SJFS 2009 recap May 22, 2009
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, Personal, Travel.add a comment
As I wrote in my previous post, I was in Milford and West Haven, Connecticut, last weekend for the seventh annual Smooth Jazz for Scholars concert. The concert is hosted by Jay Rowe and benefits the Milford Public Schools Music Department. Unlike last year’s recap, we will go far beyond what happened immediately before, during, and after the concert. I’m also including pictures I took hours before and after.
We begin at Exit 10 of I-295 (Cross Bronx Expwy. Extension): I-695 (Throgs Neck Expwy.), which links to I-95 North.
It was here where I decided to start taking pictures of the different exits I passed on the ride to the West Haven Hampton Inn. Some of the pictures were slanted because it was hard to take all good pictures from the back seat. Any originally slanted pictures have been fixed for this post. You won’t even know they were slanted. Here we go.
Entering Westchester County:
The first exit in Connecticut:
The spelling is different, but the street name – Delavan Ave. – makes me think of “Delevans” by Jeff Lorber (1982).
WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) headquarters in Stamford:
The exit for the Hampton Inn I stayed at for the previous two Smooth Jazz for Scholars:
And this year’s exit:
Waiting outside while my dad checked in:
The view from my fourth floor room…
…which was immediately adjacent to the elevator and ice/vending room.
Inside the room:
I didn’t know this until I arrived, my dad reserved our two rooms (he and my mom stayed one room away), but there were two beds. So, one was for my luggage and the other was for sleeping, eating candy (an off weekend for me), and watching TV.
The TV was HD, but didn’t get any HD channels.
The Hampton Inn was next door to Texas Roadhouse:
So, there was no argument where we were going for dinner.
While waiting for a table, we sat in the entrance way:
The floors throughout the restaurant were crawling with empty peanut shells:
I’m not complaining; just observing.
A final shot walking to our table:
The food was excellent. Our waiter told us that a Texas Roadhouse is scheduled to open here on Long Island, in East Meadow, in September. I can’t wait.
Dense fog developed as the evening progressed:
I couldn’t go back inside after dinner without taking this:
After a 45-minute break, we headed for the Joseph A. Foran High School Auditorium for Smooth Jazz for Scholars. First we took I-95 south to Exit 41, Marsh Hill Rd.
I shot this after turning onto Marsh Hill Rd.:
Turning onto Merwin Ave. from Oxford Rd.
We drove with a navigation system. And while we were on Edgefield Ave. waiting to turn at Foran Rd., the computer voice told us to “turn right on Foran Rd.”…just as we passed Foran Rd. So, we made a quick U-Turn and turned onto Foran the opposite way.
Arriving at Foran High:
Walking from our parking spot to the auditorium:
Jay Rowe giving Kat Sarracco CDs to sell at the merchandise table:
After saying hello to Kat and wishing Jay good luck, I walked in to the auditorium and took my seat. We sat on the left end, next to the aisle, three rows from the stage.
Kevin McCabe of JumpstartJazz Productions welcomed Jay and invited Dr. Harvey Polansky, the superintendent of Milford Public Schools, to the stage:
Dr. Polansky presented Jay with a proclamation from the state of Connecticut in recognition of his fundraising efforts with Smooth Jazz for Scholars:
Then, Jay welcomed the audience introduced the house band, along with Chieli Minucci and Ken Navarro, and we were underway.
The house band was comprised of Dave Livolsi on bass…
Trever Somerville on drums and percussion…
…and, of course, Jay Rowe on keyboards.
SONG #1: Bryan’s Song (Jay Rowe)
Originally heard on: “Red, Hot & Smooth,” 2006
Featured musicians: Ken Navarro, Chieli Minucci
Jay introducing Nelson Rangell:
SONG #2: Uptown East (Special EFX)
Originally heard on: “Slice of Life,” 1986
Featured musicians: Chieli Minucci, Nelson Rangell
Nelson was on soprano saxophone for this song:
Ken Navarro returned for the next song. Before that, he spoke to the audience:
SONG #3: Daddy-O (Ken Navarro)
Originally heard on: “The Grace of Summer Light,” 2008
Featured musician: Ken Navarro
One year after I first heard “Daddy-O” on CD from my first floor room at the Milford Hampton Inn, I got to hear it live at SJFS.
After lighting problems were worked out, we moved on to…
SONG #4: America (Nelson Rangell; written by Leonard Bernstein for West Side Story)
Originally heard on: “My American Songbook, Vol. 1,” 2005
Featured musician: Nelson Rangell
As you can see, Nelson was on flute for this.
SONG #5: Street Life (The Crusaders cover)
Featured musicians: Lamone Andrews, Rohn Lawrence
Jay introducing Marion Meadows:
SONG #6: Treasures (Marion Meadows)
Originally heard on: “In Deep,” 2002
Featured musicians: Marion Meadows, Rohn Lawrence
Rohn had a wild guitar solo during “Treasures.”
Following the solo, Marion said hello to the audience, announced that a song later in the set would be dedicated to bass player and NCAA Men’s Basketball and NBA legend Wayman Tisdale. Then, he equaled Rohn’s solo with an enjoyable solo of his own.
SONG #7: Ascension (Chieli Minucci & Special EFX)
Originally heard on: “Sweet Surrender,” 2007
Featured musicians: Chieli Minucci, Nelson Rangell
Nelson returned to soprano sax for this song.
Jay introducing the Foran High School Select Ensemble Chorus…
…under the direction of Ms. Theresa Voss.
SONG #8: The Warmth of the Sun (Jay Rowe; Beach Boys cover)
Originally heard on: “Jay Walking,” 1997
Featured musicians: Nelson Rangell, Rohn Lawrence, the aforementioned chorus
Nelson switched to alto sax for this one.
Afterward, the chorus got a standing ovation from the audience:
Ms. Voss helped working the concession table. As I bought a bottle of water following the concert, I complimented her on the chorus. She was appreciative.
SONG #9: Can’t Hide Love (Earth, Wind & Fire cover)
Featured musicians: Nelson Rangell, Rohn Lawrence, Chieli Minucci
Nelson and Chieli had thrilling solos on this one.
Next, “the whistling song,” otherwise known as…
SONG #10: Sonora (Nelson Rangell; Hampton Hawes cover)
Originally heard on: “Destiny,” 1995 (alto sax); “My American Songbook, Vol. 1,” 2005 (whistling and piccolo)
Featured musicians: Nelson Rangell, Ken Navarro
It’s always a treat to hear Nelson whistle. I’ve been fortune enough to hear him whistle live four times: July 2003 opening for David Benoit at Planting Fields Arboretum in Oyster Bay, October 2006 at IMAC (Inter-Media Art Center) in Huntington, the 2007 Smooth Jazz for Scholars, and this performance. The first, second, and fourth times were all “Sonora.” The third was “Always and Forever,” a cover from Pat Metheny’s “Secret Story” solo album in 1992 (no relation to the R&B hit).
Ken wrote a great guitar solo for the SJFS performance:
During Ken’s solo, Nelson went off stage to get his piccolo for a solo of his own…
…before whistling once more:
As the song wound down, the audience was so captivated, they were silent. You could hear a pin drop as Nelson whistled without accompaniment before the band kicked back in for the final measures.
He got a standing ovation. After acknowledging Ken Navarro, he modestly said “anyone can whistle.” That may be true, but nobody whistles like Nelson Rangell. He then gave up thumbs up (seen below) and thanked the audience.
SONG #11: Some Other Time (written by Leonard Bernstein)
Musicians: Ken Navarro and Jay Rowe only
Ahead of SJFS, Ken announced on his blog that he would be playing this song. In the May 9 entry, a general promotion of his SJFS appearance and two other concerts, he wrote:
I’m looking forward to my upcoming shows in CT, Canada and FL in the next few weeks. Jay Rowe’s annual Smooth Jazz For Scholars show is up next on May 16. If you are anywhere near Milford, CT you gotta check out me with Chieli Minucci, Nelson Rangell and Marion Meadows and of course the man himself, Jay Rowe. The rhythm section ain’t nothing to sneeze at either – the amazing Dave Livolsi on bass and the fantastic Trever Somerville on drums. Gonna be another great one. I am going to play “Daddy-O” and “Try Again” with the band and Jay and I are going to do an acoustic duo version of “Some Other Time”. Hope to see you there supporting this great cause for the public school music departments of Milford, CT.
And a great one it was.
SONG #12: Nature Boy (Special EFX)
Originally heard on: “Confidential,” 1989
Musician: Chieli Minucci only
The infamous Dancing Eric, with glow sticks:
SONG #13: I Want You Back (The Jackson 5 cover)
Featured musicians: Nelson Rangell, Rohn Lawrence
SONG #14: Try Again (Ken Navarro)
Originally heard on: “The River Flows,” 1990; “Island Life,” 2000
Featured musician: Ken Navarro
Like last year, Ken walked through the audience for the first few minutes…
Before returning to the stage:
Dave Livolsi had an extended bass solo:
Another standing ovation:
SONG #15: No Rhyme No Reason (Marion Meadows; George Duke cover; dedicated to Wayman Tisdale earlier in the show)
Originally heard on: “Next To You,” 2000
Featured musicians: Marion Meadows, Rohn Lawrence
It was Marion’s turn to go into the audience.
He got a standing ovation, too.
For the finale, Jay invited all the musicians back to the stage:
SONG #16, Finale: Fantasy (Earth, Wind & Fire cover)
Featured musicians: Lamone Andrews, Chieli Minucci, Rohn Lawrence, Nelson Rangell, Marion Meadows, Ken Navarro
The audience remained on their feet:
Then, a final bow:
Next, the meet-and-greet in the hallway. First, Chieli Minucci:
Ken Navarro:
And Nelson Rangell:
The last time I saw Nelson, two years ago, I was only three months into my weight loss. According to my second weight loss journal, which I just took out, I weighed 177.6. I had lost 55.8 pounds since January 2, 2007, when I weighed 233.4. On this day, I weighed 137. Nelson admitted he didn’t recognize me at first, then he complimented me on my additional loss. I’ve been in maintenance since September 2007.
After Nelson met my parents, they and I drove back to the West Haven Hampton Inn. This was close to midnight. I was asleep within an hour and a half.
I got up Sunday at 6AM when I couldn’t fall back asleep. I took the opportunity to write the first draft of this recap:
The view from my window as the sky began to clear following overnight rain (and a brief thunderstorm):
After an 11:30 breakfast at Denny’s, we headed for home.
I-95 south through Bridgeport after crossing the Pequonnock River:
Exit 15 in Norwalk:
Exit 7 in Stamford:
Last exit before New York:
Almost back in New York:
A few exits into New York:
The first exit in the Bronx:
The Throgs Neck Expwy. to the Cross Bronx Expwy. Ext.:
The last exit before the Throgs Neck Bridge:
Entering Queens and staying on I-295, Clearview Expwy.:
Getting onto the Grand Central Pkwy.:
The first exit in Nassau County, on the Northern State Pkwy.:
Exit 33, Wantagh Pkwy. south:
Exit W4E, Southern State Pkwy. east:
Our last exit:
I hope you’ve enjoyed this extensive 24-hour journey to and from Southwestern Connecticut, including a recap of this year’s Smooth Jazz for Scholars. I had another great time. And like last year, writing this recap was a labor of love. Thanks for reading.
SJFS 2009 tonight! May 16, 2009
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, Personal.add a comment
I’m writing this post on my laptop from the desk in my fourth floor hotel room at the West Haven (Connecticut) Hampton Inn.
In a few hours, I’ll be at the Foran High School auditorium in Milford for this year’s Smooth Jazz for Scholars concert. Maybe I can start crafting my recap post from my hotel room. Either way, the full recap will be posted by Wednesday.
5/17, 1:56 PM ET UPDATE: After getting about 4 1/2 hours of sleep, I started crafting, as it were, putting in the set list and personnel. Now, the photo editing begins. And I took a lot of pictures, from I-695/I-95 in the Bronx yesterday to Exit 28S on the Southern State Parkway today. SJFS was somewhere in between.
5/18 UPDATE: The editing was completed by last night. Separately, I may not have a recap up until Friday. Please be patient.
Smooth Jazz for Scholars 2009 date/lineup February 17, 2009
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, Personal.add a comment
I spoke to Jay Rowe on the phone yesterday and he confirmed the lineup for this year’s Smooth Jazz for Scholars concert in Milford, Connecticut, along with the date.
The concert is set for Saturday, May 16. The headliners are Chieli Minucci, Ken Navarro, Nelson Rangell, and Marion Meadows, who grew up in nearby New Haven. They’ll be performing with Jay and his band, Best Kept Secret. Besides Jay, the band consists of Rohn (pronounced “Ron”) Lawrence on guitar, Dave Livolsi on bass, and Trever Somerville on drums.
This will be my third year in attendance. I’ll post a recap within a week afterward.
Meanwhile, click here, here, and here for a look back at last year’s concert, and here for Mary Bentley’s review in last June’s SmoothViews.
7/18 UPDATE: A recap of this year’s concert can be found here.
Previously unposted WCWP aircheck February 9, 2009
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Music, Personal, Radio.add a comment
Last night, in my boredom, I went to the Musicradio 77 WABC tribute site. On the homepage was an interview with Joe McCoy, the former program director at WCBS-FM. In the interview, he reflected on the former WABC personalities he hired at CBS-FM. Those personalities included Harry Harrison, Ron Lundy, Bruce Morrow (a.k.a. Cousin Brucie), and Dan Ingram.
On the page housing the interview, there was an aircheck of Dan Ingram filling in for Ron Lundy over a three-day period in January 1991. Reading the interview and listening to the aircheck made me think back to my days at WCWP, and a show I recorded in June 2005. It was an evergreen show with a Classic Top 40 theme. I hadn’t listened to it since a month or so after recording it because I was ashamed of how I sounded. I channeled Ingram and Cousin Brucie at times, but felt I sounded corny and forced.
But I’ll let you, the reader, be the judge. Here’s the aircheck:
Classic Top 40 Evergreen – June 2005
David Benoit/Charlie Brown Christmas recap December 20, 2008
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, Personal, Weather.add a comment
For my recap of David Benoit’s show at Tarrytown Music Hall in May 2010, click here.
When I woke up on Thursday, I had no idea that there was any wintry precipitation on the way. But a weather alert from my The Weather Channel Desktop Max software noted we were under a Winter Storm Watch with potential snow accumulations of six inches or more yesterday (Friday). This brought a fear to my mind that David Benoit’s Charlie Brown Christmas concert at IMAC in Huntington – a concert I had been looking forward to for six months – would be canceled.
Later in the day, I learned from News 12 Traffic & Weather that we (Nassau and Suffolk Counties on Long Island) were only under a Winter Weather Advisory and accumulations of only two to four inches were expected with snow changing to sleet and rain by afternoon.
As Friday afternoon began, it was still snowing and there was plenty of accumulation, or so it felt. It also felt like the snow was unstoppable. At 3:00, I went outside to shovel the snow in our (my family’s) driveway. At first, snow and sleet fell, then only sleet, and finally rain. One hour later, I went inside to grab my digital camera. Then, I went back outside, where the sleet had returned and picked up in intensity. I attached the camera to my mini-tripod, rested it on a chair in the front porch, and took a few self-timed pictures. This was the best one (despite the visible wet spots on my khakis):
Three hours later, having not received a cancellation e-mail, me and my mom – who had never been to a David Benoit concert – braved horrendous driving conditions, especially on the Long Island Expressway (I-495; L.I.E.), in the rain and sleet, and headed up to IMAC for the concert.
David Benoit and his quartet miraculously arrived at LaGuardia Airport from Reagan National (they were in Washington, D.C. on Thursday) before the worst of the storm hit.
With that preliminary information out of the way, let the recap begin.
The David Benoit Quartet was comprised of David Benoit on piano:
David Hughes on acoustic bass…
…and electric bass:
Jamey Tate on drums:
And Andy Suzuki on saxophone…
…and flute:
FIRST SET:
1. You’re In Love, Charlie Brown
2. The Buggy Ride
David speaking to the audience…
…and introducing the band after The Buggy Ride:
3. The Great Pumpkin Waltz
4. Wild Kids
The last two minutes featured a call and response between David B. and Andy.
Starting here, David H. was on electric bass for the rest of the set.
5. Human Nature
6.Kei’s Song
Andy did not perform on this.
7. Freedom At Midnight
8. Beat Street
This featured a wild drum solo from Jamey.
SECOND SET:
9. Christmas is Coming
10. Skating
11.O Tannenbaum
Andy did not perform on this. David H. had a bass solo.
Midway through, a small Christmas tree was brought out. It was a replica of the tree picked by Charlie Brown in A Charlie Brown Christmas. David left the piano to decorate it and fasten it to its stand:
Then, he returned to the piano.
The rest of the set featured the Stimson Showstoppers from Stimson Middle School in Huntington Station. They were under the direction of Ms. Terri Haas.
12. Just Like Me
This was the only original piece in the second set. It was co-written by David B. and Lee Mendelson, and first appeared on 40 Years: A Charlie Brown Christmas in 2005, where it was performed by Vanessa Williams.
Here, two of the Stimson Showstoppers, Amelia and Olivia (I hope I got their names right), doubly handled the vocals.
They got a standing ovation from an audience that seemed to my ears to feature many students, faculty, and parents from Stimson and the South Huntington School District, as well as general Huntington residents. Though I and the rest of the audience were outsiders, we were all Stimson last night.
Then, the rest of the Showstoppers came on stage for…
13. My Little Drum
Andy did not perform on this.
14. Hark The Herald Angels Sing (vocalizing only)/Christmas Time Is Here
15. Linus and Lucy
For Linus and Lucy, all they had to do was clap (and dance) to the music.
The set was complete, but the night was not:
ENCORE 1: Santa Claus is Coming to Town
Assuming there would only be one encore, I shot two curtain call pictures. The first one is blurry, but looks artsy. So, I’ve included it:
But on this night, there was a second encore!
ENCORE 2: The Christmas Song (David only)
And that was officially it.
At the meet-and-greet, David and I saw each other in person for the first time since July 2006. At the time, I was about 80 pounds heavier than I am now. He was very complimentary of how I looked and of the weight I had lost.
Once we finished catching up, me and my mom headed for home. The roads weren’t as bad going home as they were heading to IMAC. Unfortunately, more snow is in the forecast for tomorrow. This is going to be some winter, isn’t it?
Peter White Christmas 2008 recap December 14, 2008
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, Personal.add a comment
Friday night at 9:30, I attended the later of two Peter White Christmas concerts at IMAC in Huntington. It was the fourth year in a row that I attended the concert. I was seated in the first row of the center left section, a few seats to the right of where I sat for Guitars & Saxes in October.
For this recap, we’ll introduce the players as we progress through the set list and accompanying pictures. Here we go:
1. The Little Drummer Boy
Rick Braun was on the trumpet, flugelhorn, and percussion.
Peter White (right) handled the guitars.
Mindi Abair (third from left) played alto and soprano saxophones.
2. The Christmas Song/Greensleeves
In between Christmas Song verses: “Merry Christmas, everybody!”
Peter addresses Mindi between songs.
3. I Can’t Wait For Christmas
Nate Phillips (bass) and Peter provide background vocals for the a capella portion…
…as did Rayford Griffin (drums; above Mindi) and Rick (not pictured).
The only vocalless player in the band was Ron Reinhardt (keyboards).
4. Notorious
5. Winter Wonderland (with audience participation)
6. White Christmas (with audience participation)
7. Blue Christmas
Peter donned an Elvis Presley wig and sang in the late rocker’s style.
Another picture of Peter addressing the audience between songs:
8. Jingle Jangle Blues (audience participation for Jingle Bells chorus lyrics)
This song featured a keyboard solo from Ron Reinhardt…
…and a drum solo from Rayford Griffin.
9. Silent Night
Rayford had a moving vocal solo.
10. Lucy’s (with audience participation)
11. Cadillac Slim
Rick and Mindi came into the audience to perform.
Most of the performance was right next to my section!
They returned to the stage for Nate Phillips’ bass solo…
…and to finish the song.
12. Bueno Funk
The James Bond glasses…
13. Grazin’ in the Grass
14. Santa Claus is Coming to Town/Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy
“I know if you’ve been bad or good…”
Lt. Col. Braun:
Then, the band briefly walked off the stage…
…and returned for the encore.
Encore: Happy Chrismtas/O Holy Night
And that was it.
During the meet-and-greet, I finally met Rayford…
…and caught up with Peter and Mindi.
I’m sorry I missed you, Rick. Next time.
With that, another recap is complete. Next week, I’ll have a recap of the Charlie Brown Christmas concert featuring David Benoit.
Back-to-back Friday concerts at IMAC December 12, 2008
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, Personal.add a comment
For the next two Friday nights, I’ll be attending concerts at the IMAC (Inter-Media Art Center) in Huntington.
Tonight, it’s Peter White Christmas with Peter White, Mindi Abair, and Rick Braun at 9:30 PM. This will be my fourth year attending.
Next Friday, it’s A Charlie Brown Christmas featuring David Benoit at 8PM.
I will have recaps of both concerts within a few days after them.
Guitars & Saxes 2008 concert recap October 26, 2008
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, Personal.3 comments
Click here for my recap of the Guitars and Saxes Smooth Cruise in August 2010.
On a very windy, very rainy Saturday night, I attended the 9:30 concert for Guitars & Saxes at the IMAC in Huntington. This was the very last stop for their 2008 tour. And since it was the second of two shows that night, it was the very last concert.
The headliners were:
Peter White on guitar #1…
Jeff Golub on guitar #2…
Gerald Albright on saxophone #1…
…and Jeff Lorber on a pair of keyboards.
Though not a headliner, the woman on saxophone #2, a rapidly rising star in contemporary jazz, is a headliner to me: Jessy J!
Rounding out the band, Nate Phillips on bass…
…and Rayford Griffin on drums.
Here was the set list:
(Nate and Rayford performed on all songs.)
Introductory medley:
1a. Tune 88 (Jeff Lorber)
Original heard on: “Water Sign,” 1979 (with The Jeff Lorber Fusion); “Flipside,” 2005
Featured musicians: Jeff Lorber, Jessy J
1b. Promenade (Peter White)
Original heard on: “Promenade,” 1993
Featured musicians: Peter White, Jeff Lorber, Jessy J
1c. Ain’t No Woman (Like The One I Got) (Jeff Golub; Four Tops cover)
Original heard on: “Grand Central,” 2007
Featured musicians: Jeff Golub, Peter White, Jeff Lorber, Jessy J
1d. To the Max (Gerald Albright)
Original heard on: “Kickin’ It Up,” 2004
Featured musicians: Gerald Albright, Jeff Lorber, Peter White, Jeff Golub, Jessy J
2. Rehab (Jeff Lorber; Amy Winehouse cover)
Originally heard on: “Heard That,” 2008
Featured musicians: Jeff Lorber, Gerald Albright, Peter White, Jeff Golub, Jessy J
Jeff’s version is much, much better than the original (which I would never listen to since I’m not an Amy Winehouse fan). The song featured a lively call and response section, as all featured musicians called (musically, of course) to Jeff and he responded.
3. Who’s That Lady (Peter White; Isley Brothers cover)
Originally heard on: “Glow,” 2001
Featured musicians: Peter White, Jeff Lorber, Jessy J; Jeff Golub joined in later
This song initially featured Jessy J on bongos:
Then, we segued into “Oye Como Va,” a Tito Puente cover (notably covered by Santana), and Jessy moved to flute:
As stated above, Jeff Golub joined in for this part:
4. Dangerous Curves (Jeff Golub)
Originally heard on: “Dangerous Curves,” 2000
Featured musicians: Jeff Golub, Gerald Albright, Jeff Lorber, Jessy J
5. My, My, My (Gerald Albright; Johnny Gill cover)
Originally heard on: “Dream Come True,” 1990
Featured musicians: Gerald Albright, Jeff Lorber, Jeff Golub, Peter White, Jessy J
The picture of Gerald when introducing the players was taken during “My, My, My.” This song featured background vocals from Rayford Griffin (not pictured), Peter White, Jessy J (both below)…
…and Jeff Lorber.
It also featured two big solos by Gerald. The latter solo mellowed to the point where he merely blew air into his saxophone’s reed. It was very close to beatboxing. A few players prompted the audience to snap their fingers to the beat. Then, Gerald resumed generating notes from the sax and the song was completed.
Next, the lone song by Jessy J, seen here addressing the audience:
6. Tequila Moon (Jessy J)
Originally heard on: “Tequila Moon,” 2008
Featured musicians: Jessy J, Peter White, Jeff Lorber
7. Naked City (Avenue Blue, Jeff Golub’s former group)
Originally heard on: “Naked City,” 1996
Featured musicians: Jeff Golub, Jeff Lorber
The picture off Jeff Golub from the player introduction was taken during this song.
8. Bueno Funk (Peter White)
Originally heard on: “Glow,” 2001
Featured musicians: Peter White, Jeff Golub, Jeff Lorber, Jessy J
Initially, Jessy went back to the bongos, as you see in the upper-right portion of this picture:
Then, Jessy brought out the sunglasses…
…as Peter played the opening riff from the “James Bond Theme”…
…before switching back to “Bueno Funk,” featuring an organ solo from Jeff Lorber (or “J-Lo,” as Gerald refers to him) and a return to the sax for Jessy.
The picture of Rayford Griffin from the player introduction was taken during a drum solo for this song, which ended on the opening melody from Deep Purple’s “Smoke On The Water.”
9. Surreptitious (Jeff Lorber)
Originally heard on: “He Had a Hat,” 2007
Featured musicians: Jeff Lorber, Jeff Golub, Gerald Albright, Jessy J
10. Georgia On My Mind (Gerald Albright; Hoagy Carmichael cover; Ray Charles, best known cover of it)
Originally heard on: “Live At Birdland West,” 1991; “New Beginnings,” 2006
Featured musicians: Gerald Albright, Jeff Golub, Jeff Lorber, Peter White, Jessy J
After a few minutes, the tempo and energy picked up with solos from all featured musicians.
That was the last song of the set, but shows like this rarely end without an encore.
After a 20-to-30-second standing ovation under darkness, the band returned to the stage:
And this was the encore song:
11. Cut The Cake (Jeff Golub; Average White Band cover)
Originally heard on: “Do It Again,” 2002
Featured musicians: Jeff Golub, Gerald Albright, Peter White, Jeff Lorber, Jessy J
This featured a Nate Phillips bass solo, which is where his player introduction picture came from.
Rayford Griffin, Gerald Albright, and Jessy J provided brief background vocals.
And that was it; concert over, tour over.
What a way to close things out.
During the meet-and-greet, I got to catch up with Gerald, Peter, and Jeff Lorber, and meet Jeff Golub and Jessy. Here I am with all five:
And here’s a picture Gerald shot of Jessy and me:
Before we said goodbye and I wished her best of luck, she told me to check out her blog, which doubles as a vlog (video log). I told her I would do so the next day because I was worn out after that concert, as we all were. I’m a man of my word; I checked it out once I turned my computer on after I got up on Sunday (the day this post is dated). It’s quite interesting. It almost inspires me to start vlogging. We’ll see.
Meanwhile, I hoped you enjoyed this recap, which turned out to be as detailed as my Smooth Jazz for Scholars recap back six months ago. (Six months ago already? Boy, time flies.) As that recap was, this one, too, was a labor of love.
By the way, once I left IMAC around midnight, the rain had tapered off, the winds had died down, and the sky began to clear.
Acoustic Alchemy concert recap June 22, 2008
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, Personal.1 comment so far
Later Acoustic Alchemy recaps: October 2010, June 2012, November 2016
Earlier tonight, I attended Acoustic Alchemy’s concert at IMAC. I sat in the first row of the Center Right section’s odd number seats. The theater’s audio mixing board was a few feet ahead to my left.
The set list included:
“Get Up (Levantar y Bailar)”
“Jubilation”
“Jamaica Heartbeat”
“Out of Nowhere”
“Big Sky Country”
“Carlos the King”
“Ariane” (last song before intermission)
“Ernie”
“Tied Up with String”
“She Speaks American/English”
“Tuff Puzzle”
“Lazeez” (encore)
I took 129 pictures during the concert. Here are the ones that stood out:
Greg Carmichael:
Miles Gilderdale on acoustic guitar…
…and electric guitar:
Fred White on keyboards:
Gary Grainger on bass…
…and younger brother Greg Grainger on drums:
Miles and Greg C. in the final measure of “Lazeez”:
And the band taking a bow (or, at least, about to):
It was an excellent show!
Afterward, my friend Kat Sarracco took this picture:
Standing left to right: Greg Carmichael, Miles Gilderdale, Mike Chimeri; Sitting left to right: Gary Grainger, Greg Grainger, Fred White
This was my first Acoustic Alchemy concert, but I guarantee it won’t be the last.
6/29 UPDATE: Kat has added my pictures of Miles Gilderdale (on electric guitar) and Fred White to the 2008 Fan Photo Gallery on the official Acoustic Alchemy site.
7/14 UPDATE: My picture with the band is part of the recently added 2008 Fan Archive.
No more posts about Cablevision June 12, 2008
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, TV.add a comment
I’ve decided to give up posting about my experiences with Cablevision. I have no confidence in any channels being added no matter how much we customers plead or demand. I don’t know what I’ll do in the future, but one way or another, I’ll get the channels I want, like Fox Business Network, even if it means moving and switching providers.
Thank you for reading my posts about Cablevision. I invite you to stick around for posts about other goings-on in my life, as well as concert recaps and album reviews. For example, next weekend, I’ll have a recap of Acoustic Alchemy’s concert at IMAC. And I’m bound to let you know about any albums I pre-order, buy, or listen to.
MikeChimeri.com 