SJFS 2013 Night 2 recap April 29, 2013
Posted by Mike C. in Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Travel.7 comments
Other SJFS recaps: 2008, 2008 meet-and-greet, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 Night 1
If at first you succeed, try to duplicate the success the following night. That was the task for the second night of Jay Rowe‘s eleventh annual Smooth Jazz for Scholars concert.
Kevin McCabe was the first to speak to the audience just before 8PM:
As you can see behind Kevin, before Jay and the house band came out, the show began with a performance by the Foran High School Jazz Band, under the direction of Jessica Shearer. Their song featured a solo by Jay. Pictures of what was visible can be seen later in this post.
The house band was made up of Jay on keyboards:
Jerry Brooks on bass:
Trever Somerville on drums:
Steve Scales on percussion:
The show took place on Steve’s birthday.
…and for eight of the songs, Rohn Lawrence on guitar:
SET LIST
1. Martinis and Bikinis (Jay Rowe)
Originally heard on: “Live at Daniel Street,” 2011
Featured musicians: Jay Rowe (keyboards), Rohn Lawrence (electric guitar)
2. Side Tracked (Jeff Golub)
Originally heard on: “The Three Kings,” 2011
Featured musicians: Jeff Golub (electric guitar), Rohn Lawrence (electric guitar)
Unfortunately, Jeff went blind a few years ago. But he hasn’t let that stop him from performing. He still sounds great. His courage and perseverance are admirable.
3. Freddie’s Midnight Dream (Jeff Golub)
Originally heard on: “The Three Kings,” 2011
Featured musicians: Jeff Golub (electric guitar), Rohn Lawrence (electric guitar)
4. Can’t Stop Now (Vincent Ingala)
Originally heard on: “Can’t Stop Now,” 2012
Featured musicians: Vincent Ingala (tenor sax), Rohn Lawrence (electric guitar)
5. Wild Thing (Marion Meadows)
Originally heard on: “Whisper,” 2013
Featured musicians: Marion Meadows (soprano sax), Vincent Ingala (tenor sax), Chieli Minucci (electric guitar), Rohn Lawrence (electric guitar)
6. Black Pearl (Marion Meadows)
Originally heard on: “Whisper,” 2013
Featured musicians: Marion Meadows (soprano sax), Chieli Minucci (acoustic guitar)
7. Dreams (Chieli Minucci)
Originally heard on: “It’s Gonna Be Good,” 1998
Featured musicians: Chieli Minucci (electric guitar), Vincent Ingala (soprano sax)
8. Crazy Eights (Chieli Minucci & Special EFX)
Originally heard on: “Genesis,” 2013 (to be released on May 21)
Featured musicians: Chieli Minucci (electric guitar), Vincent Ingala (tenor sax)
9. If I Could Fly (Vincent Ingala)
Originally heard on: “Can’t Stop Now,” 2012
Featured musicians: Vincent Ingala (tenor sax), Rohn Lawrence (electric guitar)
10. It Is What It Is (Vincent Ingala)
Originally heard on: “North End Soul,” 2010
Featured musicians: Vincent Ingala (tenor sax), Rohn Lawrence (electric guitar)
11. In Memory of Elizabeth Reed (The Allman Brothers Band cover)
Featured musicians: Chieli Minucci (electric guitar), Jeff Golub (electric guitar)
12. Suede (Marion Meadows)
Originally heard on: “Player’s Club,” 2004
Featured musician: Marion Meadows (soprano sax)
13. Katy’s Groove (Jay Rowe)
Featured musicians: Foran High School Advanced Vocal Ensemble, under the direction of Theresa Voss
14 (Finale). Cold Duck Time (Jeff Golub; Eddie Harris cover)
Originally heard on: “Do It Again,” 2002
Featured musicians: Everyone
Various shots of Jay Rowe:
Jerry Brooks:
Trever Somerville:
Steve Scales:
Rohn Lawrence:
Vincent Ingala:
Jeff Golub:
Chieli Minucci:
Marion Meadows:
Just like in 2011, Marion began “Suede” by playing his way through the audience:
Vincent and Rohn:
Chieli and Vincent:
Marion and Chieli:
Marion, Vincent, and Chieli:
Chieli and Jeff:
Foran High School Jazz Band:
Foran High School Advanced Vocal Ensemble:
The Finale – “Cold Duck Time”:
The second night of Smooth Jazz for Scholars was now complete.
Jay: “We’ll see you all next year!”
I hope you enjoyed this pictorial journey through both nights of Smooth Jazz for Scholars. Until next year, so long.
SJFS 2013 Night 1 recap April 29, 2013
Posted by Mike C. in Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Travel.8 comments
Other SJFS recaps: 2008, 2008 meet-and-greet, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 Night 2
This weekend, I made my annual pilgrimage to Milford, Connecticut, for Jay Rowe‘s eleventh annual Smooth Jazz for Scholars concert. For the first time in SJFS history, there were two nights of music to enjoy. This is a recap of Night 1.
Kevin McCabe had some opening remarks:
…and so did Jay Rowe:
Jay played his keyboards:
His house band was rounded by Jerry Brooks on bass:
Trever Somerville on drums:
…and Steve Scales on percussion:
The structure of this recap is different from previous SJFS recaps. Instead of combining the set list with pictures from the corresponding songs, I’ll list the set list first. Here it is:
SET LIST
1. Martinis and Bikinis (Jay Rowe)
Originally heard on: “Live at Daniel Street,” 2011
Featured musicians: Jay Rowe (keyboards), Marc Antoine (acoustic guitar)
2. Sunland (Marc Antoine)
Originally heard on: “Madrid,” 1998
Featured musicians: Marc Antoine (acoustic guitar)
3. Mas Que Nada (Marc Antoine; Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66 cover)
Originally heard on: “Cruisin’,” 2001
Featured musicians: Marc Antoine (acoustic guitar), Nelson Rangell (alto sax)
4. Spain (Return to Forever [Chick Corea] cover)
Featured musicians: Nelson Rangell (flute), Marc Antoine (acoustic guitar)
5. Turning Night Into Day (Nelson Rangell)
Originally heard on: “Turning Night Into Day,” 1997
Featured musicians: Nelson Rangell (alto sax)
6. Did You Know? (Nick Colionne)
Originally heard on: “Just Come On In,” 2003
Featured musicians: Nick Colionne (electric guitar), Vincent Ingala (electric guitar)
You read right. Vincent isn’t limited to one instrument. And if you’ve read the liner notes for some of Nick’s albums, neither is he.
7. Rainy Night in Georgia (Nick Colionne; Brook Benton cover)
Originally heard on: “It’s My Turn,” 1994; “Keepin’ It Cool,” 2006
Featured musicians: Nick Colionne (vocals/electric guitar), Nelson Rangell (alto sax)
8. Pusherman (Alex Bugnon; Curtis Mayfield cover)
Originally heard on: Upcoming album
Featured musicians: Alex Bugnon (keyboard), Jay Rowe (keyboards), Nick Colionne (electric guitar), Vincent Ingala (electric guitar)
9. A House is Not a Home (Alex Bugnon; notably covered by Luther Vandross)
Originally heard on: Upcoming album
Featured musicians: Alex Bugnon (keyboard), Vincent Ingala (electric guitar)
10. Poinciana (notably covered by Ahmad Jamal)/107 Degrees in the Shade (Alex Bugnon)
“107 Degrees…” originally heard on: “107 Degrees in the Shade,” 1991
Musicians: Alex Bugnon (keyboard), Jay Rowe (keyboards)
11. The Connection (Nick Colionne)
Originally heard on: “Feel the Heat,” 2011
Featured musicians: Nick Colionne (electric guitar), Vincent Ingala (electric guitar)
12. How Insensitive (Insensatez) (Antonio Carlos Jobim cover)
Featured musicians: Nelson Rangell (whistling/piccolo), Marc Antoine (acoustic guitar)
13. Harlem On My Mind (Alex Bugnon)
Originally heard on: “Tales from the Bright Side,” 1995
Featured musicians: Alex Bugnon (keyboard), Nelson Rangell (flute), Vincent Ingala
14. On the Strip (Marc Antoine)
Originally heard on: “Cruisin’,” 2001
Featured musicians: Test (instrument), Test (instrument)
15 (Finale). Cantaloupe Island (Herbie Hancock cover)/(James Brown-style jam)
Featured musicians: Everyone
In the finale, some musicians switched to different instruments. Vincent went from electric guitar to tenor sax; Marc Antoine tried out Vincent’s guitar, Steve’s drums, and one of Jay’s synthesizers.
With the set list out of the way, let’s get to the pictures.
We begin with various shots of Jay Rowe:
Trever Somerville:
Steve Scales:
Nelson Rangell helped out during Marc Antoine’s “How Insensitive” solo. Seconds before I took this, he struck the chimes:
Marc Antoine:
Nelson Rangell:
Alto sax:
Flute:
Piccolo:
Whistling:
Whistling like that deserved a bow:
Vincent Ingala on electric guitar:
Nick Colionne:
Hearing from the audience:
“Rainy Night in Georgia”:
Alex Bugnon:
Nelson and Marc’s “Mas Que Nada” call and response:
Jay and Alex’s dual medley:
Nick and Vincent’s “The Connection” duet:
The finale:
“Can I count it off?! (slow staccato): Can I count it off?!”
Nick in the audience:
Back on stage:
With that, the first night of the eleventh annual Smooth Jazz for Scholars was complete.
The fun resumed the following night. Click here to see.
2013 WCWP Hall of Fame Ceremony April 20, 2013
Posted by Mike C. in Interviews, Media, Music, News, Personal, Photography, Radio, Sports, TV, Video.1 comment so far
Previous Hall of Fame Ceremonies: 2012
The second annual WCWP Hall of Fame Ceremony featured the inductions of Maura “Bernie” Bernard, Steve Radoff, Harry Lowenthal, and Bill Mozer. Like the inaugural ceremony last year, this year’s ceremony was held at the Tilles Center Atrium. Unlike last year, the sun was shining brightly outside.
The Hall of Fame plaques:
Scott Perschke captured a conversation between Bill Mozer, Harry Lowenthal, and Harry’s son James:
Hank Neimark (who inducted Steve Radoff and Harry Lowenthal) and Pete Bellotti:
Pete and Bill Mozer:
Pete and Steve Radoff:
Pete and Bernie Bernard:
Pete and Harry Lowenthal:
The ceremony began with WCWP station manager Dan Cox introducing an opening video:
Jay Mirabile was the Master of the Ceremony:
Bill Mozer’s induction of Bernie Bernard came in the form of an interview:
A captive audience:
Next, Tracy Burgess conducted an interview with Bruce Leonard…
…and handed the mic to Jeff Kroll who read a statement from Joel Feltman:
Hank Neimark inducted Steve Radoff:
Steve’s speech:
Next, Hank inducted Harry Lowenthal:
Harry’s speech:
Dan Cox returned to induct Bill Mozer…
…but he wasn’t the only one.
Ted David pre-recorded an induction speech from Florida:
Then came a slideshow set to “You’ve Got a Friend” by James Taylor:
It was finally time to bring Bill to the podium:
It was an emotional speech.
There was one more special video message for Bill…
…from Fred Gaudelli:
There was still one more announcement to make…
…and that was made by Pete Bellotti:
The unveiling of the Hall of Fame plaque with the induction years and inductees listed on it:
“Let’s hear it for the 2013 WCWP Hall of Fame Class!”
Later at WCWP, Dan gave a tour of the newly renovated Studio 1:
It was quite a day! Congratulations to Bernie, Steve, Harry, and Bill: the WCWP Hall of Fame Class of 2013.
Busy Saturdays (and one Friday) ahead April 13, 2013
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Radio, Technology, Travel, Video.add a comment
I have a busy pair of Saturdays (and one Friday) beginning next week.
Next Saturday, I’ll be at the second annual WCWP Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. As I noted in mid-October, this year’s inductees are Steve Radoff, Harry Lowenthal, Bill Mozer, and Maura “Bernie” Bernard. Like last year, the ceremony will take place at the Tilles Center Atrium. But unlike last year, it will take place in the afternoon rather than the evening.
The following Friday and Saturday, I’ll be up in Milford, Connecticut, for both nights of keyboardist Jay Rowe’s annual Smooth Jazz for Scholars benefit concert. In the Friday show, for the first time since 2008, Jay won’t be the only keyboardist performing. Alex Bugnon is one of the guests scheduled to perform, along with saxophonist Nelson Rangell, and guitarists Marc Antoine and Nick Colionne. Saturday’s lineup consists of guitarists Jeff Golub and Chieli Minucci, and saxophonists Marion Meadows and Vincent Ingala. This will be the first time I’ve seen Jeff since he unfortunately lost his sight.
At both events, I’ll have the same video and audio equipment as last year, but I’ll be using a new digital camera. After getting the Nikon D3100 last May, I lucked into swapping it for a new D5100 earlier this week.
You know the drill: After each event, I’ll post a photo recap here at MikeChimeri.com. Crafting posts will be easier now that WordPress lets you post all the pictures at once.
Until then, so long.
Last snow of the season March 27, 2013
Posted by Mike C. in Personal, Photography, Weather.add a comment
I will assume that the wet snow that mixed with rain on Monday night was the last snow of the season (that carried into spring). Since there was no accumulation, I didn’t take pictures.
But I did have the camera out a week ago for a pair of minor wet snow events.
March 18:
I wasn’t expecting much snow to accumulate, but as the evening progressed, there was a decent amount on the ground.
This was taken at 6:57 PM:
7:19 PM:
8:11 PM:
9:06 PM:
By this time, the National Weather Service hastily issued a winter weather advisory until midnight when the wet snow changed to rain.
By morning, most of the snowfall had been rained away.
March 21: A mid-afternoon wet snow shower left a small coating.
I took these six pictures around 5PM before going out to dinner:
Now, it’s time to make the transition from shoveling snow to sweeping pollen.
A March nor’easter and its wet snow March 8, 2013
Posted by Mike C. in Internet, Media, News, Personal, Photography, TV, Weather.add a comment
It’s been a trying nine days for me. It all began last Wednesday night. Meteorologists began warning of a big nor’easter for the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic one week later. It would bring high winds and wet snow, a volatile mix.
In the days that followed, weather computer models from various media and meteorological organizations projected different paths for the storm to take and where it would meet up with a low moving from the Pacific to the Tennessee Valley. The center would be over Cape Hatteras or the Delmarva Peninsula. From there, it would go east, southeast, or northeast.
Meteorologists hedged their bets by making their forecasts based on what the most models were predicting at the time, but made clear that the forecast could change. It did. Long Island went from missing the nor’easter entirely, except for gusty winds, to getting its northern fringe. Worse yet, the storm was going to take longer to push east than originally expected. Thus, a one-day nor’easter became a three-day nor’easter.
March has seen its share of major nor’easters:
- The Great Blizzard of 1888
- The Ash Wednesday Storm of 1962
- The 1993 Storm of the Century
- The March 2010 Nor’easter (more on that below)
The worst of the 1993 and 2010 storms came through Long Island on the same date: March 13. When the ’93 storm hit, I was living in Freeport, three blocks away from Baldwin Bay. My cousins, aunt, and grandmother stayed over while my parents were in St. Maarten. They left two days before the storm and came back two days after. A few months earlier, there was an equally strong nor’easter. At the afternoon high tide, a few inches of water came into the first floor of the house. I was too young to remember our house flooding during Hurricane Gloria. So this was traumatizing. I don’t recall if water got in during the SotC, but I do know the first floor lacked a carpet for the rest of our time in the house. I also remember we had snow that was followed by rain. And according to AccuWeather, Freeport was in the 10-to-20-inch range:
1993 SotC snowfall
For the next week or two, the backyard looked like the North Pole because the rain-and-flood-soaked snow froze over. Air temperatures were stuck below freezing for a week. So, snow didn’t completely melt in some areas until the end of the month.
My family and I moved (for unrelated school reasons) to the Wantagh Woods section of Wantagh in July 1993, over a mile inland, where I live to this day.
Back in the present, as it became clear we were getting this nor’easter, visions of Sandy began dancing in my head as I feared the worst, even though the highest gusts would be nothing like Sandy. And the nor’easter’s duration brought me back to what began my high wind fears in the first place: a stronger nor’easter that began three years ago next Wednesday. I was without power then, due to uprooted trees, for two days. Then, in poker terms, Irene saw those two days and raised me five and a half. Sandy saw those five and a half days and raised me nine.
I also thought of a similar wet snow-producing nor’easter that came exactly one year before Sandy. New Jersey, Connecticut, and the Hudson Valley received a lot of wet snow, which weighed down still-leaved tree limbs, taking many of them down, or whole trees down, and the power out with them. The post-Sandy nor’easter also brought wet snow that weighed down still-leaved tree limbs – Sandy didn’t blow all of them off – but the ones in my neighborhood did not break off nor did they come down.
This week’s nor’easter came in under cover of darkness early Wednesday morning. The winds gradually increased, as did the gusts. Gusts of around 40 miles per hour plowed against my east-facing bedroom wall. But precipitation was scarce. As the day progressed, the wind direction shifted from the east to the north-northeast. The wind was no longer pushing against the wall, but I could still hear it.
As the night progressed, I was prepared for power to go out at any moment. I went to sleep around midnight and woke up seven hours later with the power still on. Not only that, but the wind diminished and there wasn’t any snow on the ground. Up to 6 inches of wet snowfall was originally expected for Wednesday night into yesterday, the first part of the nor’easter, but by mid-afternoon, the forecast dwindled to an inch or two. With little or no snow for Wednesday night, the concern shifted to last night into today when heavier wet snow was expected.
As you can tell by the pictures below, we didn’t get much:
More snow fell to my north and any area that received heavy snow bands. According to Newsday (subscription required), Syosset received 8 inches of wet snow and Jericho got 6 inches. Levittown, to my immediate north, received 4.5 inches.
The wet snow melted on most of my driveway, but stuck to the cars and garbage/recycling pails left at the curb for Friday pickup.
Five hours later, snow had tapered off and begun to melt.
As I publish this post, the wind has shifted to the north-northwest and is a mere eleven miles per hour. Most of the wet snow on the grass in the above picture is still there. With milder temperatures and abundant sunshine expected over the next few days, it won’t be on the grass much longer.
February 8-9 blizzard pictures, video February 11, 2013
Posted by Mike C. in Health, Internet, Media, News, Personal, Photography, Video, Weather.add a comment
Coming into February, it had been two years since a major winter storm impacted Long Island. The previous winter only saw one storm in mid-January that left merely a few inches. Other than that, there were minor accumulations left by premature mid-fall storms in October 2011 and November 2012, the latter coming nine days after Hurricane Sandy devastated my region.
But on Friday, February 8, Long Island was impacted by a major winter storm; a blizzard, in fact. Most of Suffolk County got over two feet of snow. And across Long Island Sound, parts of Connecticut got over three feet.
Newsday: Long Island snow totals (subscription required)
Woodbury-Middlebury Patch: Connecticut snow totals
Nassau County was spared the worst, getting around or under one foot. Winds were gusty, but power stayed on. In my neighborhood, I heard and saw Town of Hempstead trucks come by around the clock to plow my street.
The next few pictures were taken Friday night, as snow became heavy:
By the time I woke up in middle of Saturday morning, snow had ended and skies were slowly clearing. As I looked out my windows before going downstairs to shovel, this is what I saw:
Once outside, I shot a few more pictures before getting to work:
Three grueling hours of shoveling followed. About a half hour in, my sister checked on me. I asked her to bring me a ruler to measure snow in the middle of the driveway, which I had yet to shovel. The standard 12-inch ruler measured about 10 1/2 inches of snowfall. Newsday’s official total for Wantagh was 11 inches. Another half hour passed and my sister joined me in shoveling. Then, our neighbor came by with his snow blower to finish what we started.
After shoveling paths to the backyard and an extra path to the curb, I took out my Nikon D3100 and shot these pictures:
I also shot video on my JVC Everio HD camcorder, which you can see here, preceded by video from Friday night on the D3100:
I had been outside for 3 1/2 hours, coming inside for a little while to eat eggs and bacon, and drink a glass of orange juice, for breakfast. I was relieved to relax the rest of the day. Parts of my body ached, but by the time I’m posting this on Monday afternoon, those aches have subsided.
As night came, I took one more picture:
If this is the only major storm Long Island gets this winter, it was certainly memorable. But as lucky as my area was in getting under a foot of snow, I only wish my friends in Suffolk and Connecticut could have had the same luck.
Meanwhile, there could be more than one minor or moderate winter storm before spring; this Wednesday night, for example.
Riding the Staten Island and West Shore Expressways January 20, 2013
Posted by Mike C. in Personal, Photography, Travel.add a comment
Picking up where Riding the Belt Parkway left off, the focus of the pictures in this post is the Staten Island Expressway and West Shore Expressway.
The pics were taken on the way to my friends’ housewarming party in Howell, New Jersey.
On the Staten Island Expressway, Exits 15S and 14:
Exit 10:
Exit 9:
Exit 7:
Exit 6:
Exit 5, NY 440 South (West Shore Expressway):
On the West Shore, Exit 8:
Exit 7:
As you saw above, two of the expressways’ exits overlap.
Exit 5:
Exit 4:
Exit 3:
Exit 2:
Exit 1, Arthur Kill Road (again):
The Outerbridge Crossing:
After crossing the Crossing, my parents and me were in New Jersey. In another hour, we arrived in Howell.
Riding the Belt Parkway December 18, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Personal, Photography, Travel.2 comments
This post is a sequel to my July 29 post of pictures I took on the Long Island Expressway (Interstate 495) eight days earlier. This time, the focus of my pictures is the Belt Parkway.
These pics were taken late in the morning on October 6 en route to a housewarming party in Howell, New Jersey.
We begin with Exit 24B:
Exit 24A:
Exit 23A:
Exit 22:
Exit 21B:
After Exit 20 and before Exit 19:
Approaching Exit 18B:
Exit 18B:
Exit 17N:
Exit 17W:
Exit 17S:
Exit 15:
Exit 14:
Exit 13:
Mill Basin Drawbridge:
You can see the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge from the drawbridge because the Belt is heading south before re-curving west at Marine Park:
Exit 11N:
Exit 11S:
By now, the Belt is heading west again.
Exit 9:
Back when my great-grandparents (my mother’s maternal grandparents) lived in Midwood, we would get off at Exit 9 and ride the service road to Ocean Avenue. From there, we made a right on Ocean, drove north to Avenue N, and made a left. They lived between Ocean and East 19th Street.
Exit 8:
Exit 7B:
Exit 7A:
The MTA’s Stillwell Yard:
Exit 6N:
Exit 6S:
Exit 5:
Exit 4:
Exit 3:
From here, we got on the bridge and continued on our way to Howell.
2012 in review December 30, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Commentary, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, News, Personal, Photography, Travel, Weather.add a comment
The following is an excerpt of an end-of-year post WordPress created for MikeChimeri.com. Scroll down for my editorial.
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
Click here to see the complete report.
This site began in 2012 as The Mike Chimeri Blog, but in May, I did something I should have done four years earlier: combine my blog and my original website that I created through Yahoo Sitebuilder. After two weeks of uploading files and recreating pages, the new MikeChimeri.com was born.
2012 was the year I switched to a DSLR (digital single-lens reflex) camera, a Nikon D3100, improving the quality of the pictures you see in my posts. The first two posts featuring pics shot with the D3100 were Scenery Pictures in late June and the Brian Simpson recap in early September. The Matt Marshak recap from mid-November was the first post where all pics were shot with it. Despite the switch, I plan to hold on to my Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8 as a backup. In fact, my last regular post of the year, pics taken westbound on the Belt Parkway, was all shot on the Lumix.
Unfortunately, 2012 was the third year in a row where a major storm hit Long Island, knocked out my power for more than a day, and left me to relocate until power was restored. This time, Sandy was the culprit.
Whatever comes my way in 2013, there’s a good chance I’ll post about it here. Have a happy and healthy 2013, everyone.