SJFS 2019 Night 2 recap April 29, 2019

2019 Night 1

The 17th annual Smooth Jazz for Scholars run by keyboardist Jay Rowe resumed on Saturday night with the second of two concerts. The headliners were Brian Simpson, Eric Darius, Jessy J, back for the second year in a row, and Steve Oliver, back for the second time in three years.

I could only manage about four hours of sleep early Saturday morning, but it felt like more than that. I got out of bed at 5:45 AM and began my exercises and pre-run stretches. Then, I headed down to the West Haven Best Western‘s fitness center to run 42 minutes on the treadmill. I had to enter my weight in kilograms and speed in kilometers per hour. It’s a good thing I had a converter on my phone. As has been the case semi-regularly since January, I did not take any breaks. It was 42 minutes in a row. That was all I needed to reach my monthly mileage goal of 150 miles.

After free weight exercises, I showered and changed into a second t-shirt and pair of shorts. Then, I brought my laptop and portable hard drive down to the lobby. While guests came in for breakfast, I was fine with a cup of tea. I’d have preferred hot chocolate, but it’s only served in the winter. Two hours later, I went back to my room and finished editing. My parents texted me from across the hall to ask if I’d like to eat a late breakfast at the nearby Denny’s. I agreed. We also ate at Denny’s the morning after SJFS in 2009 when we stayed at the adjacent Hampton Inn.

As with Sally’s yesterday, I took a few pictures at Denny’s:

The weather was better on Saturday: partly to mostly cloudy, but dry. I was underdressed, though. A t-shirt and shorts were the wrong things to wear. It’s a good thing I had my spring jacket.

The menu had an option to make your own Grand Slam breakfast. I chose two buttermilk pancakes, a buttermilk biscuit, hash browns, and two sausage links.

I grabbed a picture when I was down to the pancakes:

Back at the hotel, I showered again and worked on the rough drafts for this post and the one before it.

Eventually, the time came to drive to Veterans Memorial Auditorium at the Parsons Government Complex in Milford.

Jay Rowe’s mother Mia DiStasi was the last person I saw Friday night and the first I saw Saturday.

Kevin McCabe welcomed the audience one minute before 8:00:

Then, the Foran High School Jazz Ensemble, led by Jessica Turner, came on stage:

They performed two songs. First, a Gordon Goodwin composition, which I haven’t heard on any Big Phat Band album, called “Tweet Fatigue”:

…and Doc Severinsen’s arrangement of Hoagy Carmichael’s “Stardust” for The Tonight Show Band:

Five minutes later, musical director Jay Rowe and his band took the stage.

As usual, Jay played keyboards:

He was backed up by Trever Somerville on drums:

Unfortunately, that was only one of two pictures I got of Trever, but you can see him in other pics.

On his birthday, Steve Scales on percussion:

Dave Anderson on bass:

…and on 11 of the 15 songs, Rohn Lawrence on guitar:

The headliners were Steve Oliver on guitar and vocals:

Jessy J on tenor saxophone:

Brian Simpson on keyboard:

…and keytar:

…and Eric Darius on alto sax and occasional vocals:

SET LIST
1. There She Goes (Jay Rowe)
Originally heard on: Upcoming album
Featured musicians: Jay Rowe (keyboards), Steve Oliver (guitar, vocals)

2. High Noon (Steve Oliver)
Originally heard on: Positive Energy (2002)
Featured musician: Steve Oliver (guitar, vocals)

3. Illuminate (Steve Oliver)
Originally heard on: Illuminate (2018)
Featured musician: Steve Oliver (guitar, vocals)

4. Tequila Moon (Jessy J)
Originally heard on: Tequila Moon (2008), Live at Yoshi’s 10 Year Anniversary Special (2018)
Featured musicians: Jessy J (tenor sax), Steve Oliver (guitar)

5. All I Want (Jessy J)
Originally heard on: Live at Yoshi’s 10 Year Anniversary Special (2018)
Featured musician: Jessy J (tenor sax)

6. Just What You Need (Brian Simpson)
Originally heard on: Just What You Need (2013)
Featured musician: Brian Simpson (keyboard)

7. Persuasion (Brian Simpson)
Originally heard on: Persuasion (2016)
Featured musicians: Brian Simpson (keyboard), Eric Darius (alto sax)

8. Breakin’ Thru (Eric Darius)
Originally heard on: Breakin’ Thru (2018)
Featured musician: Eric Darius (alto sax)

9. L.O.V.E. (Eric Darius)
Originally heard on: Breakin’ Thru (2018)
Featured musician: Eric Darius (alto sax)
L.O.V.E. is Eric’s marital acronym for “living our vows every day.”

10. The Tango Boy (Jessy J)
Originally heard on: My One and Only One (2015), Live at Yoshi’s 10 Year Anniversary Special (2018)
Featured musicians: Jessy J (tenor sax), Brian Simpson (keytar), Jay Rowe (keyboards)

11. Chips and Salsa (Steve Oliver)
Originally heard on: 3D (2004)
Featured musicians: Steve Oliver (guitar, vocals), Brian Simpson (keyboard), Jay Rowe (keyboards)

12. Saturday Cool (Brian Simpson)
Originally heard on: It’s All Good (2005)
Featured musician: Brian Simpson (keyboard, keytar)

13. Love is the Answer (Todd Rundgren composition for his band Utopia)
Featured musicians: Foran High School Advanced Ensemble Chorus (directed by Theresa Voss), Eric Darius (alto sax), Jay Rowe (keyboards)

14. Night on the Town (Eric Darius)
Originally heard on: Night on the Town (2004)
Featured musician: Eric Darius (alto sax, vocals)

15 (Finale). Happy (Eric Darius) (Pharrell Williams cover)
Originally heard on: Retro Forward (2014)
Featured musicians: Everyone

Jay did not play on Brian’s three songs.

The first group of pictures by artist is for Steve Oliver:

Guitar symphony orchestra:

Vocals:

Audience sing-a-long:

Steve started “Chips and Salsa” in the audience:

Along the way, he prompted them to shout “¡Olé!”

Back on stage…:

“Where’s the party?”:

“Ohhhhh-oh! Sing!”:

They did:

There was more to echo after that:

Including complicated vocalise:

Their effort passed muster: “Aw, you’re hired. You’re comin’ on the road with us.”

Jessy J:

Brian Simpson on keyboard:

…and keytar:

Eric Darius:

Eric prompted the audience to wave their phones’ flashlights at the start of “L.O.V.E.”:

… What this light represents tonight is unity ’cause we are all united, and most importantly, this light represents love, L.O.V.E.

In the middle of the song, after sitting on the end of the stage:

…he walked down to them, high-fiving some along the way:

Back on stage:

Big finish:

“Love you, Milford!”:

During “Night on the Town,” more audience participation: “Ooh-ooh!”:

“Now, somebody scream!”:

He returned to the audience for “Night on the Town”:

As Eric made his way to the other side, I smiled for my camcorder, then panned right when I got back in position:

Back on stage:

Jay Rowe:

The end-of-solo glide:

The second Trever Somerville pic:

Steve Scales:

Dave Anderson during his “Saturday Cool” duet:

Rohn Lawrence’s “Breakin’ Thru” solo:

Jessy and Jay:

Jessy and Steve:

Rohn and Jessy (and Trever):

I just missed his wolf whistle riff.

Eric and Brian:

Rohn and Eric:

Jessy and Brian:

Brian and Jay’s Jessy J-sanctioned keyboard competition:

I call it a draw.

“Brian Simpson! Jay Rowe!”:

Brian and Dave:

“Love is the Answer,” with the Foran High School Advanced Vocal Ensemble, directed by Theresa Voss:

The finale: “Happy”:

“Oh!” “Yeah!”:

Eric named all performers…:

“I’m Eric Darius! We love you! God bless! Thank you!”:

Air Darius:

That’s it!

A selfie for Brian’s Facebook page:

Here’s how it looked:

Jay brought up the rest of the band for a group bow:

That marked the end of the 17th year of Smooth Jazz for Scholars.

What a fantastic night! And what a workout! The health app on my iPhone says I took thousands of steps both nights. I was cold in my short-sleeve shirt when I arrived both nights, but I was hot when the house lights came up and the stage was struck. That’s a workout.

During the show I once again caught up with my photography colleagues Ron Hancox, Keith McDonald, and Bill. Before and after, I spoke to Jay Dobbins and John and Barbara again. Afterward, I saw my friends Kelly and Jen.

Kelly was nice enough to take pictures during the meet-and-greet. First, Brian Simpson:

Next, Jessy J:

Jessy asked what I’d been up to since last year. I gave her the highlights, including my cousin David’s wedding down in Miami. Jessy’s 8-month-old son is also named David.

Then, Steve Oliver:

Seconds before Kelly took the above picture, she said she loved “Chips and Salsa” and Steve proceeded to vocalize. That cracked me up. Before that, he noticed the 2019 PGA Championship shirt I was wearing. I told him I’d be going to the final round at Bethpage Black golf course in a few weeks. I added that I wore the 2018 U.S. Open shirt that I got ahead of that tournament, held at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton. I said I arrived at the course for the third round at about the time Phil Mickelson moved his ball on the 13th green while it was still rolling. Getting back to music, after Kelly took our picture, I told Steve I was glad he played “Illuminate” because it made me think of the late Chuck Loeb, who played SJFS five years ago. We both miss him, and I know anyone else that followed his music misses him, too.

5/6 UPDATE: My friend John Caramagna took a candid shot of the above moment from another angle:

Finally, I met Eric Darius:

I told him I liked his energy, bouncing around the stage so fast. I didn’t realize he was pointing at me when we posed, just as I didn’t know Matt Marshak’s expression last year. I would have pointed back. Eric said it was because “you’re the man.” I told him he was the man and thanked him for a great night of music.

Kelly and Jen were waiting outside to take me back to West Haven, but I had to say hi to Dolly Moye before I left. I saw her dancing in the right aisle both nights, but didn’t get to talk to her on Friday.

On the ride back to Best Western, Kelly and Jen shared stories from their union’s strike against Stop & Shop earlier in the month. I was glad to be with them.

I went right to sleep after returning to my room. Once again, I could only manage a few hours of sleep. I woke up around 4:45 AM and started going through photos from the night before. I weeded out the poor quality shots, pausing periodically to do push-ups and jumping jacks. I noticed the dawn sky outside my 7th floor window, which had a southeast exposure, and broke out my camera:

20 minutes later, the sun was in view:

Another 10 minutes passed and I took my last sunrise pic:

I could also see Long Island Sound and the north shore of either Miller Place, Rocky Point, Shoreham, or Wading River, based on Google Maps:

I put my camera away and went down to the fitness center to lift weights. Then, I went back to my room to start editing Saturday’s pictures, shower, and pack up.

Checkout was at 11:00, so with everything else packed, I packed up my laptop and proceeded to the lobby. My parents and I left the hotel at 11:10. As we pulled out of the parking lot, the England Dan and John Ford Coley version of “Love is the Answer” was playing on SiriusXM 70s on 7, which was running the April 28, 1979, episode of Casey Kasem’s American Top 40.

Just like last year, an hour and 40 minutes later, even with a heavy pocket of traffic in Stamford, we were home. Traffic is always lighter getting home late Sunday morning than it is going to New Haven County on Friday afternoon. I finished editing half a mile from my house.

I put the finishing touches on the two recaps today. Thank you for reading and viewing along with me, and thank you to everyone I encountered while in Milford and West Haven. Until next year, so long.