Chieli Minucci & Special EFX at The Cutting Room again July 2, 2015
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Travel.2 comments
I returned to The Cutting Room last Friday night to see Chieli Minucci & Special EFX perform.
I last saw them at that venue in January 2014. I arrived close to show time and missed out on a good table. This time, I showed up before the doors opened to ensure better results. The plan worked. I sat at a small table right next to the stage.
Special EFX was led by co-founder Chieli Minucci on guitar:
With Jay Rowe on keyboards:
Jerry Brooks, who’s about to tour with Journey, on bass:
…and Lionel Cordew on drums:
Plus, special guest Alan Grubner on violin:
SET LIST
1. Courageous Cats
Originally heard on: “Jewels,” 1995 (Chieli solo album)
2. Speak to Me (preceded by Chieli’s intro)
Originally heard on: “Masterpiece,” 1999
3. Crazy Eights
Originally heard on: “Genesis,” 2013
4.Till the End of Time
Originally heard on: “Genesis,” 2013
5. George Can’t Dance
Originally heard on: “Catwalk,” 1994
6. Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers
Originally heard on: “Renaissance,” 1996 (Chieli solo album)
7. Cruise Control
Originally heard on: “Butterfly,” 2001
8. Your Smile, My Heaven
Originally heard on: “Genesis,” 2013
9. Kickin’ It Hard/Spain
“Kickin’ It Hard” originally heard on: “Night Grooves,” 2003 (Chieli solo album); “Spain” is a Return to Forever cover
#2 and 9 featured occasional vocalizing from Chieli.
#8 and 9 featured special guest Alan Grubner.
Various shots of Chieli:
Vocalizing on “Speak to Me”:
Jay Rowe’s “Speak to Me” keyboard solo:
Jerry Brooks’ “Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers” bass solo:
Lionel Cordew’s “Speak to Me” drum solo:
Alan Grubner’s “Your Smile, My Heaven” violin solo:
Wide shots from “Kickin’ It Hard”:
The last note:
The end:
It was yet another superb set. Until next time.
Will Donato at Houndstooth Pub May 11, 2015
Posted by Mike C. in Internet, Jazz, Music, Personal, Photography, Travel.2 comments
Houndstooth Pub was the place to be Saturday night as saxophonist Will Donato took the stage.
This was the first time I had seen Will since he performed with fellow saxophonist Elan Trotman a few years ago. Both times, a significant personal event occurred the same day. Then, it was the removal of a curbside tree at my neighbor’s house, one that had been there since I moved to Wantagh in July 1993. Saturday, it was the tenth anniversary of MikeChimeri.com.
I was thrilled to see Will. He’s a ball of energy, winding his way through the crowd, connecting with every audience member, including me. He even has a humorous side, which he displayed when speaking to the audience between songs.
Will was mostly on alto saxophone:
Bill Heller on keyboard:
Kenny Harris on bass:
…and Chris Marshak on drums:
SET LIST
1. Kenny’s Groove (Kenny Harris)
2. New Life
Originally heard on: “Will Power,” 2004
3. I’ll Be Around (The Spinners cover)
Originally heard on: “Will Call,” 2007
4. Italia
Originally heard on: “Will Power,” 2004; “What It Takes,” 2010
5. Funkability
Originally heard on: “What It Takes,” 2010
6. Show and Tell (Al Wilson cover)
Originally heard on: “Universal Groove,” 2014
7. Working Day and Night (Michael Jackson cover)
BREAK
8. Always You
Originally heard on: “What It Takes,” 2010
9. Jaywalkin’
Originally heard on: “Universal Groove,” 2014
10. You’ve Just Been Had (Kenny Harris)
11. Down & Loaded (Bill Heller)
Originally heard on: “Find the Way,” 2014 (Bill Heller)
12. What Is Hip? (Tower of Power cover)
13 (Encore). Play That Funky Music (Wild Cherry cover)
Originally heard on: “Universal Groove,” 2014
Now that you know the set list, let’s move on to various pictures of Will in the audience and on stage:
He switched to tenor sax for “Down & Loaded”…:
…before returning to alto for the last two songs:
Now for pictures of the rest of the band, starting with Bill Heller:
Vocals on “Show and Tell”:
Vocoder on “Working Day and Night”:
…and “Play That Funky Music”:
Kenny Harris:
Vocals on “Kenny’s Groove”:
…and “You’ve Just Been Had”:
Chris Marshak:
Wide shots:
“New Life”:
“Down & Loaded”:
“What Is Hip?”:
“Play That Funky Music”:
What a wild show this turned out to be. I had a blast. I spoke to Will and the band during the break and after the show, and before I left, Will and I posed for a picture:
Thank you to Will, Bill, Kenny, and Chris for making this a night to remember.
SJFS 2015 Night 1 recap April 27, 2015
Posted by Mike C. in Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Travel, Video.add a comment
To borrow guitarist Jay Dobbins’ song title, it was “That Time Again” on Friday – time for me to head up to Milford, Connecticut, for Jay Rowe‘s Smooth Jazz for Scholars benefit concert. This was the 13th year of SJFS and the third with two nights of shows. Unfortunately, I could only make the first night this year because of the WCWP Hall of Fame Ceremony on Saturday.
The headliners on Friday night were Peter White, Marion Meadows, and Vincent Ingala.
As always, Kevin McCabe had a few opening remarks:
Then, Jay Rowe took the stage. Jay was on keyboards:
Dave Anderson played bass:
Trever Somerville on drums:
Steve Scales on percussion:
…and for nine songs, Rohn Lawrence on electric guitar:
SET LIST
1. That Time Again (Jay Dobbins)
Originally heard on: “Anything for You,” 2013
Featured musicians: Jay Dobbins (electric guitar), Jay Rowe (keyboards)
2. Pleasure Island (Jay Rowe)
Originally heard on: “Laugh Out Loud,” 2001
Featured musicians: Jay Rowe (keyboards), Vincent Ingala (tenor sax), Rohn Lawrence (electric guitar)
3. Can’t Stop Now (Vincent Ingala)
Originally heard on: “Can’t Stop Now,” 2012
Featured musicians: Vincent Ingala (tenor sax), Rohn Lawrence (electric guitar)
4. Kimi Trick (Vincent Ingala)
Originally heard on: “Can’t Stop Now,” 2012
Featured musicians: Vincent Ingala (tenor sax), Rohn Lawrence (electric guitar)
5. Real Time (Marion Meadows)
Originally heard on: “Soul Traveler,” 2015
Featured musicians: Marion Meadows (soprano sax), Vincent Ingala (tenor sax), Rohn Lawrence (electric guitar)
6. Humanity (Marion Meadows)
Originally heard on: “Soul Traveler,” 2015
Featured musicians: Marion Meadows (soprano sax), Rohn Lawrence (electric guitar)
7. Caravan of Dreams (Peter White)
Originally heard on: “Caravan of Dreams,” 1996
Featured musicians: Peter White (acoustic guitar), Vincent Ingala (tenor sax)
8. Bright (Peter White)
Originally heard on: “Good Day,” 2009
Featured musicians: Peter White (acoustic guitar)
9. How Deep is Your Love (Peter White; The Bee Gees cover)
Originally heard on: “Reflections,” 1994
Featured musicians: Peter White (acoustic guitar)
10. In Rainbows (Peter White)
Originally heard on: “Smile,” 2014
Featured musicians: Peter White (acoustic guitar), Vincent Ingala (soprano sax)
11. Here We Go (Peter White)
Originally heard on: “Here We Go,” 2012
Featured musicians: Peter White (acoustic guitar), Vincent Ingala (tenor sax)
12. Wish I Was There (Vincent Ingala)
Originally heard on: “Can’t Stop Now,” 2012
Featured musicians: Vincent Ingala (electric guitar)
13. Coast to Coast (Vincent Ingala)
Originally heard on: “Coast to Coast,” 2015 (released five days later [tomorrow])
Featured musicians: Vincent Ingala (tenor sax), Rohn Lawrence (electric guitar)
14. Suede (Marion Meadows)
Originally heard on: “Player’s Club,” 2004
Featured musicians: Marion Meadows (soprano sax), Rohn Lawrence (electric guitar)
Unlike previous performances, Marion did not start in the audience and work his way to the stage.
15. Treasures (Marion Meadows)
Originally heard on: “In Deep,” 2002
Featured musicians: Marion Meadows (soprano sax), Rohn Lawrence (electric guitar)
16 (Finale). I’ll Be Around (The Spinners cover)
Featured musicians: Everyone
Now for various pictures of each musician.
First, Jay Rowe:
Dave Anderson:
Trever Somerville:
Steve Scales:
Rohn Lawrence:
Making his SJFS debut, Jay Dobbins:
Vincent Ingala:
Tenor sax:
Soprano sax:
Electric guitar:
Marion Meadows:
Peter White:
On to wide shots, starting with “Pleasure Island”:
“Kimi Trick”:
“Real Time”:
“Humanity”:
“Caravan of Dreams”:
“Bright”:
“In Rainbows”:
“Here We Go”:
“Coast to Coast”:
The finale – “I’ll Be Around”:
The last note:
With the night complete, Jay gave thanks:
Afterward, I packed up my equipment and headed for the meet and greet in the lobby.
The musician I met and greeted was Peter White:
It had been five years since I last saw him in person, aboard the Guitars and Saxes Smooth Cruise in 2010.
After speaking with Peter, I moved on to Marion Meadows, Rohn Lawrence, and Vincent Ingala.
Here I am with Vincent:
Rohn and Jay Dobbins:
While waiting in line, Jay Rowe asked if anyone had a Sharpie he could use for autographing. I gave him the one in my backpack and let him keep it. I can always get more.
I said my goodbyes and headed to the nearby Hampton Inn for the night. I left for LIU Post in the morning.
Brian Simpson concert recap 3 (7PM show) February 17, 2015
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, Personal, Photography, Travel, Weather.add a comment
Previous Brian Simpson recaps: April 2011, September 2012
I was at Houndstooth Pub on Valentine’s Day to see keyboardist Brian Simpson perform. As with Lisa Hilton last month, this was the third time I had seen Brian live. Also like Lisa’s show, Brian debuted material from an upcoming album. Out of a Dream was released today.
There always seems to be an active weather pattern when I go to see Brian Simpson. The first time, there was a nor’easter. The second time, a severe thunderstorm threatened Manhattan, but weakened considerably by the time it crossed the Hudson River. This time, a clipper brought light snow to the area, but it was forecast to reform and intensify offshore at night, dumping heavier snow and strong gusty winds in the process.
I took this shot before I left with my girlfriend for the Wantagh LIRR station:
I considered it a before picture, expecting to take an after picture when we got home that would show a few inches on the ground with more to come overnight. Luckily, the forecast models changed dramatically while my girlfriend and I were out. The worst of the snow stayed to the south. The same coating you see above awaited us when we got back to Wantagh. An additional coating fell overnight.
Unfortunately, the wind forecast didn’t change. Gusts over 50 miles per hour began after 2AM and continued for about 12 more hours. From there, gusts were as high as 45 mph and occurred less and less until they were gone altogether by Monday afternoon.
But enough about the weather.
There were two shows that night: 7:00 and 9:15. My girlfriend and I got tickets to the 7:00.
Brian Simpson played keyboard:
Dave Anderson was on bass:
Les Cleveland on drums:
…and on seven songs in the set, Art Sherrod Jr. on saxophone:
The engineer was Neal Newman:
As I noted at the top, the show featured songs from Brian’s latest album, Out of a Dream. Here’s the full set list:
1. South Beach* – keyboard/keytar
2. It Could Happen* – keytar/keyboard
3. Just One Wish^
4. When I Say Your Name*^
5. Blues in G*
6. Sky Watcher^ – keytar
7. Can’t Tell You Why
8. Let’s Get Close – keytar
9. Just What You Need – keytar
10. Juicy* – keytar/keyboard
11. Saturday Cool*
12 (Encore). It’s All Good*
* Art Sherrod Jr., sax
^ From Out of a Dream
Now, for a series of pictures of Brian on keytar. First, pictures from “Let’s Get Close”:
One of the audience members he got close to – in the musical sense – was my girlfriend:
She’s been a fan of Brian for a long time. In fact, she first learned of me through my website after I posted my Mike Chimeri Show interview with him nine years ago. (That interview and more can be found here.) It would be another four years before she finally got in touch with me on Facebook.
For “Saturday Cool,” he went beyond the stage and into the audience, passing by Ron and Nydia along the way:
Back on stage, here are pictures from Dave Anderson and Les Cleveland’s “Saturday Cool” solos. Dave first:
Les Cleveland:
Wide shots:
“Saturday Cool”:
The encore: “It’s All Good”:
The last note:
Art Sherrod Jr.: “Once again, Mr. Brian Simpson, everyone”:
Brian greeted us when we arrived beforehand and we spoke to him again afterward. Then, we posed for a pic:
The red Sharpie in his hand isn’t what he signed my copy of Out of a Dream with. He went with a black one instead.
I’ve used this term before, but the set was wild! I can only imagine what it was like for the later crowd. Thanks to Brian, Dave, Les, and Art.
Dharma All Stars recap 8 January 19, 2015
Posted by Mike C. in Interviews, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Radio, Travel, Weather.add a comment
Previous Dharma All Stars recaps: July 2008, September 2008, June 2009, July 2009, April 2010, August 2010, September 2011
For me, last week began with Lisa Hilton at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. The week ended closer to home – at Suite 1828 in Merrick – for another favorite of mine: John Favicchia‘s Dharma All Stars.
2011 marked the first time I saw Lisa Hilton, but it was the last time until last Friday that I had seen Dharma All Stars. I first saw them live a decade ago in Rockville Centre. I interviewed guitarist Chieli Minucci for my WCWP radio show – all interviews can be found here – and after we finished recording, he invited me to Dharma’s show, which was two weeks later, where he would be on guitar. I’m so glad I did. The People I’ve Met page includes pictures from some of the Dharma gigs I attended between July 2005 and March 2007. (Yes, I was much heavier back then.)
On Friday night, Dharma All Stars was led by John Favicchia on drums:
Steve Briody (“BRY-dee”) on guitar:
Brad Mason on trumpet…:
…and flugelhorn:
Coincidentally, Brad was at the first Dharma gig I attended.
Misha Tsiganov on keyboard:
…and Nick Lazarev on bass:
My interviews with John and Steve can also be found at the interviews page I linked to earlier.
The set list featured all my favorites:
1. Horizons
2. Coincidence
3. Sing a Song of Song (Kenny Garrett cover)
4. Black (Cedar Walton cover)
5. April Fools
6. Kukuc
John’s “Kukuc” solo:
When “Kukuc” ended, the crowd at the Suite stood up and cheered. Another spectacular show was in the books.
Afterward, my girlfriend took this picture of the Dharma All Stars along with Jeff Krasner and me:
Dharma will be back at Suite 1828 on Friday, March 13.
Lisa Hilton at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall again January 13, 2015
Posted by Mike C. in Football, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Sports, Travel, Weather.add a comment
Previous Lisa Hilton recaps: June 2011, January 2014
Later recaps: January 2016, January 2018, January 2019
I was back at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall on Sunday to see jazz pianist Lisa Hilton in concert. As you can tell by the previous recaps above, this was the third time I saw her live.
Four weeks ago yesterday, a postcard from Lisa arrived in the mail. Four upcoming shows were on that postcard and the Carnegie show was at the top. I immediately went to the Carnegie Hall website to purchase a ticket. I ended up buying one in front row center. As it turns out, there was only one other person in the front row at the show.
I got a ride to the Wantagh LIRR station at around noon. After getting a round trip off peak ticket to Penn Station, I waited on the platform for the 12:19 westbound train. I sat in the westernmost railcar and had a quiet ride. Once at Penn Station, I took the E train to 7th Avenue and West 53rd Street, walking to Carnegie from there.
I arrived at about 1:30.
Last year’s show was on a Thursday at 8PM. This year’s show was at 2PM on Sunday. The trip to Penn and the show itself allowed me to sequester myself from knowing what was going on in the Packers-Cowboys NFC Divisional Playoff Game. I’m not a fan of the Cowboys and was aggravated that they came back to win their Wild Card game against the Lions. Luckily, I learned back at Penn around 4:00 that the Packers won.
Weill Recital Hall is small and intimate, so much so that a sound system wasn’t even in place. The hall’s acoustics were the sound system.
It turns out you can take pictures before a performance, so I did just that:
I would have taken more, but my camera’s shutter was really loud in the hall.
1/17 UPDATE: Kudos to professional photographer Enid Farber on her wonderful shots during the show.
2/5 UPDATE: Enid has allowed me to post two of her pictures:
Thank you very much.
At 2:00 on the dot, the show began. Lisa Hilton played piano, Ben Street was on bass, and Rudy Royston on drums. They were joined two songs in by J.D. Allen on tenor saxophone and Ingrid Jensen on trumpet. I had seen Lisa, Ben, and J.D. before, but not Rudy and Ingrid. They were a superb quintet.
Lisa has a new album coming out on March 7 called Horizons. This was the first time tunes from the album were played live. Here’s what the set looked like (quintet except where noted):
1. Vapors and Shadows (Lisa, Ben, Rudy)
2. Sunset and the Mocking Bird (Lisa, Ben, Rudy)
3. Nocturnal
4. The Sky and the Ocean
5. Lazy Moon
6. Moon River
7. When It Rains (Lisa, Ben, Rudy)
8. Currents (Lisa, Ben, Rudy)
9. Seduction^ (Lisa only)
10. Dolphins
11. Surfer Blues
12. So This is Love^
13. Slow Down^
14. Waterfall^ (encore) (Lisa only)
^”Seduction” is originally from Seduction (1997), and redone on Cocktails at Eight (2000), My Favorite Things (2005) and The New York Sessions (2007). “So This is Love” is originally from My Favorite Things and played again on Sunny Day Theory (2008) and Nuance (2010). “When It Rains” originated on American Impressions (2012). “Slow Down” is from Getaway (2013). “Waterfall” is also from Seduction and Cocktails at Eight.
Lisa previously covered “Moon River” on Cocktails at Eight, Midnight in Manhattan (2006), and Twilight & Blues (2009).
The set lasted about an hour and a half. Each song was an instrumental landscape and each musician had a brush. Of the material from Horizons, my favorites were:
“Vapors and Shadows” – I was enamored by the fast tempo and staccato notes. They were like Morse code.
“Nocturnal” – This had a danceable melody and rhythm.
“Dolphins” – This was a relaxing composition, evoking images of dolphins frolicking offshore.
Of the material not on the album, I’ve always liked “Seduction” and “So This is Love,” so it was great to hear them. I had a “so, this is love” epiphany myself a few years ago.
I caught up with Lisa afterward in the lobby and she insisted we take a picture. I was more than happy to oblige:
I also bought a CD copy of Horizons in the lobby. I told Lisa I was hoping to hear her cover of “Gold on the Ceiling” during the show. Of course, I didn’t know it was a cover because I know very little about modern pop music. When I heard the 30-second preview of the song on Amazon prior to Sunday, I liked its energy, as I did with “Vapors and Shadows.” It reminded me of Horace Silver. And the title had me thinking of old prospectors chopping gold off a ceiling with their pickaxes. While sharing that visualization with Lisa, she told me the song was originally by the Black Keys. A check of the liner notes when I got home later confirmed that. So, this goes on record as another instrumental cover of a pop song that I prefer over the original. In this case, I don’t plan on listening to the original “Gold on the Ceiling” anytime soon. As for my visualization, Lisa interpreted the song title as gold representing a sunset and the ceiling representing the sky. I told her I liked that – a sunset in the sky.
Going back to Penn Station, I had planned on taking the Q train back to Herald Square and walking to Penn from there. Instead, I walked down 7th Avenue, through Times Square, and took the 1 train from 42nd Street Station to Penn. While in Times Square, I took this picture:
Like last year, the ball is frozen in time after dropping on New Year’s Eve.
Lisa Hilton at Carnegie Hall is becoming an annual tradition for me. I’m already looking forward to next time. Thank you, Lisa, Ben, Rudy, J.D., and Ingrid.
My experience at Day 1 of 2014 New York Comic Con October 10, 2014
Posted by Mike C. in Animation, Art, Books, Comedy, Internet, Interviews, Media, Personal, Photography, Radio, Technology, Travel, TV, Video, Video Games, Weather.add a comment
Other New York Comic Con recap: 2012 Day 2, 2017 Day 1, 2018 Day 1, 2019 Day 1, 2021 Day 1
Yesterday marked my second trip to New York Comic Con, held annually at the Javits Center in the Midtown West portion of Manhattan. This time, I went with my girlfriend. We met each other at Penn Station, going our own ways to get there. I came from Wantagh, she came from Wallingford, Connecticut.
My way to her began at around 12:15 when I walked two blocks to a bus stop for the southbound NICE (Nassau Inter-County Express) n73. The bus arrived at 12:28, two minutes ahead of schedule. That ensured I would arrive at the Wantagh LIRR (Long Island Rail Road) station in time to board a 12:32 train, an earlier train than I had planned for. If I hadn’t bought my round trip ticket the day before, I’d have to wait for the 12:57. 50 minutes later, I was at Penn Station. I met up with my girlfriend and we began the half-hour walk to the Javits Center.
We entered at West 38th Street, tapping our badges before going inside. Conventioneers were greeted by giant inflated Teen Titans – and, by extension, Teen Titans Go! – characters.
Beast Boy and Starfire:
Cyborg and Robin:
Time to head inside…
My first plan was to meet voice actor Billy West, whom I interviewed back in 2005 at WCWP. Since autographing was involved, and not knowing offhand where Booth 1280 was, despite going to NYCC two years ago, I headed downstairs.
A fellow conventioneer informed me that Booth 1280 was on the show floor. So, my girlfriend and I headed there.
On the floor…
We searched the aisle numbers and headed for the 1200s. It was there that we found Billy West.
Billy and I had a brief conversation, he signed my copy of Futurama, Volume 7 – which has Zoidberg on the cover – and my girlfriend took our picture:
He signed the cover this way:
To Mike!
…Zoidberg could eat…
Billy West
It was the highlight of my afternoon. But there was more to do. My girlfriend and I walked the floor back to a downward escalator.
Along the way, this is what we saw:
We finally reached a downward escalator:
There were a few panels I was interested in attending, but the one we settled on was here in Room 1A21:
It was for the latest (and upcoming) Transformers TV series, Transformers: Robots in Disguise. The panel began at 4:00, but we got in line at 3:00.
The line was small when we arrived and we ended up near the front. It pays to show up early. After 50 minutes in line, the door was opened. We ended up sitting front row center. It was fantastic.
The panel was moderated by Mike Vogel, the Vice President of Development for Hasbro Studios:
From right to left on the dais, there was Jeff Kline, executive producer:
Adam Beecher, producer and writer:
And the voice talent:
Will Friedle (Bumblebee):
Khary Payton (Grimlock):
Constance Zimmer (Strongarm):
…and Mitchell Whitfield (Fixit):
Now that you know the stars, here are random panel wide shots:
Khary set up the clip about to be shown:
Q&A:
After 45 minutes, the panel came to an end:
Constance and Khary stuck around to sign autographs:
Transformers: Robots in Disguise premieres in early 2015 on Cartoon Network. I can’t wait. I’m so glad I chose this panel.
After a few fun hours at New York Comic Con, my girlfriend and I called it a day:
We didn’t go right home, though. We walked down 11th Avenue to West 35th Street, taking that to 8th. We stopped in Trattoria Bianca for an early dinner. An hour later, we boarded an express LIRR train back to Wantagh, which also took an hour.
As I did for my 2012 Day 2 recap, I’ll leave you with a picture of the ticket holder I wore and the badge it carried:
10/11 UPDATE: There is an in-depth recap of the Transformers: Robots in Disguise panel at Newsarama.
And unbeknownst to me, because I didn’t look at the NYCC schedule beyond Thursday, there was a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles panel yesterday. Bam! Smack! Pow! has a recap of that, while IGN’s Scott Collura interviewed Rob Paulsen (Donatello), Greg Cipes (Michelangelo), and executive producers Ciro Nieli and Brandon Auman.
If tickets for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday hadn’t sold out so fast, I would have gone either of those days. But I’m glad I went when I did. As I noted in the original recap, I got to meet Billy West in person and to whet my appetite for Transformers: Robots in Disguise, sitting front row center for their panel in the process.
Tunnel to Towers 5K Run & Walk September 29, 2014
Posted by Mike C. in Fire, Health, Internet, Military, News, Personal, Phone, Photography, Police, Travel, TV.add a comment
I was in New York City yesterday for the annual Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers 5K Run and Walk. I signed up back in May after my dad recommended it to me. He was impressed by all the running I had done, and at such a fast pace. The fast pace back then occurred on the treadmill, but that has extended to the outdoors since I signed up. September alone was a landmark month for me, as I routinely ran 3.6 miles in about 38 minutes. Conditioning like that prepared me for yesterday.
The day began dark and early at 4:30 AM when my alarm clock woke me up. I tried to go to sleep early and get a decent amount of hours in, but I was only able to get about three hours of sleep. I spent about an hour getting ready and was out the door with my dad at 5:30.
We traveled to Point Lookout with eleven others from Dad’s firehouse, Freeport Excelsior Hook and Ladder Co. 1. There, we joined a bigger team from Point Lookout Lido Fire Department’s 2nd Battalion.
I didn’t bring my Nikon D5100, settling on my iPhone 5 for all pictures seen in this recap.
Three buses took us to Red Hook, Brooklyn. Our Freeport team boarded first of those three.
We arrived in Red Hook shortly before 9:00.
20 minutes later, we began the long stop-and-go walk to the starting line.
Along the way, we passed Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Roman Catholic Church:
Their bell rang as we passed by.
Almost at the starting line:
And away we went!
I didn’t think I’d be able to run because of the amount of people participating. But once we crossed the starting line, I did run, though not for the entire 5K.
The Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel (aka Hugh L. Carey Tunnel):
As I ran and walked through the tunnel, music was pumped in through speakers and various runners yelled patriotic chants. It was surreal, but I enjoyed it.
The tunnel seemed to go on forever. While 1.73 miles is a mere two minutes by car, in light traffic, I was in there for 25 minutes on foot.
The light at the end of the tunnel:
When I was out, I was greeted by the sight of One World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan:
Freeport native Richie Muldowney was one of the 343 FDNY firefighters lost on 9/11:
A view of Jersey City across the Hudson River:
50 minutes after I started…
…I crossed the finish line:
My official time, listed here (search chimeri), was 0:50:36.
On my way back, there were two early buses and one late bus. The early buses were full, so I and most of the Freeport team had to wait for the late bus. While we waited, we had lunch at Greenwich Street Tavern in TriBeCa.
We were finished eating just in time to board the late bus back. It took nearly two hours to return to Point Lookout due to heavy traffic, and a half hour to return home to Wantagh.
The Tunnel to Towers 5K Run and Walk was an amazing and awesome (in the literal sense) experience. If you haven’t signed up for it before, I recommend you try it at least once.
9/30 UPDATE: The full text results can be seen here.
Planting Fields Arboretum pictures July 3, 2014
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, Personal, Photography, Travel.2 comments
I didn’t say anything about it here, but last August, a few days before the Spyro Gyra Smooth Cruise, my girlfriend and I went up to Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park in Oyster Bay. It was the first time either of us had been to the park in over a decade, years before we met. We only went there for concerts, not touring the sights. This time, we went solely to look around.
Here are select pictures from our sightseeing:
I hope this has inspired you to visit Planting Fields Arboretum. As long as the weather is dry when you go, you won’t be disappointed.
The Jeff Lorber Fusion at Blue Note June 14, 2014
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, Personal, Photography, Travel, Weather.add a comment
Monday evening marked my first trip to the famous Blue Note Jazz Club in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan.
Blue Note is not far from Zinc Bar, which I was at in June 2011 for Lisa Hilton.
The band I saw at Blue Note on Monday was the Jeff Lorber Fusion, who were originally scheduled to appear on April 7. It’s a good thing the show was moved because I would have had to deal with moderate to heavy rain on the original night. The sky was equally overcast on this rescheduled night, but it didn’t rain, at least not while I was outside.
My girlfriend and I arrived nearly two hours before showtime, 15 minutes after doors opened. Our early arrival paid off as we were seated at a table right next to center stage! It was great.
The Jeff Lorber Fusion was made up of Jeff on keyboard:
…and piano (seen here playing both):
Eric Marienthal on soprano sax:
…and alto sax:
Jimmy Haslip on bass:
…and Lionel Cordew on drums:
There were two shows that night: 8PM and 10:30 PM. Kelly and I chose the early show. The set list was as follows:
8PM SET LIST
1. Chinese Medicinal Herbs
Originally heard on: “The Jeff Lorber Fusion,” 1977; “Now is the Time,” 2010
2. Hacienda
Originally heard on: “Hacienda,” 2013
3. He Had a Hat
Originally heard on: “He Had a Hat,” 2007
4. Singaraja
Originally heard on: “Galaxy,” 2012
5. Montserrat
Originally heard on: “Galaxy,” 2012
6. Horace
Originally heard on: “Galaxy,” 2012
7. Rain Dance
Originally heard on: “Water Sign,” 1979; “Now is the Time,” 2010
8. King Kong (Frank Zappa cover)
Originally heard on: “Hacienda,” 2013
9. Surreptitious
Originally heard on: “He Had a Hat,” 2007
NOTE: Eric Marienthal played soprano sax on #1, 4, and 7, but alto otherwise.
With flash photography disallowed, and fearing that my camera’s AF-Assist light would be mistaken for a flash, I didn’t take that many pictures. But it was an exhilarating show with wild solos by each member of the band. This was my first Jeff Lorber concert, and I doubt it will be my last. Thank you to Jeff, Eric, Jimmy, and Lionel.
I’ll leave you with pictures from two solos.
First, Lionel Cordew’s “Chinese Medicinal Herbs” solo:
And Jimmy Haslip’s “Hacienda” solo:
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