Lisa Hilton at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall: 2018 edition January 14, 2018
Posted by Mike C. in Comedy, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Travel, TV, Weather.4 comments
Previous Lisa Hilton recaps: June 2011, January 2014, January 2015, January 2016
Thursday night marked my first time at Carnegie Hall since I saw comic ventriloquist Jeff Dunham 15 months ago, and my first time seeing jazz pianist Lisa Hilton in two years. (I couldn’t make last year’s show.)
As with all Carnegie shows, I was not allowed to take pictures during the performance. That means I have to compensate by describing what I saw and photographing what happened before and after. That’s not a complaint; just an explanation.
Until my dad drove me to the Wantagh LIRR station at 4:40, it was a typical Thursday for me: grocery shopping, treadmill running, and YouTube and Netflix watching.
As I waited on the platform for the 4:59 Penn Station-bound train to arrive, I took a couple of pictures, the first ones taken on my iPhone X, a generous Christmas gift.
About 50 minutes later, I was at Penn Station, where I walked to the 34th Street subway station and took an uptown E train to 7th Avenue and West 53rd Street.
All but one of the remaining pictures in this post were taken on my Nikon D5500:
When I exited the train, I was greeted by the Ed Sullivan Theater, home to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert since September 2015. (David Letterman retired that May.)
I planned on eating dinner at Lindy’s, but was walking up Broadway when I should have been on 7th. So, I missed it.
I turned east at West 56th Street, but couldn’t find a restaurant I liked. I did take pictures along the way.
I turned north up 6th Avenue and then west at West 57th.
I figured I would try the Russian Tea Room:
The staff seated me at a booth, generously moving the table so I could get in. Unfortunately, there was nothing on the menu to my liking. I apologetically relayed that to the waiter and left. I felt embarrassed, but I’m sure you, the reader, feel I shouldn’t have been. At least I can say I’ve been to the Russian Tea Room.
I passed by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, where Lisa Hilton was to perform, and found a restaurant on 7th Avenue called 9Ten:
The atmosphere was great. Contemporary jazz was playing on the speakers through what I assume was Pandora. I recognized “Max-O-Man” by Fourplay, Eric Marienthal’s cover of “Work Song” by Cannonball Adderley (written by his brother Nat), “Slammin'” by Nick Colionne, and “Step On It” by Pieces of a Dream.
As I waited for my food, I took a selfie on my iPhone X:
The food was great: mozzarella sticks, Penne Bolognese, and vanilla and chocolate ice cream.
On my way back to Carnegie Hall, I could see Times Square to the south. The ball was still there, eleven nights after it dropped:
I walked in to the Weill Recital Hall at 7:07. I had to wait in the lobby for about 20 minutes until the hall doors were opened. I was the first to arrive, but within 15 minutes, the lobby was packed. I briefly heard Lisa Hilton and her band rehearsing.
A few minutes after the doors opened, my ticket was checked and I walked into the hall. As usual, my seat was front row center, though barely right-of-center.
As I waited for Lisa and the band to come out, I took a few pictures:
I should have taken a picture of the audience behind me. The turnout was big at the orchestra level where I was. They were ready for a great performance.
Lisa came on stage at 8:07, followed closely by J.D. Allen on tenor saxophone, Luques Curtis on upright bass, and Rudy Royston on drums.
Most of the songs in the set list were from Lisa’s Escapism album, which she composed music for between April and July, and released on December 1. Thursday night was the first time the music of Escapism was performed live. Weill Recital Hall doesn’t have a sound system, so the instruments relied on the acoustics of the hall for amplification. I couldn’t tell. It sounded great; it always does.
1/17 UPDATE: Lisa posted a few of Justin Bettman’s pictures from the set to her Facebook page:
I’m in the center, to the left of J.D.:
Talking to the audience between songs:
The set was about an hour and contained the following songs:
1. Hot Summer Samba
2. Meltdown (also on Sunny Day Theory, 2008; and Nuance, 2010)
3. Zero Gravity
4. Too Hot (not a cover of Kool & the Gang)
5. 29 Palms
6. Mojave Moon
7. Waterfall (from Cocktails at Eight, 2000)
8. A Spark in the Night (from Nocturnal and Day & Night, 2016)
9. So This is Love (from My Favorite Things, 2005; Sunny Day Theory, 2008; Nuance, 2010; and Day & Night, 2016)
10 (Encore). Seduction (from Seduction, 1997; Cocktails at Eight, 2000; My Favorite Things, 2005; and The New York Sessions, 2007)
J.D. didn’t play on “Meltdown” or “29 Palms.” He had a solo at the end of “Seduction,” which was otherwise performed as a trio. “Waterfall” was a solo piano piece, considering its origin on Cocktails at Eight, a solo piano album.
“Hot Summer Samba” was reminiscent of “Tequila” by The Champs. “Too Hot” was inspired by a trip to New Zealand in extreme heat. “Zero Gravity” brought to mind astronauts floating aboard a space shuttle. “Waterfall” initially had a Celtic feel, but then tensed up. Two years later, I still think “A Spark in the Night” had a Latin feel. Specifically, it reminded me of drummer John Favicchia‘s “Kukuc,” but at a slower tempo. That might be why “Spark” was my favorite song in the set.
I caught up with Lisa afterward, and then got to meet J.D. Allen and Luques Curtis. We all posed for a picture:
I put my coat and backpack on and left. I impatiently opted for the stairs over the elevator, then briskly walked north and west to the 59th Street-Columbus Circle subway station.
The station is adjacent to the Time Warner Center, home to CNN’s New York bureau:
As you can see, I arrived just as the downtown 1 train arrived. I boarded it and put my camera away for the night.
Thanks to Lisa, J.D., Luques, and Rudy for a great hour of music in the Weill Recital Hall. I hope to be back next year.
Audiobooking 4 December 12, 2017
Posted by Mike C. in Audio, Audiobooks, Comedy, Country, Film, Game Shows, History, Internet, Media, Music, News, Personal, Politics, Radio, Technology, Theatre, TV.add a comment
Here is a list of all the audiobooks I’ve listened to in the 51 weeks since my previous “audiobooking” post:
- Rush Revere and the Presidency by Rush Limbaugh and Kathryn Adams Limbaugh (read by Rush)
- Life is Not a Stage: From Broadway Baby to a Lovely Lady and Beyond by Florence Henderson (1934-2016) with Joel Brokaw (read by Florence)
- I Am Spock (abridged) by Leonard Nimoy (1931-2015)
- Jeannie Out of the Bottle by Barbara Eden with Wendy Leigh (read by Barbara)
- My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business by Dick Van Dyke (foreword written and read by Carl Reiner)
- Unsinkable: A Memoir by Debbie Reynolds (1932-2016) and Dorian Hannaway (read by Debbie)
- Old School: Life in the Sane Lane by Bill O’Reilly and Bruce Feirstein (read by Holter Graham)
- All My Life: A Memoir by Susan Lucci with Laura Morton (read by Susan)
- Shirley Jones: A Memoir by Shirley Jones with Wendy Leigh (read by Shirley)
- I Only Know Who I Am When I Am Somebody Else: My Life on the Street, on the Stage, and in the Movies by Danny Aiello
- Where Am I Now?: True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame by Mara Wilson
- Confessions of a Serial Songwriter by Shelly Peiken (Check out my review of Shelly’s book from last March and recap of her book discussion and signing from last September)
- Easy Street (the Hard Way): A Memoir by Ron Perlman with Michael Largo (read by Ron) – the penultimate chapter, “Legacy” was highly political, from the far-left, and kept me from listening to the rest, as I wrote in my Audible review
- Whisperin’ Bill Anderson: An Unprecedented Life in Country Music by Bill Anderson with Peter Cooper (chapters read by Bill, chapter intros read by Peter) – ends with new recordings of “Bright Lights and Country Music,” “Whiskey Lullaby,” “Po’ Folks,” “I’ll Wait for You,” “City Lights,” “Still,” “Give It Away,” “The Tip of My Fingers,” “A Lot of Things Different,” and “Which Bridge to Cross” – worth getting on CD if you want to rip the tracks for listening outside of the audiobook
- Killing England: The Brutal Struggle for American Independence by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard (read by Robert Petkoff, except for introduction read by Bill)
- Lessons from the Prairie: The Surprising Secrets to Happiness, Success, and (Sometimes Just) Survival I Learned on America’s Favorite Show by Melissa Francis
- Mean Dads for a Better America: The Generous Rewards of an Old-Fashioned Childhood by Tom Shillue
- The Road to Happiness is Always Under Construction by Linda Gray
These audiobooks got me through workouts, bedtime, long walks, and boredom.
In the case of Ron Perlman’s book, I found out after the “Legacy” chapter that Ron is politically active on social media. But I digress.
While I was obsessed with Game Show Network (now GSN) in the early 2000s, I saw plenty of Bill Anderson on Goodson-Todman game shows like Match Game and Password Plus. So, it was nice to be reacquainted with him and introduced to his music.
When you read a book, you don’t hear the tone and inflection that the author had in mind. Listening to Shelly Peiken read Confessions of a Serial Songwriter put what her words I read 16 months earlier into perspective.
Next year’s post will be #5, but will not mark five years of regularly listening to audiobooks. That milestone comes in a year and a half. In the meantime, I hope I’ve inspired you to give the above audiobooks a chance. Happy listening.
2017 LIU Post & WCWP Homecoming, 2018 Hall of Fame Announcement October 16, 2017
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Audio, Football, Interviews, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Radio, Sports, Travel, Video, Weather.8 comments
Earlier recaps: 2008, 2009, WCWP 50th Anniversary (2011), 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
Later in this recap, I share airchecks from my pre-recorded Homecoming Weekend show that aired early yesterday morning. To see and hear my live show on Friday, along with other photos and audio from the three hours that followed my show, click here.
I didn’t arrive at LIU Post until 1:20 on Saturday afternoon, but I was already there in the form of voiceovers I recorded for Pete Bellotti’s WCWP Homecoming Weekend show prior to the Post Pioneers’ Homecoming game against the Southern Connecticut State Owls. As with my show yesterday, my VO garnered rave reviews from my fellow alumni when I arrived at the Abrams Communications Building. Pete Bellotti led the praise followed by John Commins, Bill Mozer, and Jay Mirabile, who ran the board during Pete’s show.
My segments, along with any references Pete and Jay made to me, can be heard here:
The “smooth jazz”/”Weather Channel music” bed they played was “Shakin’ the Shack” by Dave Koz on Lucky Man (1993), his second album.
After putting down my equipment and posing for two pictures, which you’ll see later, I made my way to Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium to take some pictures.
Skies were partly to mostly cloudy while the air was warm, especially when the sun peaked through, and humid.
As you can see, the press box is vacant:
I didn’t realize that there was a new press box. That’s where Jeff Kroll and Neil Marks called the game. Joel Feltman was the field reporter.
Shortly after I left the field, the Pioneers scored a touchdown. With the extra point, they led Southern 21-7.
On the way back, I stopped in the campus bookstore in Hillwood Commons and bought an LIU Post polo shirt, which I changed into at WCWP.
Bill Mozer wrote a familiar phrase on the whiteboard in Studio 3:
The next two pictures were taken before the field trip and shirt purchase, starting with Pete Bellotti:
Next, Jay Mirabile:
I had Bill Mozer take a picture of me in my new shirt:
Then, I took one of him:
John Zoni was the studio update reporter for the Homecoming game:
He provided those updates at halftime:
The Pioneers would go on to win 52-35. The Owls got within a touchdown twice, but Post hung on.
As always, Bernie Bernard, who earned her doctorate in theology the week before, followed the game:
As you can see, Grandfather Rock Chris MacIntosh dropped by:
For 36 years and counting, Chris has hosted Rock N Soul Gospel on WCWP.
At 5:00, the WCWP Alumni Barbecue began, and the 2018 inductees to the WCWP Hall of Fame were announced by Ted David.
Before the announcement, he posed with Chris:
The 2018 inductees are Muffet Provost, John Commins, and Pat Kroll (née Champion). Chris MacIntosh will receive the inaugural WCWP Lifetime Achievement Award. It will be for those that have worked at the station, but did not attend LIU Post.
Scenes from the announcement:
Ted David requested I take pictures of the inductees outside.
We started with John Commins and Pat Kroll:
John and Pat with Ted (a 2014 inductee):
John, Pat, and Chris MacIntosh:
John, Dr. Bernie Bernard (2013 inductee), Chris, Pat:
Then, Ted suggested I get in a few shots, starting with John:
John, me, Pat and Jeff Kroll:
The station transmitter:
Bobby Guthenberg, a.k.a. Bobby G., suggested I take a few pictures of John Commins and Bruce and Tamara Leonard, who had shows at 10PM and midnight, respectively. I took these in Studio 1:
John also asked for a picture with his wife Marilyn:
The WCWP sign in Studio 2:
Later in Bernie’s show, she interviewed May Pang, former secretary to John Lennon and Yoko Ono:
May will be appearing at the Heritage Trust Building on November 10 for An Evening with May Pang: Loving John Lennon. More information can be found here.
A shot from Bernie’s last aircheck, which featured (from right to left) Mike Riccio, Bobby G., and Alan Seltzer:
Prior to the picture, she interviewed WCWP alumna Fran Fried, whose appearance on Jeopardy! airs tomorrow.
Bernie then gave way to the aforementioned Mike and Bobby:
They interviewed me during their third aircheck. Here’s a vidcap:
After this, I edited photos, airchecks, video, and this post all on my laptop in Studio 3. I edited more yesterday. Conversation abound behind me and I soaked it all in. I also listened on the boombox as Mike and Bobby G.’s show continued in Studio 2.
Watch the finished video, with three airchecks each from Bernie’s and Mike and Bobby’s shows, below:
The middle aircheck from Bernie’s show is the Hall of Fame announcement. The video was monetized by Universal Music Group because of the beginning of “Pinball Wizard” during Mike and Bobby’s first aircheck. Thanks to UMG for not making me remove the song.
I always enjoy catching up with my fellow alumni and meeting new people, like Joan Yonke, the Director of Employee and Alumni Engagement at LIU Post. She told me that she saw my recap of last year’s Homecoming recap when she was researching the position, which she began in July.
Congratulations to Chris MacIntosh on his WCWP Lifetime Achievement Award, and to 2018 WCWP Hall of Fame inductees Muffet Provost, John Commins, and Pat Champion Kroll.
Until next year, I’ll leave you with airchecks from my pre-recorded Instrumental Invasion with Mike Chimeri that aired at 4AM yesterday, preceded by the end of Bruce and Tamara Leonard’s live! midnight to 4AM show:
I recorded the show on September 21, but put the songs and liners in my Adobe Audition multitrack session the day before.
Here are the transitions between songs:
And the playlist.
The 40th anniversary Homecoming Weekend concluded with Jeff Kroll at midnight last night. Here’s how he signed off:
2017 WCWP Homecoming Weekend, first five hours October 14, 2017
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Audio, Education, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Radio, Video, Video Games.4 comments
For the third year in a row, I led off the 60-hour Homecoming Weekend block of alumni-hosted shows on WCWP, LIU Post’s campus radio station. Instrumental Invasion with Mike Chimeri kicked off the festivities yesterday at noon.
The Homecoming Weekend block began in December 1977 as Oldtimers’ Weekend. Here is a flyer made for the inaugural block:
And here’s the press release.
The block would move to the weekend of homecoming the following year, but wouldn’t be called Homecoming Weekend until 1980.
Back in the present, my mother drove me up to LIU Post at 8:10 AM. I arrived at LIU Post about a half hour later.
Three hours remained until my show. I passed the time by setting up in Studio 2, browsing the web in Studio 3 (which is as an editing room and classroom) on my laptop – which I brought to edit the airchecks audio and video after my show – and played a word search in a Nintendo 3DS game called Crosswords Plus.
Along the way, fellow alumni Jeff and Pat Kroll arrived, as did Joel Feltman.
Eventually, noon came and I was on the air. While my first song – “Happy Hour” by the recently departed Chuck Loeb – was playing, I took some pictures:
An hour into the show, I had Pat Kroll take a picture of me:
Ted David, who came on after my show, listened to me on his drive up to the station. He was very complimentary of every facet of my show, especially my music selections and delivery. He repeated those compliments early in his show. After spotting my camera, he took this picture of me:
Ted’s right. This was a great show. From my perspective, it was nearly flawless. The only mistake was having the CD 1 pot (potentiometer) down at the start of “One More Time” by Herman Jackson. Here is how I looked and sounded during the airchecks:
Thanks to Shanachie for not penalizing me for the excerpt of “Stratosphere” by Najee. They claimed the copyright on the video and are getting revenue. I thank them for the joy their artists provide me.
11:45 AM UPDATE: I just noticed that my camcorder swayed back and forth on the tripod while recording. I hope it doesn’t give any viewers motion sickness.
10/17/17 UPDATE: I have since acquired an alternate recording of the show via internet stream. The constant tone from my FM tuner recording in the above video is gone. Here is how the airchecks sounded on the stream:
I mentioned during the show that David Benoit hosts a show on an 88.1 FM in Long Beach, California, but neglected to elaborate. The call letters are KKJZ-FM and it’s known as KJazz 88.1 FM. Like WCWP, it emanates from a college campus: Long Beach State. David’s show airs weekdays from 8AM to noon Pacific (11AM to 3PM Eastern).
Here’s how the transitions between songs during the show sounded (10/17/17 UPDATE: Also via the stream):
And here’s the playlist.
As I noted Ted David followed my show:
As I further noted, Ted complimented me during his show:
Thank you, Ted, not only for the compliments, but for the aircheck.
Ted then gave way to Pat Kroll:
Pat had me take a posed shot:
Then, I took a pic of Pat and Jeff:
Next door in Studio 3, I asked Bruce and Tamara Leonard to pose for a pic:
Then, Bruce had me pose with Tamara:
And before I left for home, a shot of Ted David and Joel Feltman:
It’s 8:05 AM as I post this. I’m headed back up to LIU Post this afternoon for Homecoming, the WCWP Alumni Barbecue and the announcement of the 2018 class of the WCWP Hall of Fame. I should have a recap of the day up by Monday.
Two shows on WCWP this weekend October 10, 2017
Posted by Mike C. in Education, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Radio, Sports.add a comment
The WCWP Homecoming Weekend is just three days away. For the third year in a row, I lead off the 60-hour block of alumni-hosted programming on 88.1 FM and WCWP.org.
Instrumental Invasion with Mike Chimeri airs live Friday at noon Eastern with music from albums released in the last three years. The show begins with a four-song tribute to guitarist Chuck Loeb, who passed away from cancer on July 31. You’ll also hear Jay Rowe, Pieces of a Dream, Peter White, Will Donato, and many more.
Also for the third year in a row, I recorded a separate Instrumental Invasion that will air on Sunday at 4AM Eastern. This year is the 40th anniversary of Homecoming Weekend, originally known as Oldtimers Weekend. So, the show will feature songs in five-year increments from 1977 to 2017. Expect to hear Spyro Gyra, David Benoit, Norman Brown, Brian Simpson, and a host of others.
Both shows can be heard locally at 88.1 FM and worldwide at WCWP.org and on the TuneIn app.
In between shows, I’ll be at LIU Post Homecoming on Saturday afternoon and evening. Most of my day will be spent at the Abrams Communications Building, home to WCWP, but I will briefly walk to Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium to check in on the Post Pioneers‘ homecoming football game against Southern Connecticut State University, or Southern for short. My friend Kelly occasionally attends jazz concerts at Southern’s John Lyman Center. As for the game, the Pioneers need to win to avoid their third loss in a row following a 3-0 start.
Before the game, you can hear me on Pete Bellotti’s show, which starts at 11AM Eastern. I recorded voice over and a segment where I share my fondest memories of my time at WCWP.
Around 5PM, during Bernie Bernard’s show, the 2018 inductees to the WCWP Hall of Fame will be announced.
I hope you’ll be listening to WCWP all Homecoming Weekend long, or as long as you can. I’m honored to be the leadoff hitter for the third year in a row. And once again, Jeff Kroll wraps up the weekend Sunday at 10PM Eastern.
My experience at Day 1 of 2017 New York Comic Con October 6, 2017
Posted by Mike C. in Animation, Art, Comedy, Internet, Interviews, Media, Personal, Photography, Technology, Travel, TV, Video, Video Games, Weather.Tags: Animaniacs, Javits Center, Jess Harnell, Jim Cummings, New York Comic Con, NYCC, Rob Paulsen, Tara Strong, Tress MacNeille
2 comments
Previous New York Comic Con recaps: 2012 Day 2, 2014 Day 1
Yesterday, I was at the first day of the 2017 New York Comic Con, held annually at the Javits Center in the Midtown West section of Manhattan. It was my third trip to NYCC.
I almost didn’t go this year. When I planned on buying a badge (ticket) in June, I learned that fan verification was required. Unfortunately, fan verification was closed. Luckily, last month, I learned on the website that verification was open again. So, I immediately got verified and bought a badge for Day 1.
I woke up at 6:20 yesterday morning. I looked out my window and saw a picturesque sky. I took a couple of shots of it, without and with flash:
After that, I put my camera in my backpack, where it stayed for a few hours.
In between, my mother drove me to the Wantagh LIRR (Long Island Rail Road) station at 8:40. Nine minutes later, I was on a train bound for Penn Station.
50 minutes later, I exited Penn and walked to the Javits Center. Those that had a badge, including me, were directed to the green entrance via West 39th Street, five blocks north of where I’d been walking.
I made my way down to Level 1 to meet five voice actors and get professional photo ops with four of them.
First up was Tara Strong:
As you can see, I wore my Northern Trust golf tournament shirt. I got it back on August 27, after walking Glen Oaks Club in Old Westbury to see the final round.
After Tara, it was on to Rob Paulsen:
Rob is a throat cancer survivor (knock on wood), having battled it last year.
And finally, Jess Harnell:
When I noticed Jess had his sunglasses on, I put my glasses on:
In all, I spent about four hours in five lines. It was a thrill to meet and chat with them all. I won’t get into the details of our brief conversations, but they were all very nice. Jess even gave me a hug.
I also enjoyed chatting with fellow fans – like Kelly, Sierra, Dave, and a few others whose names I didn’t get – while waiting in line. There was even a woman ahead of me on the Jess Harnell line who was not only dressed as one of his characters – Cedric from Sofia the First – but her name is Jess Warner! Her first name was the same as his, and her last name was the same as his Animaniacs character Wakko Warner. More on that below.
Afterward, I headed to the Epic Photo Ops area for a pair of professional photo ops. Since I had just met the actors at their autograph tables, there was a familiarity in the booth. It was like visiting old friends.
Jim Cummings suggested we “look intrepid”:
I love the outcome.
The second photo op was with Rob, Tress, and Jess, the stars of Animaniacs:
They were the Warner siblings: Yakko, voiced by Rob, Wakko, by Jess (as I noticed before), and Dot, by Tress.
All that remained was to walk the show floor on Level 3. But first, a few shots taken in the lobby on Level 2 after entering around 10:15:
The show floor:
I mostly focused on the video game developers section, as you’ll see below.
The next six pictures were taken in the morning:
I took this in the afternoon:
It was a fun day, but I was ready to head home. I left satisfied.
I walked south on 11th Avenue until I reached West 34th Street, where I alternated between walking and running, hoping to make the 4:12 train back to Wantagh. I did, with time to spare.
Thank you to Tara Strong, Jim Cummings, Rob Paulsen, Tress MacNeille, and Jess Harnell. As I said, it was a pleasure to meet and chat with you all.
I’ll conclude this post with a picture of my program and badge:
10:25 PM UPDATE: While searching in vain on YouTube for video of the I Know That Voice: The Series panel that took place at 5:30, shortly after I got home, I found this interview of Jim Cummings:
10/7 UPDATE: The only video I could find of the aforementioned panel was this:
The video stops before the Q&A portion.
My day at the final round of The Northern Trust August 29, 2017
Posted by Mike C. in Golf, Media, News, Personal, Photography, Sports, Travel, TV, Video, Weather.1 comment so far
Previous event recaps: 2012 (The Barclays), 2016 (The Barclays)
For the second year in a row, a Long Island golf course hosted the PGA Tour event now known as The Northern Trust, the first event of the FedExCup Playoffs. Last year, which was the last year as The Barclays, the event was held at Bethpage Black Golf Course. This year, The Northern Trust was about 12 miles west at Glen Oaks Club in Old Westbury. Glen Oaks is adjacent to SUNY Old Westbury and not too far from NYIT (New York Institute of Technology) or LIU Post, my alma mater. In fact, as you’ll see near the end of this post, I wore my WCWP shirt that you’ve seen in previous posts. As for the other two colleges, I went to day camp at them for a few childhood summers. In 1989 and ’91, main camp activities were at NYIT while swimming was at SUNY Old Westbury. In 1990, activities were exclusive to Old Westbury.
My father Bill and I attended the final round of The Northern Trust, which began 50 years ago as the Westchester Classic, on Sunday. Jordan Spieth (-12) and Dustin Johnson (-9) were the last group of the day. Would Spieth hold on? Could D.J. catch him? Or would it be someone else?
Dad and I left for general parking at Nassau Coliseum at around 11:30. Once we arrived, we boarded a shuttle bus. On board, a welcome video looped on TV screens. The shuttle arrived at Glen Oaks Club just before 12:30. Weather conditions were excellent: partly sunny skies with warm, dry air and a cool breeze.
I would have loved to bring my Nikon D5500, but only smartphones on silent were allowed for photography. Thus, the pictures in this recap were taken on my iPhone 6 and edited afterward in Adobe Photoshop Elements 15. Since the phone lacks an optical zoom, I preserved the original resolution rather than shrink the pictures, as I usually do on this site. In most cases, you’ll have to zoom in to see the far-away players.
With that out of the way, let’s begin:
From here, pictures aren’t entirely in chronological order. Until we get to the 18th green, pictures are in order of the hole where they were taken.
The practice green:
The 1st hole:
LaGuardia Airport is close to the course, so there were plenty of low-flying planes in their final approach:
The 2nd hole:
Henrik Stenson and Martin Laird:
Bubba Watson and Jhonattan Vegas:
Paul Casey and defending champion Patrick Reed:
Dottie Pepper and Peter Kostis of CBS Sports walking ahead of…
Jordan Spieth…
…and Dustin Johnson:
Robert Streb and Scott Brown on the 4th hole:
Stenson and Laird at the 5th hole:
The 6th green:
The 7th hole:
The 8th hole:
Jason Day and C.T. Pan:
Matt Kuchar and Jon Rahm:
The 9th hole:
The 10th hole:
David Lingmerth and Louis Oosthuizen:
Bubba Watson and Jhonattan Vegas:
The 11th hole:
Jason Kokrak and Morgan Hoffmann:
A jib passing the 12th hole:
Dad and I followed Robert Streb and Scott Brown from here to the 17th:
There was a horse stable next to the 13th hole:
It’s rare that I hear horses neighing and sputtering in real time.
The 13th hole:
The 14th hole:
The 15th hole:
The 16th hole:
The 17th hole:
The 18th hole:
David Lingmerth and Louis Oosthuizen:
I spent the last two hours of the tournament at this spot by the 18th green:
I had to endure a few men behind me, who I assume were in their 20s, not necessarily following etiquette (that’s all I’ll say), but it was worth it.
The TV tower where Jim Nantz and Sir Nick Faldo called the action:
The Northern Trust is the last tournament of the year for CBS. The remainder of the FedExCup playoffs are on NBC.
After Lingmerth and Louis Ooie (as voice actor Jeff Bennett calls him) finished their round, the next pair to play 18 was Robert Streb and Scott Brown:
Followed by Bubba Watson and Jhonattan Vegas:
Vegas shot a 65 to finish at -9.
Then, Patrick Cantlay and Russell Henley:
Justin Thomas, who won the PGA Championship two weeks earlier, and Chez Reavie:
Justin Rose and Jason Dufner:
Keegan Bradley and Kevin Chappell:
Matt Kuchar and Jon Rahm:
Rahm finished tied for third with Jhonny Vegas at -9.
Paul Casey and Patrick Reed:
And finally, Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson:
Jordan and Dustin came to 18 tied at -13. Johnson’s tee shot landed in the rough and his second shot was short of the green. He would end up with a long par putt. Spieth, meanwhile, had a long birdie putt.
Spieth missed his birdie putt:
That meant D.J. could force a playoff if he parred…
…and he did!
The camera didn’t focus properly, but you get the idea.
Here’s how the putt looked on TV.
Spieth made his par putt to ensure the playoff:
The playoff:
Johnson hit a massive tee shot that landed within 95 yards of the hole. Here’s how it looked on TV. (6:42 PM UPDATE: The shot was shown in last night’s episode of Feherty when guest Darius Rucker listed D.J. as one of his three favorite golfers of all time. Arnold Palmer and Tiger Woods were the other two.)
D.J.’s approach shot landed near the hole:
The shot looked like this on CBS.
Spieth missed a long birdie putt to extend the playoff:
But Johnson made his birdie putt and won The Northern Trust:
The winning putt can be seen at the end of these extended highlights.
Dottie Pepper interviewed Dustin afterward:
Our last two times at The Barclays, Dad and I stuck around to watch the off-air trophy presentation. This year, after a playoff, we were eager to head home, which, after buying a hat and shirt in the shop, we did.
Three FedExCup playoff tournaments remain. Can Dustin, Jordan, or anyone else in the top 100 win it all? We’ll know by the evening of September 24. (9/24 UPDATE: Someone else: Justin Thomas.)
On the way to the shuttle bus, Dad took this picture of me:
We got home at exactly 8:00. It was an exciting eight hours. What a finish! Our next golf trip will be next June for the third round of the U.S. Open, held at Shinnecock Hills.
I’ll leave you with a few news stories on the final round (subscription required for Newsday/News 12 links):
AP (via PGATour.com)
Newsday
Newsday column by Mark Herrmann, who also wrote the story in the above link
News 12 Long Island
I can be seen in the background in one clip from News 12’s video. Here’s a high-resolution screenshot from my TV:
And here’s a closer look:
3:29 PM UPDATE: I just learned I was actually in the background during CBS’s telecast, not in News 12 B-roll. Here is a vidcap:
8/31 UPDATE: Inside the Ropes segments of this week’s Inside the PGA Tour:
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Final Round
SJFS 2017 Night 2 recap May 8, 2017
Posted by Mike C. in Horse Racing, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Phone, Photography, Sports, Thoroughbred, TV.14 comments
Other SJFS recaps: 2008, 2008 meet-and-greet, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 Night 1, 2013 Night 2, 2014 Night 1, 2014 Night 2, 2015 Night 1, 2016 Night 1, 2016 Night 2, 2017 Night 1
Keyboardist Jay Rowe‘s 15th annual Smooth Jazz for Scholars benefit continued Saturday night with the second of two concerts. The headliners were Chieli Minucci (“key-L-e min-OO-chee”), Steve Oliver, Nelson Rangell (soft g), and Steve Cole.
I was only able to get 3 1/2 hours of sleep, although I may have gotten an hour or two more when I thought I was half asleep.
At 6:45 AM, I stretched and went down to the Hampton Inn fitness center to exercise. Running on the treadmill was tough. My body was used to the treadmill at home and I could only manage a broken 2.4 miles (meaning I took a lot of breaks) before giving up and moving on to weightlifting. (I had a better handle on the treadmill yesterday morning, running 5 miles with less breaks.)
Later in the morning, I went to the lobby to drink hot chocolate and mingle with musicians and fellow jazz fans. First, I ran into Mark Abrams and his wife Phyllis. Then, I had a long, engaging, intriguing conversation with Nelson Rangell. My mother Lisa was in on the conversation for a little while. As a went to pour my second cup of hot chocolate, I met Steve Oliver, who was pouring a cup of coffee. I told him I’d been a fan of his music since I first heard it on The Weather Channel in 2002. He was pleased to hear that.
While my parents spent the afternoon at Mohegan Sun, I edited pictures from Friday night, chose the ones to include in the recap, uploaded them to the website, and placed them in the rough draft. When I was finally finished, I killed some time walking from Hampton Inn to a couple of stores on Boston Post Road (U.S. 1). I didn’t buy anything, but at least I passed time before dinner.
When my parents returned, we drove up Boston Post Road to the Olive Garden in Orange. I ate minestrone and cheese ravioli with meat sauce. Delicious.
It was 7:15 when we arrived at Veterans Memorial Auditorium back in Milford. I watched a replay of the Kentucky Derby on my iPhone since I forgot about the race. Always Dreaming won by 2 3/4 lengths.
At 8:00, the dream of Saturday night’s concert became a reality. Kevin McCabe of Jumpstart Jazz got things started with a welcome and thank yous:
After Kevin introduced Jay Rowe’s house band, he introduced Jay himself. His band was made up of Rohn Lawrence on electric guitar, Dave Anderson on bass, Trever Somerville on drums, and Steve Scales – who graduated from the University of Bridgeport earlier in the day – on percussion.
We’ll get to pictures of the band and headliners after you see the…
SET LIST
1. Smooth Ride (Jay Rowe)
Originally heard on: Smooth Ride (2016)
Featured musicians: Jay Rowe (keyboards), Rohn Lawrence (electric guitar)
2. Daybreak (Chieli Minucci)
Originally heard on: Global Village (Special EFX) (1992)
Featured musicians: Chieli Minucci (acoustic/electric guitar), Steve Oliver (acoustic guitar, vocals)
3. High Noon (Steve Oliver)
Originally heard on: Positive Energy (2002)
Featured musicians: Steve Oliver (acoustic guitar, vocals), Chieli Minucci (acoustic guitar)
4. Lavish (Chieli Minucci)
Originally heard on: Deep as the Night (Special EFX) (2017)
Featured musicians: Chieli Minucci (acoustic/electric guitar), Nelson Rangell (alto sax)
5. Vonetta (Nelson Rangell; Earl Klugh cover)
Originally heard on: Soul to Souls (2006)
Featured musicians: Nelson Rangell (flute), Chieli Minucci (acoustic guitar)
6. Another Star (Nelson Rangell; Stevie Wonder cover)
Featured musicians: Nelson Rangell (alto sax), Chieli Minucci (electric guitar)
7. Turning Night Into Day (Nelson Rangell)
Originally heard on: Turning Night Into Day (1997)
Featured musicians: Nelson Rangell (alto sax), Steve Cole (tenor sax), Chieli Minucci (electric guitar)
8. Thursday (Steve Cole)
Originally heard on: Spin (2005)
Featured musicians: Steve Cole (tenor sax), Chieli Minucci (electric guitar), Steve Oliver (electric guitar), Rohn Lawrence (electric guitar)
9. Going in Circles (Steve Cole; Friends of Distinction cover)
Originally heard on: Pulse (2013)
Featured musicians: Steve Cole (tenor sax), Rohn Lawrence (electric guitar)
10. Chips and Salsa (Steve Oliver)
Originally heard on: 3D (2004)
Featured musicians: Steve Oliver (acoustic guitar, vocals), Chieli Minucci (acoustic guitar, vocals)
11. Sunlight Within (Steve Oliver)
Originally heard on: Global Kiss (2010)
Featured musician: Steve Oliver (acoustic guitar, vocals)
12. Mirage (Steve Cole)
Originally heard on: Turn It Up (2016)
Featured musicians: Steve Cole (tenor sax), Nelson Rangell (flute), Rohn Lawrence (electric guitar)
13. Sonora (Nelson Rangell; Hampton Hawes cover)
Originally heard on: Destiny (1995) (alto sax); My American Songbook, Vol. 1 (2005)
Featured musicians: Nelson Rangell (whistling/piccolo), Steve Oliver (acoustic guitar), Chieli Minucci (electric guitar)
14. Katy’s Groove (Jay Rowe)
Originally heard on: Smooth Ride (2016)
Featured musicians: Jay Rowe (keyboards); Foran High School Advanced Vocal Ensemble, directed by Theresa Voss
15 (Finale). Cruise Control (Chieli Minucci)
Originally heard on: Butterfly (Special EFX) (2001)
Featured musicians: Everyone
Here are the pictures, starting with Jay Rowe:
The end-of-solo glide:
Rohn Lawrence:
Dave Anderson:
Trever Somerville:
Steve Scales:
Chieli Minucci on electric guitar:
Acoustic guitar:
Steve Oliver on acoustic guitar:
“Guitar symphony orchestra” intro to “Chips and Salsa”:
“Olé!”:
Electric guitar:
Vocals:
Nelson Rangell on alto sax:
Flute:
Chimes, at the beginning of “Sonora”:
Whistling on “Sonora”:
Piccolo:
Back to whistling:
Steve Cole:
Steve Oliver and Chieli:
“Tayyy-yo!”:
Chieli and Nelson:
Steve Cole and Nelson:
Nelson, Steve Cole, Chieli:
Steve Cole’s “wall of guitar” for “Thursday”:
The Foran High School Advanced Vocal Ensemble, directed by Theresa Voss, vocalized on “Katy’s Groove”:
The finale: “Cruise Control”:
Jay had many people to thank, but Rohn wanted to thank Jay:
With that, the 15th annual Smooth Jazz for Scholars was complete.
I had another engaging conversation with Nelson the following morning as I began editing pictures. I finished editing them on the drive home, which only took an hour and a half. Until next year, Milford.
SJFS 2017 Night 1 recap May 8, 2017
Posted by Mike C. in Audio, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Radio, Travel, Video Games, Weather.15 comments
Other SJFS recaps: 2008, 2008 meet-and-greet, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 Night 1, 2013 Night 2, 2014 Night 1, 2014 Night 2, 2015 Night 1, 2016 Night 1, 2016 Night 2, 2017 Night 2
On Friday and Saturday nights, keyboardist Jay Rowe hosted the 15th annual Smooth Jazz for Scholars in his hometown of Milford, Connecticut. The concerts benefit the Milford Public Schools music department. Friday’s headliners were Will Donato, Nick Colionne, Jeff Kashiwa, and Rick Braun.
It was ten years ago April 28 that I attended SJFS for the first time, making this my 11th year in attendance. Like that first time, my parents came with me.
We left for the Milford Hampton Inn at around 2:30. It had been rainy and windy all day, but the rain let up and wind diminished about a half hour into our drive. Unfortunately, we encountered heavy traffic throughout, especially in Connecticut. Under normal traffic, we’d be at the hotel in an hour and 45 minutes, but the drive took nearly twice as long this time.
Perhaps as a good omen, the Watercolors channel on SiriusXM played “Smooth Ride,” the title track from Jay’s latest album:
Watercolors was on throughout our not-so-smooth ride. I also spent the first half of the ride breaking in my new Nintendo 3DS XL. I played a couple of 3DS games – Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 (just the time trials) – as well as two DS games – Mario Kart DS (again, only the time trials) and You Don’t Know Jack.
After checking in and settling in to our third floor rooms, we made our way to the home of Smooth Jazz for Scholars: Veterans Memorial Auditorium, located in the Parsons Government Center. Along the way, we ate dinner at Wendy’s.
At 8:10, the show began, as Kevin McCabe of Jumpstart Jazz welcomed the audience and thanked sponsors:
The show opened with performances by West Shore Middle School general music students, directed by Chris Kalafus:
…and the Foran High School Jazz Ensemble, directed by Jessica Shearer:
Then, it was on to the main event. Jay Rowe’s house band consisted of Rohn (“Ron”) Lawrence on guitar, Dave Anderson on bass, Trever Somerville on drums, and Steve Scales on percussion. Pictures of the band and headliners can be seen below, but first…
SET LIST
1. Bumpin’ on Hollywood (Jay Rowe)
Originally heard on: Red Hot and Smooth (2006)
Featured musicians: Jay Rowe (keyboards), Jonathan Law/Foran High School horn section, Rick Braun (trumpet), Will Donato (alto sax), Jeff Kashiwa (tenor sax)
2. Funkability (Will Donato)
Originally heard on: What It Takes (2010)
Featured musicians: Will Donato (alto sax), Rohn Lawrence (guitar)
3. New Life (Will Donato)
Originally heard on: Will Power (2005)
Featured musician: Will Donato (alto sax)
4. When You Love Somebody (Nick Colionne)
Originally heard on: Influences (2014)
Featured musicians: Nick Colionne (guitar, vocals), Jason Grant (drums)
5. The Journey (Nick Colionne)
Originally heard on: The Journey (2016)
Featured musicians: Nick Colionne (guitar), Jason Grant (drums)
6. Movin’ Up (Jeff Kashiwa)
Originally heard on: Play (2007)
Featured musician: Jeff Kashiwa (tenor sax)
7. Do It Again (Jeff Kashiwa; Steely Dan cover)
Originally heard on: Upcoming album
Featured musician: Jeff Kashiwa (tenor sax), Rohn Lawrence (guitar)
8. Notorious (Rick Braun)
Originally heard on: Body and Soul (1997), Sessions: Volume 1 (2006)
Featured musicians: Rick Braun (flugelhorn), Will Donato (tenor sax)
9. My Funny Valentine (Rick Braun; standard by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart)
Featured musician: Rick Braun (vocals, muted trumpet)
10. Everything is Alright (Rick Braun)
Originally heard on: Around the Horn (2017)
Featured musicians: Rick Braun (trumpet, vocals), Rohn Lawrence (guitar, vocals), Jay Rowe (keyboards, vocals)
11. Morning Call (Nick Colionne)
Originally heard on: The Journey (2016)
Featured musicians: Nick Colionne (guitar), Jason Grant (drums)
12. Supersonic (Will Donato)
Originally heard on: Supersonic (to be released July 2017)
Featured musicians: Will Donato (alto sax), Jeff Kashiwa (tenor sax)
13. Hyde Park (The “Ah, Oooh” Song) (Jeff Kashiwa)
Originally heard on: Another Door Opens (2000)
Featured musicians: Jeff Kashiwa (tenor sax), audience (“ah, oooh”)
14 (Finale). Grazin’ in the Grass (Rick Braun; Hugh Masekela cover [a.k.a. “Grazing in the Grass”])
Originally heard on: Shake It Up (collaboration with Boney James) (2000); Sessions: Volume 1 (2006)
Featured musicians: Everyone
As promised, here are the pictures. We start with the “Bumpin’ on Hollywood” horns:
Jay Rowe:
Rohn Lawrence:
Dave Anderson:
Trever Somerville:
Steve Scales:
After “Bumpin’ on Hollywood,” Will Donato went to the lobby to start “Funkability.” He worked his way through the audience, picking out my friend Kelly along the way to the stage:
Now, the on-stage shots:
Tenor sax on “Notorious”:
Nick Colionne:
Vocals on “When You Love Somebody”:
Working through the audience on “Morning Call”:
Spotting my camera:
Striking a pose:
I gave him an approving thumbs up as the audience laughed.
Jason Grant was on drums for Nick’s songs:
Jeff Kashiwa:
Rick Braun on flugelhorn for “Notorious”:
On hitting the last note: “I can do it!”
He did:
Muted trumpet for “My Funny Valentine”:
Regular trumpet for “Everything is Alright”:
Rick also sang “My Funny Valentine”:
…and “Everything is Alright”:
Rohn backed him up:
And so did Jay!
Will and Rohn:
Jeff and Rohn:
Rick and Will:
Rick and Rohn:
Will and Jeff:
The finale: “Grazin’ in the Grass”:
Jay had some closing remarks as the song wound down:
The last note:
Before I left for the night, I caught up with Will Donato and we posed for a picture:
It’s always nice to see him. He’s been very complimentary of my work, and was when we spoke Friday night. It goes without saying that I’m fond of his work, as well. When I posted on Facebook yesterday that I was back home, he left the following comment:
Mike! It was so great to see you! You always make me feel so welcome when I travel back east! I respect and admire YOUR talents! WD
Reading that now brings a smile to my face.
A recap of Saturday night’s show can be seen here.
2017 WCWP Hall of Fame Ceremony April 3, 2017
Posted by Mike C. in Internet, Interviews, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Radio, Sports, TV, Video.4 comments
Previous Hall of Fame ceremonies: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
It may have been April Fools’ Day, but there was serious business at LIU Post on Saturday. The 2017 class of the WCWP Hall of Fame was inducted during an afternoon ceremony in the Goldsmith Atrium at the Tilles Center for the Performing Arts.
It was the sixth ceremony overall, but only the fifth I’ve attended. I couldn’t make last year’s ceremony because I was in Milford, Connecticut, ahead of the second night of musician Jay Rowe’s annual Smooth Jazz for Scholars benefit concert series. Thankfully, this year’s HOF ceremony came six weeks before this year’s SJFS.
I arrived on campus about a half hour before the ceremony, which was due to start at 1PM. As always, I took pictures and video. You can see the video at the end of this post, but first, the pictures:
…and a video narrated by Jim Cutler:
The 2017 inductees are John March:
John LiBretto:
…and Neil Marks:
2015 inductee Jeff Kroll was the host:
2012 inductee Hank Neimark introduced John LiBretto:
2013 inductee Harry Lowenthal had a question for John:
Pat Kroll presented John with a gift bag:
John March was interviewed ahead of the ceremony from his home in South Carolina:
Hank accepted on John’s behalf:
The third inductee of 2017 was Neil Marks, introduced by Jeff:
The view from my Panasonic HC-V770 camcorder:
Neil had a speech prepared:
Neil’s family:
I took this picture of Neil with the family before the ceremony:
Then, it was story time:
Neil’s father had a question:
The ceremony concluded with this picture:
…and cutting of the cake:
Then, it was off to the Abrams Communications Building, home to WCWP for 51 1/2 years, for more reminiscing:
Now, the video:
Video was recorded with my Panasonic HC-V770 camcorder and mixed with audio from my Tascam DR-03. Thanks to Dan Cox for providing the introductory video and interview with John March, which were incorporated into the video.
It’s an honor and a privilege to capture events for WCWP and to mingle with fellow alumni. Congratulations to John LiBretto, John March, and Neil Marks. Welcome to the WCWP Hall of Fame.
