wrapped up the afternoon with St. Thomas (II-338).

--SJH