Lisa Hilton at Zinc Bar recap June 9, 2011
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, Personal, Travel, Weather.add a comment
Later recaps: January 2014, January 2015, January 2016, January 2018, January 2019
(If you’re friends with me on Facebook, I cross-posted pictures from this show in a photo album.)
Last night, my dad and I went to see pianist Lisa Hilton perform at Zinc Bar down in Greenwich Village. It was the first of two concerts I’m going to in four nights. I’ll be seeing Shilts at Houndstooth Pub on Saturday night. (6/15 UPDATE: Here’s how that show went.)
We left Wantagh at about 5:15. Thanks to delays for seven exits on the L.I.E. (Long Island Expwy., I-495) and volume on Park Ave./Union Square E./Broadway, we didn’t get to West 3rd Street until 6:30. We parked by Mercer Street, three blocks east of Zinc. We walked in the high heat and humidity past Zinc to Ben’s Pizzeria on the corner of MacDougal Street for a few slices of pizza. Eating was a challenge because we sat a table that was right next to a fan. (Ben’s was open-air with no air conditioning; hence the large fan set on high.) I had to weigh down my plates and napkins. The pizza made it worth it. After that, it was back to Zinc just before 7:00 as another band was finishing up.
Lisa was scheduled to play two sets, but she and her band seemed to combine the two into one long set. That set began at 7:20.
Lisa’s band was made up of JD Allen on the tenor saxophone:
Ameen Saleem on acoustic bass:
And Jaimeo Brown on drums:
The set lasted about an hour and 45 minutes with 15 songs played. Here’s the set list:
1. City Streets (without JD)
2. Underground*
3. Someday, Somehow, Soon*
4. Just A Little Past Midnight*
5. So This Is Love
6. Boston+Blues* (+ = and)
7. Come & Go*
8. Midnight in Manhattan
9. Meltdown
10. Seduction (Lisa solo)
11. Moon River (Henry Mancini cover) (Lisa/JD duet)
12. Blue Truth*
13. Early Morning Impressions
14. Wake Me Up When September Ends (Green Day cover) (without JD)
15. Jack & Jill*
*From Lisa’s latest album, “Underground.”
Lisa spoke to the audience between each song:
Lisa & JD during their “Moon River” duet:
Lisa rhythmically swayed her right arm at one point in “Jack & Jill” while playing with her left hand:
I spoke to Lisa afterward. We were both glad to finally meet each other in person after six years when first interviewed her at WCWP. (Those interview occurred in November 2005 and August 2006.) Then we posed for this picture:
Lisa asked me what my favorite song was. I told her it was hard to pick one favorite. So, I chose three: “City Streets,” “Underground,” and “Jack & Jill.”
It was certainly an interesting two hours at Zinc Bar. Thanks to Lisa and the band for a really good show.
FLASHBACK: Interviewed for Dave’s Gone By on New Year’s Eve 2006 June 6, 2011
Posted by Mike C. in Airchecks, Comedy, Internet, Interviews, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Politics, Radio, Theatre.add a comment
I was Googling my name just now and came across this page. It’s the website Dave’s Gone By, a weekly radio show hosted by Dave Lefkowitz. There I found an interview I did–in which I was the interviewee–for the Dave’s Gone By New Year’s Craptacular special on New Year’s Eve 2006. You can hear that interview here. It starts at the 8:11 mark.
I was returning the favor after interviewing Dave a handful of times for The Mike Chimeri Show, which was days from its last show. Here are all those interviews (with air dates in parentheses):
Dave Lefkowitz Interview, Part 1 (August 17, 2005)
Dave Lefkowitz Interview, Part 2 (August 17, 2005)
Dave Lefkowitz Interview II (November 23, 2005) (In this one, I accidentally refer to Dave by his show title at one point. I had to rush down to Rockville Centre after I recorded the interview and my mind was all over the place.)
Dave Lefkowitz Interview III (March 29, 2006) (This was the first of three interviews I recorded in one day. After Dave came Nick Colionne and Mindi Abair. For all my Mike Chimeri Show interviews, which I self-consciously haven’t listened to since I edited them, click here.)
Dave Lefkowitz Interview IV, Part 1 (December 22, 2006)
Dave Lefkowitz Interview IV, Part 2 (December 22, 2006) (This was the last interview I recorded for The Mike Chimeri Show.)
About four years later, I was the interviewee again during the Fan Phone Call segment of Alison Rosen’s UStream show, Alison Rosen is Your New Best Friend. You can hear that here.
Not watching The Price is Right; but instead… May 19, 2011
Posted by Mike C. in Comedy, Game Shows, Media, Personal, Theatre, TV.add a comment
This season, The Price is Right went in a direction that I did not like: they decided to go with guest announcers that had little or no announcing experience. The guest announcer they felt was best was made permanent. The result is a stilted delivery with caricatured announcer emphasis. I don’t want to name the announcer because if I decide to watch regularly again, he may grow on me. In that case, I will update this post with the good news. Until then, I watch three shows with professional announcers:
- Jeopardy! with Johnny Gilbert
- Wheel of Fortune with a series of guest announcers trying to fill the late Charlie O’Donnell’s shoes; as I type, Jim Thornton is guest announcing for the third week in a row
- Drew Carey’s Improv-A-Ganza with former TPiR announcer, the last pro, Rich Fields
In the case of Improv-A-Ganza, it appears Drew has finally found a successful successor to Whose Line is it Anyway? I love nearly every second of the show. The best game so far was Forward/Reverse on last Monday’s episode. Jonathan Mangum, part of the Improv-A-Ganza performer rotation, is a good announcer/sidekick to Wayne Brady on Let’s Make a Deal, a show I watched (despite not airing in HD) until I could no longer take poor decisions by contestants. Wayne has appeared as a special guest in select Improv-A-Ganza episodes.
With Wheel, it helps if there are as little dud letters called and as little Bankrupts and Lose-A-Turns spun as possible. A successful bonus round solve doesn’t hurt either.
Jeopardy! is at its best when the two rounds are completed without the annoying bip-bip-bip-bip indicating time has run out and clues will remain hidden.
SJFS 2011 recap May 4, 2011
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, Personal, Photography.1 comment so far
Jay Rowe‘s ninth annual Smooth Jazz for Scholars concert was spread out over two nights. Last Friday, there was the jam session at Daniel Street in Milford featuring Steve Cole and Jeff Kashiwa. (6/22/12 UPDATE: Daniel Street closed in January.)
Saturday had the main concert at the Parsons Complex Auditorium. It was my fifth SJFS and the second where I didn’t stay the night.
Kevin McCabe of Jumpstart Jazz Productions was the first to greet the audience:
Then, Jay Rowe, the man behind the concert, following Kevin’s introduction:
Jay was backed up by Best Kept Secret, made up of Steve Scales on percussion:
Trever Somerville on drums:
And Dave Anderson on bass:
Of course, Jay was on the keyboards:
Without further ado, the photo recap is underway.
SONG #1: Martinis and Bikinis (Jay Rowe)
Originally heard on: “Live at Daniel Street,” 2011
Featured musician: Ken Navarro
After a few minutes, Jay welcomed Ken Navarro to the stage for the rest of the song:
SONG #2: Eric’s Dream (Ken Navarro)
Originally heard on: “Brighter Days,” 1995; “Ablaze in Orlando,” 1998
Featured musician: Ken Navarro
Ken wrote this song for his son Eric, who was nine years old at the time. He’s now 25.
SONG #3: Lakes (Ken Navarro; Pat Metheny cover)
Originally heard on: “The Meeting Place,” 2007
Featured musicians: Ken Navarro, Jeff Kashiwa
Jeff was on the tenor saxophone:
The next four pictures are of Dancing Eric Triffin:
SONG #4: The Lucky One (Jeff Kashiwa)
Originally heard on: “Play,” 2007
Featured musicians: Jeff Kashiwa, Ken Navarro
Jeff wrote “The Lucky One” for his wife and child. He truly is the lucky one. It was the first time he’d ever played the song live.
SONG #5: You Make Me Blue (Chieli Minucci & Special EFX)
Originally heard on: “Without You,” 2010
Featured musicians: Chieli Minucci, Jeff Kashiwa, Marion Meadows
Time to introduce Marion Meadows!:
Marion was on the soprano sax:
SONG #6: Treasures (Marion Meadows)
Originally heard on: “In Deep,” 2002
Featured musicians: Marion Meadows, Chieli Minucci
Marion and Dancing Eric juxtaposed:
SONG #7: Thursday (Steve Cole)
Originally heard on: “Spin,” 2005
Featured musicians: Steve Cole, Chieli Minucci, Ken Navarro
SONG #8: Angel (Steve Cole; Sarah McLachlan cover)
Originally heard on: “Moonlight,” 2011
Featured musician: Steve Cole
Dave Anderson played acoustic bass on “Angel”:
SONG #9: Movin’ Up (Jeff Kashiwa)
Originally heard on: “Play,” 2007
Featured musicians: Jeff Kashiwa, Ken Navarro
It was that time in the show to introduce the feature teacher himself, Bob Nunno!
SONG #10: Donna (Bob Nunno)
Originally heard on: Yet to be released
Featured musicians: Bob Nunno, Chieli Minucci
Rounding out the lead saxes for the night, Bob played tenor:
“Donna” is Bob’s tribute to his wife.
After “Donna,” Jay shared the story of how he met Ms. Theresa Voss, the Foran High School choral director:
I was playing piano for the [Milford] tree lighting ceremony and I was told that I would be accompanied by the Lauralton Hall Chorus. And it was great. They were such a great chorus. … It was a pleasure musically to play with them. And I admire Theresa, how great she was as the choral director. So, when I heard she got the job at Foran High, I thought, oh my God, this is going to be great. They’re gonna have a great chorus. Sure enough, she built up the choral program and made it what it is now.
After recounting the Select Ensemble Chorus’ first four appearances at SJFS, he welcomed Ms. Voss to the stage:
The chorus soon followed:
Then, Jay told the audience that it was Ms. Voss’s birthday and invited her back to the stage from the orchestra pit…
…where the chorus and audience sang “Happy Birthday” to Jay’s keyboard accompaniment:
After Steve Scales noted it was his birthday, too, and Ms. Voss returned to the pit to direct the chorus, it was time for:
SONG #11: Katy’s Groove (Jay Rowe)
Featured musicians: Foran High School Select Ensemble Chorus
“Katy’s Groove” was dedicated to pop singer Katy Perry.
A round of applause:
The performance went so well, Jay wanted a way to officially record it.
He then dismissed the chorus until later:
SONG #12: Suede (Marion Meadows)
Originally heard on: “Player’s Club,” 2004
Featured musician: Marion Meadows
Surprise! Marion began in the audience:
We jumped right from “Suede” to:
SONG #13: South Beach (Marion Meadows)
Originally heard on: “Body Rhythm,” 1995
Featured musician: Marion Meadows
A sample of “Mas Que Nada” found its way in the solo:
Steve Scales, Trever Somerville, and Dave Anderson were next on the solo train:
Marion: “It’s an absolute honor and a pleasure to have known Jay Rowe for so many years. I’m proud to say that Jay Rowe has been a member of my touring band for 19 years. So, that says a lot about friendship and the love I have for this gentleman. A round of applause for Jay Rowe.”
He also thanked Dave, Steve, and Trever.
SONGS #14/15: Ken Navarro solo feature: Letter From Home (Pat Metheny Group cover)/Europa (Santana cover)
Musician: Ken Navarro only
“Letter From Home” was dedicated to Tom and Melissa who are serving our military in Iraq. Tom is the son, and Melissa the daughter-in-law, of Libby and Lauren, a couple from Atlanta in the audience. (1/6/12 UPDATE: You can hear these songs and more on Ken’s new album, “The Test of Time.”)
SONG #16: Festival (Special EFX)
Originally heard on: “Peace of the World,” 1991
Featured musicians: Chieli Minucci, the ladies of the Foran High School Select Ensemble Chorus
There was one song left. All the musicians returned to the stage.
SONG #17 (Finale): Hyde Park (The “Ah, Oooh” Song) (Jeff Kashiwa)
Originally heard on: “Another Door Opens,” 2000
Featured musicians: Everyone, Foran High School Horns
The audience played a role, too, as Jeff informed them. You’ll see what role below.
“Ahhhhh, oooooh”:
The final note of the night:
Afterward came the meet and greet with pictures.
This year’s Smooth Jazz for Scholars was another success from start to finish. Next year is #10! See you then.
SJFS 2011 recap still to come May 1, 2011
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, Personal, Photography.add a comment
As I type, I’m early in the process of editing pictures from last night’s Smooth Jazz for Scholars concert. Once I finish, the next step will be to select the best ones and upload them to the blog. Then, the writing part. The recap should be up by next weekend; hopefully sooner.
Thanks for your patience.
5/4 UPDATE: The recap is up.
Brian Simpson concert recap April 17, 2011
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, Personal, Weather.add a comment
Later Brian Simpson recaps: April 2012, February 2015
Yesterday, my parents and I braved the strong easterly winds and heavy rain to see Brian Simpson‘s 8PM set at Houndstooth Pub, located in the Fashion District section of Manhattan. It was Brian’s first performance ever in New York City.
Matt Marshak was on guitar:
The last show I saw at Houndstooth was Matt’s in December.
Carl Carter on bass:
And Lionel Cordew on the drums:
SET LIST
1. It Could Happen (keytar/keyboard)
2. Here With You
3. The Blues – Elan Trotman, sax
4. Let’s Get Close (keytar)
BREAK
5. South Beach (keytar/keyboard) – Elan Trotman, sax
6. Can’t Tell You Why
7. Funkology (Matt Marshak tune)
8. Killer Joe (Quincy Jones cover) – Elan Trotman, sax
9. Brazilia
10. Saturday Cool/Mr. Magic (the latter is a Grover Washington, Jr. cover) (keytar/keyboard) – Elan Trotman, sax
Between “The Blues” and “Let’s Get Close,” Brian recounted his pop past, which included co-writing and performing on “The First Time” by Surface. That song is available on Surface’s 3 Deep and Best Of albums and on iTunes.
Elan Trotman played the saxophone on “The Blues,” “South Beach,” “Killer Joe,” and “Saturday Cool/Mr. Magic”:
At the end of the set, Brian thanked the band…
…Neal Newman, the audio engineer…
…and Steve Butler, who was right behind me, which is why Brian is pointing in my direction:
I briefly spoke to Brian during the break and we posed for this picture:
The 8:00 set was great! And I’m sure the same could be said for the one at 10:30.
Tampa Bay trip recap; panic attack April 9, 2011
Posted by Mike C. in Personal, Travel, Weather.add a comment
NOTE: At the end of this post, I recount my panic attack suffered early in my flight back to Islip.
Two weekends ago, I was in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater region for a brief vacation and family visit. It was my first trip to Florida in two-and-a-half years when I saw family in South Florida, specifically Palm Beach and Broward Counties. This post contains pictures of scenery and roadways from this trip, all but two of them from Sunday, March 27. The last two are from the following day.
The view from my room at Safety Harbor Resort and Spa:
Driving through Safety Harbor:
McMullen Booth Rd (CR 611) and Main St. (Sunset Point Rd. after the intersection):
The main entrance to Innisbrook (after the traffic light-less Belcher Rd. intersection):
Turning left at Klosterman Rd.:
Belcher Rd. and Glen Eagles Pkwy. (pic taken at the aforementioned light-less intersection):
Two random pictures inside Innisbrook:
Two more pictures from Safety Harbor:
The last two pictures were taken Monday, March 28, from my grandparents patio at Innisbrook, overlooking the Copperhead course’s 2nd hole fairway:
After nice weather the previous two days, we were inundated by rain and thunderstorms. Our flight home in the evening was delayed a half hour, but avoided major turbulence. Before coming to that conclusion in-flight, I developed a panic attack on fear of major turbulence for the first half-hour. Here’s the story as I typed it from my laptop (partially revised):
As I boarded at around 8PM, I began to feel anxious. The heat on the plane didn’t help. Drinking water didn’t help, either. As our plane taxied and waited to take off, I began to feel tightness in my chest. Again, the water didn’t help nor did deep breathing. When we took off, the tightness turned to numbness and quickly spread to my face, hands, and somewhat to my feet. I was paralyzed in those areas for about five minutes as I continued to breathe as deeply as I could. At one point, I uttered through my frozen face: “I feel so helpless.” A man sitting across the aisle from me was reassuring, though I don’t remember exactly what he said. Gradually, I regained feeling. Once that happened, I thanked the man for helping me through my harrowing experience. I thanked him again when we landed and he patted me on the back.
Thankfully, the turbulence worries were initially for nothing. There were some bumps here and there later on, but I didn’t have another attack.
It was nonetheless a good trip.
3/29/12 UPDATE: This turned out to be the last time my grandfather, Carmen Chimeri, in person. He passed away on December 9. The last time I spoke to him was on the phone on my 30th birthday. I took this last March 27 at Carrabba’s in Palm Harbor, for his 80th birthday (albeit three days late):
I’ll conclude this update with a picture of Carmen on Christmas morning in 1994:
Eric Marienthal/Jazzaphonic concert recap March 23, 2011
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, Personal.add a comment
Eric Marienthal came to the Boulton Center in Bay Shore last night for a masterclass (“bring your instrument”) and concert. This is a photo recap of the concert.
Eric was backed up by the band Jazzaphonic. Jazzaphonic was made up of Bill Heller on the keyboard:
Steve Salerno on guitar:
Jim Cammack on the electric bass…
…and acoustic bass:
And Frank Bellucci on drums:
SET LIST
1. Hangin’ On The Boardwalk
Originally heard on: “Turn Up The Heat,” 2001
2. Blue Water
Originally heard on: “Just Around The Corner,” 2007
3. Oasis
Originally heard on: “Oasis,” 1991
4. Down and Loaded (Jazzaphonic, written by Bill Heller)
5. New York State Of Mind
Originally heard on: “Got You Covered!,” 2005
6. Safrica (Jazzaphonic, written by Steve Salerno)
7. Moody’s Mood For Love
Originally heard on: “Got You Covered!,” 2005
8. Latinesque (Jazzaphonic, written by Bill Heller)
9. Compared To What
Originally heard on: “Got You Covered!,” 2005
Encore 1. Bill’s Bop (Jazzaphonic, written by Bill Heller)
Eric switched to the soprano sax for “Oasis”:
Wayne Schuster played soprano sax to Eric’s alto on “Safrica”:
Steve’s guitar solo on “Latinesque”:
“Compared To What”:
That was followed by an encore: “Bill’s Bop.”
Before I left, I briefly caught up with Eric and our mutual friend Kat Sarracco, whom I sat with during the concert, took our picture:
This concert was a blast! Thanks to Eric, Bill, Steve, Jim, Frank, and Wayne.
3/26 UPDATE: Eric’s concert was on a day off from touring with the Jeff Lorber Fusion. Wednesday and Thursday nights, Fusion played at Iridium. Katherine Gilraine saw them Thursday night. In her recap, she lauded Eric:
His own material shows it best; he knows his horns. He knows his soprano sax and does not have to do much to get to the sound as he wants. High notes – effortless. Low growls on the alto or tenor – no problem. There is no effort whatsoever needed for Marienthal to rock out with a solo, or accent with a lick or two, and he can stand out just as easily as he blends into the overall sound.
Winter 2011 in pictures March 21, 2011
Posted by Mike C. in Personal, Photography, Weather.add a comment
Yesterday at 7:21 PM Eastern, spring began. That marked an end of a winter that started off with a bang in late December, all of January, and early February, and petered out.
That stage of winter that will stand out the most. I documented the season’s first storm here. Here’s the rest:
Friday, January 7
Thick wet snowflakes:
Wednesday, January 12
10.43 inches of snow:
Icicles outside my bedroom window:
They got rather big by the next day. I used a putter I had in my closet to knock them down.
Friday, January 21
3.5 inches of snow
I didn’t take any pictures, but left this witty status update on Facebook after shoveling:
Another snowstorm, another 2 1/2 hours shoveling. T.G.I.F.; thank goodness I’m finished.
Thursday, January 27
A wintry mix the day before turned to sleet and freezing rain (with a few rumbles of thunder) before turning to wet snow. The results were an inch or two of ice and about 12 inches of snow.
It was a pain to shovel, but I refused to quit…
…at least with the driveway and sidewalk.
It took five weeks for this gigantic bank to melt away:
This one melted a little quicker:
Saturday, January 29
The sun made it slightly easier to chop and scoop the ice and built-in tire tracks:
I finally got around to the sides and back yard:
Ice buildup and fallen icicles by the front gutter:
February began with an ice storm, but saw little snowfall the rest of the month. The only snow this month, March, came this morning when it briefly mixed with rain. There was no accumulation.
Let spring begin!
3/24 UPDATE: Winter has made a small comeback. Yesterday, snow mixed with rain at times during the day and fell by itself at night (after a thunderstorm mix):
About an inch accumulated. The snow stuck to everything, but it only partially melted on hard surfaces as of this morning. So, I shoveled the rest:
By this afternoon, most of the snow had melted.
That should be the last of the snow until the end of the year.
MikeChimeri.com 
Rating Improv-A-Ganza games; the ratings May 25, 2011
Posted by Mike C. in Comedy, Commentary, Game Shows, Media, Personal, Radio, Theatre, TV.add a comment
I have been a fan of improv comedy since I discovered reruns of the British version of Whose Line is it Anyway? on Comedy Central 14 years ago. The American version with Drew Carey and much of the American performers from the British version brought the Whose Line franchise and improv to the stratosphere. My love for Whose Line carried over to Drew Carey’s Green Screen Show, which unfortunately didn’t last long. But I had the good fortune to conduct phone interviews with Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood while I was at WCWP. Here’s how those interviews went:
Brad Sherwood Interview (May 25, 2005)
Colin Mochrie Interview (September 14, 2005)
Brad Sherwood Interview II (November 10, 2006)
(More interviews can be heard here and here.)
Four years into Drew Carey’s run as host of The Price is Right, along came Drew Carey’s Improv-A-Ganza on GSN. With a month and a half of the show under viewers’ belts, I’ve decided to choose my favorite, least favorite, and so-so games from the show:
(NOTE: Ratings are subject to change and vary by the episode in which the games are performed.)
FAVORITE
LEAST FAVORITE
SO-SO
I’m hoping there will be more Improv-A-Ganza in the weeks, months, and perhaps years ahead. But unfortunately, it may not be around much longer, either, as it is suffering from low ratings. I got so caught up in watching each episode and savoring every moment, I didn’t consider looking up the ratings. Since the show’s competition includes cable news opinion shows, I’m not surprised. The ratings would probably be higher if DVRs were factored in. I’m one of those DVRers, if that is a word. I watch my Improv-A-Ganza recording later while watching Fox News Channel’s The O’Reilly Factor as it airs.
I convert each episode to my MiniDV camcorder then capture those episodes to my computer as AVI video files. The final step is normalizing audio and inserting fades or crossfades then rendering as MPG files and deleting the AVIs to save hard drive space. Unfortunately, the recordings are in SD (standard definition) because Cablevision hasn’t added GSN’s HD feed. Improv-A-Ganza airs in HD.
If Improv-A-Ganza is in its last days, then there is an upside: there will be more episodes of this show than the Green Screen Show.
5/25 UPDATE: Last night’s episode featured those so-so rated games Bob’s Call and Compilation Album. I liked them both. Moving Bodies was all right.
5/26 UPDATE: I have a theory about some of the Improv-A-Ganza ratings analysis. The show is not a traditional game show, yet it’s on GSN. Therefore, if its ratings can be negatively spun, perhaps that will hasten its cancellation. It’s similar to the Fox Business Network (FBN): highlight the channel’s low ratings and root for its demise.
I’m probably wrong. It is, after all, just a theory from a fan of Drew Carey’s improv franchise, from the American Whose Line to Improv-A-Ganza.
5/27 UPDATE: Look at this post on the MGM Grand Las Vegas Facebook page (h/t Improv-A-Ganza Facebook fan page):
Improv-A-Ganza is alive!
6/3 UPDATE: Or is it? Tonight’s show was the season finale. Let’s hope it wasn’t the series finale.