stompin' the blues with block and das

This photo was taken last Friday from the Lucas balcony.
The professionals were doing a bit of last-minute practice -
and I was doing a bit of pre-show hip-swinging, of course!
After the rehearsal of "Trouble", the bass player said, "Good dancing!"
How sweet of him to notice!
Now, was he Rodney Jordan or Rodney Whitaker???

All I knew for certain was this: the Swing Central Jazz Finale: Stomping The Blues was going to be one fabulous show!
First up were the three high school bands which had won finalist slots. Those kids are all so very talented! I look forward hearing good things from those students, and about them, in the years ahead! Thanks for being the future of jazz, y'all!
In the second half, the pros had their turn to entertain the students. Besides the two bassists, the rotating band mates included Marcus Roberts, Wycliffe Gordon, Terell Stafford, Jason Marsalis, and about ten more famous musicians. And, oh, the music they played! Favorites penned by W.C. Handy, Jelly Roll Morton, Fats Waller, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Miles Davis, John Coltrane - wow!
Four hours of my time that I would gladly give again!
(smile)
Why had I not written of it before now?
Um... well... er... yeah, let's just say I've been busy.
I've been occupied with birthday parties, for one thing. The first was in Bluffton, to honor my Daddy. The second was in Richmond Hill for my littlest great-niece!
Those were fun! Taking care of the three boarders shedding cat fur in my Ocean Room was not. Tomorrow, they will be departing. Hallelujah!
I've also been wrapped up with the online defensive driving course I'm taking. GEICO has raised the cost of my insurance by about sixty dollars every time the renewal date comes along. Since the policy gets renewed every six months, that's an increase of ten dollars per month for the last three renewals. In other words, the cost has increased by $150 over the last eighteen months. GEICO regards me as a valued long-time customer and has awarded me the status of "lifetime renewal guaranteed"... but, still hits me with these increases. The "six-hour" online course will grant me a $31.10 discount, per renewal period, for the next three years.
Hey, I am grateful for whatever break I can get right now.
Little breaks like that and big breaks from being an SMF volunteer!
(smile!)
I already talked about the noon30 show today,
so let's look at the evening's entertainment!

That was a double-header at the Charles Morris Center. (Hooray for free parking there!)
The music was absolutely incredible, a amazing mixture of piano and sitar, Western and Indian, modern and classical!
Mike Block and Sandeep Das listen to each other as they play and the result is magical.
My favorite combined an Indian tune with Hank Williams "Where The Soul Never Dies".
Please, take a listen below.



The second half of the show was by a last-minute replacement. The fiddler in the originally scheduled band slipped on ice and broke his arm - ouch! Sam Reider And The Human Hands came to the rescue of the music festival! Now, what would these jazzy, bluegrass boys from Brooklyn play? How about their new album, "Too Hot To Sleep" in its entirety? Perfect!
I loved the title track, but I loved the story that went along with it, too. The radiator went berserk and turned Sam's apartment into a tropical zone - pure serendipity!
That's not to be confused with pure antimatter, as was present in Tim O'Brien's "The Rocky Horror Show". Tim was too poor to go out and about one winter, so he sat down and wrote that musical instead. Then, he got to play Riff Raff, not just in the play but in the movie version as well. I can just imagine how much fun he must have had, working alongside Tim Curry and my man, Meat Loaf - what a dream that would have been!
Now, pardon me, but tomorrow is another busy day...
sweet dreams, y'all!