Matt Marshak at Houndstooth Pub: 2013 edition November 19, 2013
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, Personal, Photography, Travel.add a comment
Other Matt Marshak show recaps: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015
For the second year in a row, Matt Marshak performed at Houndstooth Pub on the weekend of my birthday. Last year, the show was on my 31st birthday; this year, it was the night before my 32nd.
Matt was on guitar:
Etienne Lytle on keyboards, who was also part of Steve Cole’s band five weeks earlier:
…and Carl Anderson on drums:
The show was engineered by Neal Newman:
With the help of his son Dale:
SET LIST
SET 1
1. Cadillac Kid
2. Down in Delaware
3. A Silent Knowing
4. Time for Takeoff
5. Listen to the Music (The Doobie Brothers cover)
6. Sanibel
7. Funkology
8. I Will Be With You
SET 2
9. Put It Where You Want It (The Crusaders cover)
10. Feelin’ It
11. Hold the Line (Toto cover; Matt had a more jazzy arrangement than Toto’s original version)
12. I’m On Fire (Bruce Springsteen cover)
13. Wind Chill Factor
14. You’ve Been Had (Kenny Harris’ song)
15. Kiss (Prince and The Revolution cover)
16. Sleepwalk (Santo & Johnny cover, notably covered by Larry Carlton)
As I’ve started to do in recent show recaps, most of the pictures below are grouped by artist.
Kenny Harris:
Etienne Lytle:
Carl Anderson, during his “Sanibel” solo:
The blur was intentional. I wanted to show the rapid movement involved in Carl’s drumming.
Matt & Kenny performing back-to-back on “I Will Be with You”:
Matt & Kenny’s “Feelin’ It” vocal break:
Matt’s “I’m On Fire” vocal:
“Kiss”:
For this song, Matt and the band were joined by guest vocalist Anastasia Rene:
“Sleepwalk”:
At one point, Matt left the stage and played his way through the audience:
He returned to the stage for the end:
Between sets, Matt and I posted for this picture:
After the second set, I took pics with Carl Anderson:
I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday present than the two hours of music I saw on Saturday night. Thanks to Matt, Kenny, Etienne, Carl, Anastasia, Neal, Dale, and to Steve Butler.
2013 LIU Post & WCWP Homecoming, 2014 Hall of Fame Announcement October 22, 2013
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Audio, Interviews, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Radio, Sports, Technology.add a comment
Other recaps: 2008, 2009, WCWP 50th Anniversary (2011), 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022
Later in this recap, I share the aircheck from my Homecoming Weekend show and behind-the-scenes pictures from the pre-record. 2/26/18 UPDATE: Video that I shot for DVD has been reworked for YouTube and is embedded before my aircheck and behind-the-scenes pics.
I was at LIU Post on Saturday for their annual Homecoming celebration. I was there primarily for WCWP’s barbecue and announcement of 2014 inductees to their Hall of Fame.
I arrived on campus at around 2:30. After getting situated, I decided to head to Hickox Field for a little while:
In the lower right window of the press box are Neil Marks, Jeff Kroll, Dan Cox, and Pat Kroll:
Jeff Kroll described the above picture this way when I posted it to the WCWP Alumni Association Facebook group (account links removed):
We’re on the lower level of the press box…..hard to see clearly, but on the far right side, that’s Pat Kroll, sitting next to her is Dan Cox, standing next to Dan with the red shirt on (glad I had red on that day for identifying purposes) Jeff Kroll, and Neil A. Marks is standing next to me. Sat 10/19/13. Post 58 Pace 0. Pat was coordinating with Joel Feltman (down on the sidelines) for field interviews. (sign still says CW Post Campus!)
He later added:
If you look at the upper level of the press box, toward the left side, the third person in….that person is operating the scoreboard from what used to be the WCWP booth until the 2000’s. THAT was really home!
11/10 UPDATE: Jeff had one more thing to say about this picture tonight:
I received this note from Dan Cox today:
“I saw Bryan Collins today at the Field Hockey final. He told me the grandstand demolition begins next Monday. Looks like new press box by next fall. I hope!” If that happens, the press box goes with the entire grandstand. And this great shot will be a timely memory for those of us who have spent so many fall afternoons there. Thanks Mike Chimeri! Great timing to have taken that picture last month!
I’m honored to have taken it.
10/21/14 UPDATE: The press box was still there this year, but probably for the last time.
As Jeff noted, the LIU Post Pioneers dominated the Pace Setters (get it?) 58-0. I was at the field in time to catch the Pioneers’ second-to-last touchdown.
Touchdown!:
The extra point is good.
Satisfied, I walked back to WCWP. The Pioneers’ last touchdown came during my walk back. I could faintly hear the public address announcer declaring, “touchdowwwwwwwwn!”
Maura “Bernie” Bernard brought photo albums of past Homecoming weekends at the station:
She also prepared for show in Studio 1 following the Homecoming Game:
Meanwhile, in Studio 2, alumni interviews were recorded:
The interviewee here is Jay Elzweig:
The Hall of Fame plaque, introduced at this year’s ceremony:
Plaques dedicated to the late Dr. Herb Coston and Bill Epperhart:
Joel Feltman and Jay Mirabile look through some of the albums:
At 5:00, Pete Bellotti and Bernie Bernard announced the 2014 inductees to the WCWP Hall of Fame:
The inductees are Rita Sands, Frank D’Elia, Bill Epperhart, and Ted David. Bernie interviewed Ted over the phone.
John Mertz and Bobby Guthenberg listened along:
The announcement and interview with Ted can be heard here:
2014 WCWP Hall of Fame Announcement
Later, in Studio 2, Jay Mirabile and I were interviewed:
Thanks to Zach Parker for taking those pictures during the interview.
Here is that pre-recorded interview, which was later edited by me, but my edit isn’t the one that aired:
Interview with Mike Chimeri & Jay Mirabile
As Bernie’s show drew to a close, she posed for this picture with me, Jay Mirabile, Bobby Guthenberg, Barry Albano, and John Mertz:
The final aircheck of Bernie’s show:
The Disco and Funk King Show was next:
I had a wonderful time at Homecoming this year. It was great catching up with my fellow alumni, and meeting some in person for the first time.
2/26/18 UPDATE: Here is video that I shot for DVD and have reworked for YouTube:
The rest of this post is devoted to my Homecoming Weekend show – CJazzPlus with Mike Chimeri – which aired at 3AM on Sunday, hours after I left campus.
I recorded the show back on October 4.
I took some behind-the-scenes pictures while recording, starting with this self-timed shot:
Here is the playlist, complete with my copious notes to mention during the show:
I made sure to mention whatever notes I wrote down, but unfortunately, I had to edit some out for time. Each pre-recorded hour had to be exactly 59 minutes long.
Here is the aircheck from the 2013 edition of CJazzPlus with Mike Chimeri:
The file is downloadable here.
It’s mostly from the console when I pre-recorded the show, but I mixed in elements from WCWP’s stream as the show aired.
Steve Cole at Houndstooth Pub recap 2 October 14, 2013
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, Personal, Photography, Travel.add a comment
Previous recap: November 2011
Saturday night marked my first visit to Houndstooth Pub, a few blocks north of Penn Station, since my birthday last November. I was there to see saxophonist Steve Cole, whom I last saw perform two Novembers ago (see link above). The show was a release party for his new album, Pulse.
The fun began just after 8PM.
Steve’s saxophone of choice was tenor:
Etienne Lytle played keyboards:
SET LIST
SET 1
1. Off Broadway (NY LA, 2003)
2. So Into You (Between Us, 2000)
3. Curtis (True, 2006)
4. Thursday (Spin, 2005)
5. Angel (Sarah McLachlan cover) (Moonlight, 2011)
6. Do Your Thing (Pulse, 2013)
SET 2
7. Just A Natural Thang (True, 2006)
8. With You All The Way (Pulse, 2013)
9. Undun (The Guess Who cover) (Moonlight, 2011)
10. The Way You Look Tonight (Fred Astaire cover)
11. Sugar (Stanley Turrentine cover)
12. Bounce (True, 2006)
13. (Encore jam)
Most of the pictures below are grouped by artist.
Naturally, we start with Steve:
Etienne Lytle:
Bernard Davis:
Wide shot during “Do Your Thing”:
The last note of “Sugar”:
Shots from the finale (“Bounce”) and encore:
That’s it!
Between sets and after the second set, I caught up with Steve.
This picture is from after the second set:
Thank you to Steve, Etienne, Dave, Bernard, and to Steve Butler. It was another fun few hours at Houndstooth.
I’ll be back there on November 16 to see Matt Marshak.
WCWP Homecoming Weekend show to air October 20 October 7, 2013
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Phone, Radio.add a comment
I was at WCWP (at LIU Post) on Friday to record my annual Homecoming Weekend radio show. CJazzPlus with Mike Chimeri will air very early on Sunday, October 20, at 3AM Eastern (midnight Pacific) on 88.1 FM WCWP.
If you are outside of the signal range, you can listen here or browse for it on the TuneIn mobile app.
In the two hours of CJazzPlus, I’ll be playing Chuck Loeb, The Jeff Lorber Fusion, Spyro Gyra, Steve Cole, and much more. The show took 2 1/2 hours to record and an hour and 15 minutes to edit. There was also an additional 15 minutes of editing (and one minute of re-recording) for hour 1 at home on Saturday and another 10 minutes of editing for hour 2 yesterday.
I’ll be on campus hours earlier – on Saturday, October 19 – for Post and WCWP’s Homecoming festivities, the latter of which includes the announcement of 2014 inductees to the WCWP Hall of Fame.
Busy mid-to-late summer for album releases September 23, 2013
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Media, Music, Personal.add a comment
Between July 30 and September 17, seven albums were released by my favorite contemporary jazz musicians.
Needless to say, I bought them all. They vary in style, but were all satisfying.
In order of release date, they were:
- Earl Klugh, HandPicked (July 30) – Mostly covers with a pair of original compositions, and a remake of “Cast Your Fate to the Wind,” which he first covered on Magic in Your Eyes (1978); duets with Bill Frisell, Jake Shimabukuro, and Vince Gill (who also sang one verse)
- Chuck Loeb, Silhouette (August 13) – A series of tracks recorded with various bands backing up depending on the track; his wife, Carmen Cuesta, and their two daughters, Christina and Lizzy, are also featured
- The Jeff Lorber Fusion, Hacienda (August 27) – The third album since the Fusion were reborn in 2010; surprisingly, the album lacks remakes of original Fusion songs, but it doesn’t matter because every song is a thrilling adventure; “King Kong,” a Frank Zappa cover, features violinist Jean-Luc Ponty, who originally covered the song on King Kong: Jean-Luc Ponty Plays the Music of Frank Zappa (1970)
- Pieces Of A Dream, In The Moment (August 27) – Has the signature Pieces style that I know and love; guitarist Rohn Lawrence featured prominently
- Jessy J, Second Chances (September 10) – Features Jeff Lorber, Jimmy Haslip, Johnny Britt, and Norman Brown; album title and its title track refer to never giving up on the first try, if at first you don’t succeed, etc.; the running joke in my head is the album should technically be Fourth Chances, since it’s Jessy’s fourth album
- Steve Cole, Pulse (September 17) – Collaborative effort with David Mann (co-producer, co-engineer, writer or co-writer, backing saxes and flute); “With You All the Way” is based in part on “All ‘n All,” David’s composition for Nelson Rangell on Far Away Day (2000)
- Oli Silk, Razor Sharp Brit (September 17) – Features Elan Trotman, Chuck Loeb, and Paul Brown (no relation to Norman); I was amazed how Oli was able to write (and perform) in Chuck’s style on “The Prestige,” the song featuring him
Besides these magnificent seven, I also finally bought Quartette Humaine by Bob James and David Sanborn, their follow-up to Double Vision (1986). It’s a straight-ahead, acoustic album, which initially drew me away when it was released in May, but I made the right decision in buying it last month.
Tomorrow, Spyro Gyra’s The Rhinebeck Sessions album comes out. Based on the previews I heard on Amazon, I’m in for a treat with that one.
Spyro Gyra Smooth Cruise recap 2 August 15, 2013
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, Personal, Photography, Travel, Weather.add a comment
My first Smooth Cruise aboard the Spirit of New York five years ago featured Spyro Gyra. Wednesday evening, I saw that legendary band for the second time. As usual, I opted for the sunset cruise over the moonlight one.
Smooth Cruises are run out of Pier 61 at Chelsea Piers in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. The cruise rides along the Hudson River to New York Harbor and back.
Thanks to an area of Canadian high pressure behind a cold front the night before, the Northeastern United States was treated to low humidity and early fall-like weather. But that was the weather outside. We’ll get to outside pictures later.
Inside, the heat was on with Spyro Gyra in action.
The leader of the band, Jay Beckenstein, was on the alto saxophone…
…but not simultaneously.
Jay wore a t-shirt with the Morning Dance album cover on it.
Tom Schuman on keyboards:
Julio Fernandez on guitar:
Scott Ambush on bass:
…and Lee Pearson played the drums:
Lee brought his two sons along.
SET LIST
1. Freetime
2. Catching the Sun
3. De La Luz – Julio, lead vocals; Lee, background vocals
4. Dancing on Table Mountain – Scott, extended bass solo
5. I Believe in You
6. Expect a Miracle – Lee, extended drum solo
7. Falling Walls
8 (Encore). Morning Dance – Jay called this “an encore without leaving the stage.”
Julio’s lead vocal on “De La Luz”:
Backed up by Lee:
Scott’s extended bass solo on “Dancing on Table Mountain”:
The view from my table:
The last note of the night:
Immediately after the set, the band made their way to the deck below for a meet and greet. I caught up with Jay Beckenstein:
Tom Schuman:
…and Scott Ambush:
As promised, we’ll conclude this recap with shots taken outside before and during the cruise:
The Pier 62 skate park:
Close-ups of Hoboken and Weehawken:
Lincoln Tunnel ventilation building in background, Beast Speedboat in center:
Jersey City:
Manhattan’s West Side:
The nearly-completed One World Trade Center:
The Statue of Liberty:
As you can tell by the reflection, I took that at my table.
Brooklyn:
Brooklyn Bridge:
One last shot of One World Trade Center:
Walking through Grand Central Terminal June 8, 2013
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, Personal, Photography, Travel.add a comment
In the late morning and early afternoon of Friday, April 26, I made the long journey from my home in Wantagh to Milford, Connecticut for the this year’s Smooth Jazz for Scholars concert (night 1, night 2). After walking from Penn Station to Grand Central Terminal, I took the following pictures while waiting for my Metro-North train to Milford:
The next step was buying a round-trip ticket. Then, I bought a couple of snacks at Rite Aid and made my way to my train’s track.
From here, it was on to Milford.
When I headed home on Sunday, I opted not to walk from GCT to Penn. Instead, I took the 7 train to Woodside-61st Street and waited for a Babylon-bound LIRR train. I had been on enough trains on that branch that I assumed Woodside was a regular stop. But it wasn’t this time. I had to board a Ronkonkoma train and change at Jamaica. The Babylon train at Jamaica arrived on the same track as the Ronkonkoma train. There was a short delay in Baldwin, but I eventually made it back to Wantagh and wound down at home.
Expanding my collection May 16, 2013
Posted by Mike C. in Internet, Jazz, Music, Personal, Travel.add a comment
The mental seed for expanding my music collection was planted at the first night of this year’s Smooth Jazz for Scholars benefit concert. One of the guest musicians that night was wind instrumentalist Nelson Rangell. He played one song from one of his albums and two covers not on any of his albums. The first of the two covers was a Return to Forever song called “Spain.” Nelson’s cover featured guitarist Marc Antoine, who was the first guest introduced that night. “Spain” was Marc’s fourth song in a row and followed Nelson’s contribution to his cover of “Mas Que Nada” by Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’66.
Return to Forever (or RTF) is one of a few bands Chick Corea has led in his long career. I don’t have any of his solo albums, but I did have all but one by the Elektric Band (plus one Elektric Band II album).
That Friday night at the Parsons Complex, I was unaware “Spain” was an RTF cover. But the refrain sounded familiar and typical of Chick. The following morning in my hotel room, I did a Google search for spain jazz song. The top result was this Wikipedia entry. So, I listened to a little bit of the song in Spotify. The mental seed that was planted the night before was starting to grow.
At home a few days later, I looked into the rest of Return to Forever’s works. Bypassing their eponymous debut album, I liked what I heard on half of Light as a Feather (where “Spain” originated), but I haven’t listened to Flora Purim’s vocal contributions to the other half. I liked all of Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy, Where Have I Known You Before, No Mystery, and Romantic Warrior. But I didn’t like Musicmagic because it was all vocals. So, after a week of deliberation, and purchasing saxophonist Andy Snitzer’s The Rhythm, I bought Light as a Feather as an MP3 download and the four albums that followed it (Hymn, Where Have I, etc.) on CD. Some songs on those albums were good, but the rest were great, especially if they featured various synthesizers.
I will eventually buy Return to Forever’s recent live album, The Mothership Returns. The latest incarnation of RTF, after several hiatuses, features 75% of the band during most of its 1970s run (Chick, bass player Stanley Clarke, and drummer Lenny White) plus violinist Jean-Luc Ponty and guitarist Frank Gambale.
While I was waiting for the four RTF CDs to arrive, I remembered that I had a Chick Corea Akoustic Band album – the CD, at least – for six years and never ripped it to my computer. The CD arrived by accident in a jewel case that had artwork for the Elektric Band’s Beneath the Mask album. I eventually got that album’s CD, but never listened to the eponymous Chick Corea Akoustic Band CD. That changed last Thursday. I liked the jazz standard covers in the first three-fifths of the CD, but loved Chick’s originals that rounded it out. The Akoustic Band was the Elektric Band without saxophonist Eric Marienthal and the aforementioned Frank Gambale. That left Chick on piano, John Patitucci on bass, and Dave Weckl on drums. The four Chick originals were “Morning Sprite,” “T.B.C. (Terminal Baggage Claim),” “Circles” (a nod to Chick’s Circle band?), and a new arrangement of “Spain.” The one I got hooked on was “T.B.C.” because it reminded me of walking through airport terminals, particularly at Tampa International Airport. And since the album came out in 1989, I harkened back to plane rides I took to Tampa that year, and the joy of seeing my grandparents, who lived 45 minutes away in Crystal Beach, greet me in the terminal and walk with me and my immediate family to baggage claim. “Many bags look alike,” the baggage claim announcement included. (The rest of it was something about claim checks.)
As the RTF CDs came in, I also found the GRP All-Star Big Band album that I had been sitting on for just as long as the Akoustic Band album. That, too, featured a cover of “Spain.” And when my girlfriend shipped me Brian Simpson’s new album, Just What You Need, and Tom Borton’s 1992 album, The Lost World, I finally listened to the other album of Tom’s that I’ve had for eight years, Dancing with Tigers. I bought that one after learning excerpts from a few songs were used as Local Forecast music on The Weather Channel in the early ’90s.
As if all of this music wasn’t enough, I decided to give the later albums of Miles Davis a try. I’ve had downloads of “Tutu” (from the album Tutu) and his cover of “Human Nature” (from You’re Under Arrest) for years, but finally decided to buy Tutu and Amandla. The latter was Miles’ last album completed in his lifetime. (He died during the production of Doo-Bop.) Eventually, I’ll get Aura, You’re Under Arrest, Decoy, Star People, and maybe The Man with the Horn.
In three short weeks, that seed for expanding my music collection has blossomed into an enormous music tree. One song at one concert led to the purchase of five albums, then discovering two albums I never put on my computer, then buying two more albums, then receiving two more albums from my girlfriend which led me to give an album I hadn’t listened to eons another shot. Thank you, Nelson Rangell, for planting the seed in my head by covering “Spain.”
SJFS 2013 Night 2 recap April 29, 2013
Posted by Mike C. in Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Travel.1 comment so far
Updated on 8/20/13 with two videos.
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, 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.add a comment
Updated on 8/20/13 with two videos.
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 musician: 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 musician: 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 musician: Marc Antoine (acoustic guitar)
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.
MikeChimeri.com 
