a familiar face from SMF26 in 2015

I don't usually research the groups or musicians before my volunteer gigs.

I'd rather form my own opinions by experiencing their music for myself, right?

All I knew going in to the event at the Trustees Theatre was the concert was titled "Island Prayers", so I expected something along the lines of gospel.

That was not correct.

When I saw the name "Turtle Island Quartet", I assumed that these were local fellows who had named themselves for the nearby hammock of land.

As it turned out, they didn't realize that Georgia had a real Turtle Island.

Honestly, I probably wouldn't have known about that place either if not for the Muralcle on Habersham project that I supported on kickstarter years ago.

So, I was incorrect on that score, as well.

However, I'm glad I was there, for what turned out to be upscale bluegrass.

I'm glad that when I saw the volunteer slot open up a few days earlier, that I'd grabbed it.

It had been one of the events I wanted to usher from the beginning of this year's Savannah Music Festival, albeit based on faulty reasoning.

However, the concert had been reserved for the Student Ambassador volunteers.

Fortunately, some of them had to cancel, so... good luck for me!

This was my only bluegrass event this year, and I do like that music, thanks to Pete Derby, one of guys at Okinawa with me.

(smile!)

So, why were they named "Turtle Island"?

It all had to do with a creation myth that David Balakrishnan had taken a fancy to, naming his quartet in 1985 for that life-giving sea creature.

He's a violinist, as well as the only constant in this quartet, by the way.

The others are all fairly new, having joined in 2012 (Benjamin von Gutzeit, on viola), 2018 (Gabe Terracciano, violin), and 2021 (Naseem Alatrash, cello).

 

But, wait a minute... 

what's that middle name?

Gabe Terracciano... sounds familiar.

That's him, violin bow raised.

My goodness, he even looked familiar!

And didn't David just say something about Gabe having been here as part of a workshop, once upon a time?

So I promised myself I'd look him up on my blogsites, on the off chance that I'd written of him...

and I had!

The year was 2015, my first year as an SMF volunteer, and Gabe had been one of the 14 students in the Acoustic Music Seminar headed by bluegrass mandolin guy, Mike Marshall.

The students were all part of the Stringband Spectacular, showing off their original compositions and having one last chance to play with their classmates.

Gabe had been 22 then, and just 25 when he joined the Turtle island Quartet.

How wonderful to have that link with him on my tenth year as volunteer!

Now, I've found a video of him playing a Steely Dan song I love, "Home At Last"...

and he's singing it, too!

I'm going to listen to that again!

(smile!)

you're a girl for one man only

That song was written by harpist Dorothy Ashby for a play she and her husband authored and staged in 1967.

Dorothy was 35 years old then.

Today, I listened raptly as Brandee Younger played the song on Harold, a borrowed harp, at the Metal Building at Trustees Garden.

Brandee was born in 1983, like my first niece, and will be 41 in July.

I liked her sense of style and femininity, as marked by that flowery dress and silver ankle boots.

However, that stylishness made it feel odd that Brandee believed that she had to apologize for the song's title as something "from another time when sensibilities were different."

Why did she think that apology was needed?

The Younger harpist - get the pun? - then proceeded to play several songs composed by Ashby, as well as a tune from Stevie Wonder, called "If It's Magic", on which Ashby was the harp player (as well as sole instrumentalist besides Wonder!).

Very nice!

Brandee Younger also played several songs written by Alice Coltrane, the harpist married to jazz legend John Coltrane for the last two years of his life.

Alice Coltrane was a contemporary of Mama's, born in 1937 just a few months before her, but wrote much of her music in her 20's and 30's.

How's that for coincidences?

Links to two of my people, in one place.

Right place, right time.

i thank You, God.

My favorite of this jazz-scented SMF noon30, though, was an original piece by Younger.

She composed it in two parts, one for just the harp, the other for harp, bass, and drums.

Nothing against Rashaan Carter or Allan Maynard, but "Unrest I', with just the flowing, urgent, pandemic-inspired notes from the harp, was sensational.

I was even swaying along with it...

not quite dancing, but in motion.

Yes, I think I'll take a listen to it again now.

and then there were five...

At first, the Lucas Theatre stage held only two bluesmen.

This concert of SMF35 was titled "Muddy And Wolf Revisited: A Tribute To Muddy Waters And Howlin' Wolf" and was one I'd wanted from before the very first day.

Fortunately, someone who'd snagged one of the volunteer positions had bailed, so I had snapped up the gig!

Never lose faith!

The North Mississippi Allstars were the two starters.

That's Luther Dickinson on the guitar and doing most of the singing.

His brother, Cody, is the man on the drums, keeping that bluesy beat bangin'.

Take a listen here, as they jam away on Rollin' and Tumblin', a Muddy Waters tune.

They were up there solo for awhile, getting the crowd moving.

 

Then two more blues players came up, off to either side of the two brothers.

Over on the left is Joey Williams, the bassist for the Blind Boys of Alabama.

I always credit them with introducing me to "Amazing Grace" sung to the music of "The House Of The Rising Sun", back at a past Savannah Music Festival - oh, yeah!

[Here's a more recent video of that, with Joey on the bass and singing, too.]

On the right is Danielle Nicole, also on bass, and singing with that rasp in the voice that all good blues singers possess.

She put it to fine use on "Spoonful", a song made famous by Howlin' Wolf.

Then she belted out "I'd Rather Go Blind", which can be heard here.

 

So, we had two, then added two more... time for the fifth!

Once Bobby Rush took the stage, he was all over it!!!

It was immediately obvious why the others had their time first, because all eyes were on the 90-year-old blues veteran as he grabbed the spotlight and held it tight!

Not that he was greedy about it, as he kept interacting with the younger ones on stage.

It's just that he was constantly, constantly, constantly in motion!

He didn't stay up on the stage, either - oh, no!

Like Renee Fleming had done, he called for the houselights to come up so he could see us.

Unlike her, he then came down into the house, joking around with the folks up in the Gold Circle seats, then heading up the aisle with his harmonica for a closer look at the crowd.

And the crowd went wild!!! Wow!!! 

Kermit the Frog would have been beside himself with glee, as I was!

Surprisingly, I did have the presence of mind take advantage of a rare opportunity.

I managed to snap a couple of shots of the photographer - outlined against that decorative wall - trying to catch frames of the nonagenarian - standing up left of center stage - as he literally bounced from fan to fan, like a large, graceful, dark butterfly trying to grace as many flowers as possible.

Recognize that man behind that long lens of the camera?

That's none other than Frank Stewart, the fellow with the exhibit at the Jepson!

He really hadn't recognized me at the museum, but he's made sure to talk to me at every one of these concerts that he's worked!

(smile!)

And Bobby Rush?

The man played almost thirty minutes longer than scheduled!

He especially had fun with his Grammy winner, "Porcupine Meat", even getting the crowd involved with the refrain!

My many thanks to whoever it was that gave up their slot so I could be here!

(smile!)

owen wilson's theme song

When Stephane Wrembel said on Friday that he had a song in the 2011 movie "Midnight In Paris", and that the soundtrack had won a Grammy, I thought, "Very cool!"

What he should have said was that his song, "Bistro Fada", was used every time that 'Gil Pender' was out strolling solo on the Paris streets.

Every single time!

 

The first time "Bistro Fada" is heard, Gil is taking a walk in the night air after a somewhat stressful dinner with his fiancee and others.

She had advised him not to do so, saying he would "get lost" on the winding streets.

He went anyway, as the jazz two-step played, and ended up in the company of Cole Porter and the Fitzgeralds...

transported back to them alive and well in the  1920's when he caught a ride in a Peugeot.

He excitedly told his disbelieving fiancee about his experience and insisted she come with him the very next evening.

But no "Bistro Fada" music, and no magical transportal back in time occurred, so she left.

He stayed, as he'd even brought his manuscript as Gertrude Pound had promised to read it.

And as he paces and the music begins, the clock struck midnight... and the car came!

After that, he was doing the Patsy Cline bit, but walking just before midnight, not after.

Partly it was because of Hemingway and Picasso and all the other writers and artists in Paris in 1920 that he had adored for so much of his "born at the wrong time" life.

 

Mostly, though, he went back in time to see Adriana.

She, however, was not fond of her life in 1920, as she was enamored of La Belle Époque, so he shows her the trick place to transport.

And they go, but her choice is to stay in that time period... and he realizes, during "Bistro Fada" on a night stroll, that current-day Paris is where he wants to stay.

Choices and perspectives -

what a wonderful movie!

Thanks, Comcast, for this "$1 movie night" reward!

Thanks, also, to Stephane Wrembel, now half a century old and gladly sharing his decades of music, and stories, at the noon30 concert on Friday with his Quartet!

This photo is one I snapped off a fundraiser on youTube, as my phone stayed home instead of going to the Metal Building with me.

Stefane is the one in the front left.

Ari Folman-Cohen is the guy wailing on the bass behind him, and Nick Anderson has charge of the drums.

The three of them saw me dancing to quite a few of their tunes - including "Ecce Homo", "Lascaux", "Train de Enfar/ Carbon 14"- throughout their 75-minute set.

(The other guitarist, Josh Kaye, had his view of me blocked by a pillar.)

However, the song I most enjoyed dancing to, up on the stair platform, absolutely was that lively, jazzy, two-stepping waltz called "Bistro Fada".

I even danced to it every time it came up in the movie, as I watched it again this morning.

Yes, most definitely!

(smile!)

the bonelord brought NOLA to Savannah!

That's him, in the yellow jersey and cheap sunglasses, waving to the crowd!

The bandleader of Dumpstaphunk had just pointed him out as the reason they were, at long last, here in his home town.

Magnificent!

This concert, by the way, had been my first choice when time had come to select the concerts I wanted to be a volunteer usher for this year.

For real!

That's because I know this Savannah man: Alex Wasily!!!

I cannot count the number of times I heard him play with the Skyelite Jazz Band!!!

 

He's been the Bonelord - i.e., trombone man - for this New Orleans group since 2016.

Here he is in action, playing notes only dogs can hear as he moves the slide out as far as it'll go!

Woohoo!!!

I wended my way up to the stage for that shot!

Also, I went up there to greet Lindsay Norman, the oh-so-proud mama of that jazz wailing man!

She isn't in this photo, but her hubby, Rob, is.

That's him to the right in the pale blue ballcap.

I know it looked like the crowd was a little thin, but that's just because I was up front in the dancing zone.

Bear in mind that this was the 5:30 PM show at the North Garden of the Ships of the Sea Museum.

Lots of folks were there to celebrate the homeboy's return, and even more will come for the later show.

Here, they were about to play "Sexy Ida", which was a hilarious romp!

They ended their set with "Where Do We Go From Here?", from their new album by the same name.

Great silhouette in the video of the bonelord workin' his magic!

They certainly do have a jammin' funky groove thing!!!

I was tempted to stay for the second show...

but the temperature was already headed for the 50's.

Plus, I didn't know if they'd be opening or 

closing in that later SMF concert.

They had been the second act for this concert, with another NOLA group, Cha Wa, as the opener.

I was told these Mardi Gras Indians don't usually travel, so kudos to the Savannah Music Festival for getting them here!

See those headdresses and costumes?

The singer said his weighs 250 pounds - and he's 60 years old and weighs less than that.

Such a workout he gets up on stage!!!

Their music was most def Crescent City-tinged, from the first notes of "My People", through the toe-tappin' "Second Line Girl" and all the way through to their last notes in "Rise Up" an hour later!

As their name proclaims, "Here we come!"

Who knows?

Maybe I'll go see them in Beaufort next month!

I wonder if they need volunteers?

(smile!)

as reo speedwagon once said...

... "you can tune a piano, but you can't tuna fish".

Hahahaha!

Just a little pun that came to me while watching this guy at work.

My sixth stint as a volunteer usher for SMF, on this 8th day of the festival, was again for a noon30 concert at the Metal Building at Trustees Garden.

I truly do enjoy these first gigs of the day!

Such a lovely blue sky day it was, too!

However, all the rain yesterday had been followed by north winds.

That meant a definite dip in temperature, with today's high maybe hitting the mid-60's after struggling up from the mid-40's.

Even those who'd moved here for warmer climes were bundled in coats with the chill in the air.

Yes, this is my blue car, liberally sprinkled with yellow pollen powder and dead curls of oak fronds.

That's all from overnight, not from Wednesday's rain.

Amazing we can even breathe!

So, who were we listening to for our lunch of music?

Two young fellows, playing old jazz!

Both are under-30, and have known each other quite a while, which is why it seemed to me that they were having a secret conversation up on that stage, talking in a language of their own that only such good friends would know.

Very nice to think of it that way!

That's Isaiah J. Thompson on the keyboards and Julian Lee on tenor saxophone.

They led off with "Lonesome Boulevard", from Gerry Mulligan, and followed up with Charlie Mingus' "Peggy's Blue Skylight", which I very much liked!

Later, they had two from Thelonius Monk: "Lulu's Back In Town", which was a bouncy little ball of fun, and "Ask Me Now", which I could almost hear the words, had there been any.

Know what I mean?

(smile!)

music as therapy: hallelujah!!!

I have been saying for years that I use music as mental and emotional therapy.

In fact, when Christina and I were talking at our luncheon earlier, I brought up that very topic!

I told her about the 'hate tape' I'd made while I was in Okinawa, a mixtape that I'd curated myself to help get me through a few rough days around a chauvinistic boss.

I still have the mix, though I had to record it onto a different cassette after the first one wore out or broke or whatever.

Some of the songs had to be changed, as they weren't available to me anymore.

The result was the same, though: listening to the tape could always take me from a state of anger and high stress back to my usual easy-going, positive self.

What a coincidence to have spoken of that today, n'est-ce pas?

Right place, right time.

I was very glad I'd volunteered to usher at this free event.

Yes, that's correct: this was one of two SMF events that were free to the public.

It was also one of several held at the Savannah Cultural Arts Center this year.

 

New venue, free event, and, oddly enough, no music at all.

"Music And Mind: Renée Fleming" served two purposes.

First, it introduced people to the singer's new book, "Music and Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness", set to go public later this month.

She even showed us an MRI of her brain that pointed out the areas used for speaking, for singing, and, most interesting to me, for imagining singing. 

That last activity engaged more parts of the brain than the other two did and that was fascinating.

Second, this was a public panel discussion about the arts and health.

The other three panelists each had a turn solo at the microphone, as Fleming had, before joining together for a Q&A session.

Jamey Espina, on the far left, is at Hospice Savannah, and he spoke of music being used for dementia patients, and their loved ones, to allow them to communicate.

The man next to him is Ustad Zakir Hussain, a classical tabla virtuoso who is playing in concert at the SMF tomorrow evening.

He told the story of his father speaking musical beats into his ear from infancy to early childhood, with that music helping his ailing father become stronger.

Both men truly were interesting to hear.

However, I was most fascinated with the words from Dr. Nilufer Ertekin-Taner, a neurogeneticist at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL. The focus of her work there is with patients of many types of dementia, including Alzheimer's Disease. But here's what I liked best: she spoke in plain language, not in medical jargon, much as I had done with my students, communicating with them in their language. That made all that she told us not only informative, but understandable, at least in a general sense.

The entire session was very positive, very hopeful, very enlightening.

Wow.

Her book is to include stories from other professionals and, if this event was anything at all like what she has compiled, then I may have to seek out the book.

That's pretty high praise from me.

For any other tome, I would just wait for the movie.

(smile!)

Pedro estava na casa do Teatro Lucas!

This time, he and I talked!

Yes, I speak of Pedro Segundo!

Yes, he had seen me dancing and was very pleased!

Yes, he appreciated me calling him a percussionist and admiring all his non-traditional music makers!

Yes, he even gave me a hug!!!

Yes, I was thrilled!

Yes, this is a definite perk of being a volunteer!

(smile!) 

I was at the Lucas for the first of two SMF events that featured Renée Fleming, world-renowned soprano opera singer, now 65 years old.

I had very much looked forward to this one, and not just because it's in my favorite venue.

Her concert was to have a film from the National Geographic running in the background while she sang verses from a wide range of songs - wow!

I had not realized that "Voice of Nature: The Anthropocene" was an album released by her in 2021, not curated especially for this concert.

The film clips must have been chosen to impress the images she wanted of humanity's effects on the world.

I much preferred the second half of her concert.

I caught about twenty minutes of her doing arias from various operatic roles, and those were quite nice.

However, I was called away to help in the lobby for a while, returning for the last two songs... and for the encore!

She had asked that the lights be brought up, then asked the audience to sing the chorus with her of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" - wow!

That was quite a moving experience.

Such a good way to pull everyone together!

Pedro também estava lá!

In fact, when I saw him running across the square, with his smiling face and flying mass of dark curls, I might even have gasped!

It was right at 6 PM, time for the front doors at Mickve Israel Synagogue to be closed and the concert to begin, and I had taken a peek outside for any latecomers...

and there he was, still dressed in the snazzy jacket and scarf from this morning!

I welcomed him and he flashed his Musician Badge and joined some folks on the front row.

Very nice!

That let me know that the Dubhe Ensemble was going to be a winning show...

and it was!

I had expected a classical concert for this SMF35 event, but, except for the Schubert number - that took up the entire second half - all music was composed in the last decade.

As in, the music was fresh.

No doubt that was due to the young age of this group led by Joseph Conyers, a 43-year-old who is perhaps the only vegan, body-building, weather-fascinated, double bass player in the world...

and he's from right here in Savannah, Georgia.

When he isn't traveling the world promoting diversity in music - check out his Project 440 - he's the principal double bass in the Philadelphia Orchestra, which he joined in 2010 at the age of 29.

If I sound a little starstruck, that's because I am.

He's also a delight when he speaks, and is very much concerned with being down to Earth.

Very nice!

So, why name the group "Dubhe", a word pronounced like "tuba", but actually the Arabic name of a star?

That star is in the Big Dipper, and points toward Polaris, the North Star, which is in the Little Dipper.

In other words, he wants to be like that pointing star, showing other minorities how to reach their musical goals and maximum potential.

Super nice!!

So, how was the concert?

Well, the first piece, composed in 2018 by Gabriella Smith, who also attended the Curtis Institute of Music, like Conyers, was named for the corals with 6-fold symmetry (she loves biology).

I didn't care for it; it resembled horror movie music.

The next bit, a solo by Conyers, was a hymn he grew up with, "He Looked Beyond My Faults", played to the tune of...

are you ready for this?...

the Irish song, "Danny Boy"!!!

Apparently like several other hymns!

How wondrous is that?!

I really enjoyed the story he told about it, too.

 

Then, to finish out the first half, the ensemble performed a brand-new piece from Stefan L. Smith that was commissioned by the Savannah Music Festival for this year!

I don't know that I've ever heard an original written specifically for this festival before!

"Quintet In The Key Of Blue" had three sections, which I thought of as "cacophony", "elegy", and "rejoice", with each section fitting those descriptors.

That made the new composition fit quite well with the opening number the qunitet played, as well as the hymn solo done by Conyers.

What an excellent program!

And, except for the "Danny Boy" tune, none of the music was anything I might have ever heard.

That's one of the key reasons why I volunteer: to hear music that is new to me.

Mission accomplished...

and in a venue being used for the first time by SMF!

Very nice!

Now, to catch some of "The Ten Commandments"...

it's that time of year again!

Pedro es segundo a nadia

"Isn't that Spanish? Shouldn't it read 'Pedro não fica atrás de ninguém', since he is Portuguese?"

I'd actually considered that, but then the pun would be lost. See, his name is Pedro Segundo, so I was riffing on that.

"Ah, yeah, I see what you mean."

I was actually going to title this post "Look at the kit on that drummer", but that wouldn't have been quite correct either, as he is clearly a percussionist.

"Plus, it sounded a bit naughty."

Yeah it does... hahaha! I very much enjoyed watching him play as I danced.

"Good for you! Another noon30 with you at the top of the stairs?"

Indeed it was! At the Metal Building, naturally. It's the go-to venue for these early shows, as the Charles Morris Center is not being used for SMF35. It's for weddings and such now.

"That's okay, this venue still has an intimate club feel to it."

True, even though it's much larger.

"So, who was performing on this sunny Saturday?"

Marta Pereira Da Costa, on the fado guitar. She's accompanied by Pedro, as well as Joao Jose Pita, Jr., on a 7-string guitar. The guy on the far right was a guest for a few songs. Named Duarte, he's a Portuguese Fado singer, which means he does things that sound akin to folk songs. All I can say for sure is this: they were not toe-tapping music.

"Guess that was not your favorite part, eh?"

You're right, right, bloody well right, as Supertramp would say. But the trio did have a lot of dance tunes, so I was happy about that. Plus, they did a variation on a favorite Gershwin tune: "Summertime"!!! They had practiced it before the show and I was sure to let them know I recognized it. Very nice!!!

 

"I'm so glad you enjoyed yourself!"

 

Me, too. There were just three of us volunteers that showed up today, out of the six registered. But Mandy and Therra said we did the work of six and were very happy with us! Oh, and Daniela came by again! Did I mention she was there briefly on Thursday? Well, she was and she recognized me right away! Hopefully she'll be the house manager at one of the shows where I'm a volunteer.

 

"Maybe even at this evening's performance? Speaking of, you need to get a move on."

 

Heard! Later!

the fiddler saw me dancing to her music!

Hooray, I am again a volunteer at the Savannah Music Festival!!!

This was the official first day of SMF35, and I was playing bouncer at the VIP Donor Lounge, along with Ed, at the Metal Building at Trustees Garden.

Once the noon30 began, though, inside we went!

I was perched at the top of the staircase and found myself dancing to the playful tunes of the Swedish trio... and then I noticed that she saw me!

That's her, Lena Jonsson, the woman in red in the center, the songwriter and fiddler and namesake of the group.

On the left of the stage is Kris and on the right, wearing a jaunty hat, is Ian.

She would engage them in conversation from time to time, but mostly she spoke to the audience, sharing stories about how some of the tunes came to be written.

"Plats 14" was one of my favorites!

It was written while on hold with her bank, when she started out as Caller 30, giving her time to make coffee and play a bit on her fiddle.

By the time she was Caller 20, she was writing a song inspired by the experience, completing the tune by the time she was... Caller 14.

Very amusing tale, and easy to relate to as well!

There was another one about first snow on a cold day, when the powdery stuff crunches underfoot and sparkles in the sunlight - I remember snow like that, from my trip to the ski lodge in Montreal, back in February of 1981... very nice imagery!

Then came "Antilopen", played for a group of elementary kids, with her making the mistake of letting the kids shout out when the antelope (her) and the lion (Kris) were after each other - that was absolutely hilarious!!!

What a wonderful way to begin the SMF!!!

thorn between two roses

As I told Dawn at our luncheon, I had carefully arranged events for today.

I had two events I knew I would enjoy, to bookend an event that would be stressful.

First was our time together at The King & I, a relaxing event that I totally enjoyed.

Note to self: that Chicken Satay is the best deal on the menu, so I'll be sure to order it from the appetizer section again, as it definitely makes two protein-rich meals!

The other joyful event, I told her, would be at the Lucas Theatre, a place I love.

The Savannah Music Festival is just a week away now.

Time for all the volunteers for the SMF to join together and say hello!

It will be so nice to see their smiling faces again!

Then, in between the two fun times was a meeting with lawyers.

I had booked the free meeting time with Michael Smith of Smith Barid after attending his webinar on February 22nd.

This date was one of the last ones allowed for the webinar participants.

I recently went through my Living Trust (from 2008) and realized there was no mention of the two people I most want to receive benefit when I'm gone.

So why was I dreading the meeting so much?

I knew it was going to cost me money.

Every time I've had anything changed with the Trust it's cost $500 and I'm feeling a bit stretched thin by all the house insurance thieves.

And was I right in what I told Dawn?

I was.

Updating my Living Trust is going to run $2500, and that's with them granting me a discount as a continuing customer.

At least it will be done right.

success, thanks to my little alcatel flip phone!

How proud I was of my little cell phone that everyone gives me static about!

Get this: the second concert tonight would not have been quite right, save for the photo I took earlier, before the first concert - 

this photo, right here - 

taken from my position today -

so, hooray for my photography penchant, too!

Yes, I worked a double shift today, for my last show as SMF usher.

Today had dawned cool and cloudy, with conditions worsening as the day went on.

Yep, pretty miserable for a Saturday, but even more so for all the venues hosting last performances of the 2023 Savannah Music Festival.

Never fear!

The Mighty Volunteers, as wrangler Therra calls us, were out in force, our red shirts a welcoming sight to those out for the final programs around downtown!

Me?

I was at the Charles Morris Center once more, but for two double bills: one as a matinee, the other in the prevening.

Most of the same crew was there from yesterday, too, including Tony Clarke, who, when he saw me, proclaimed that I "belonged to him tonight".

Fine by me!

Apparently, whoever took over as Stage Door Wench for last night's second show screwed up and went into the artists' area to chat - 

Mr. Clarke knew that wouldn't happen with me at the post!

(smile!)

 

Let me say one thing more before I get into my tale of being a show rescuer.

Look closely at this next picture.

See how there seems to be a magic carpet beneath the drum kit?

There are lots of little pieces of colored tape, in three different colors, in odd places on it.

Upon closer inspection, those marks are like those used by actors to serve as physical cues for location.

In this case, they mark where the legs rest for various pieces in this percussion set...

but, they only indicate location, not orientation of the piece resting upon those legs.

Ah hah!!!

Hence, the need for my first photo later.

This was all for the first act of the first concert, the one performed at the matinee by the Cuban quartet, Timba A La Americana, led by Harold López-Nussa on piano.

[By the way, he was born the same year as my first niece and will be 40 in July.]

His younger brother, Ruy, is the drummer, and they were fabulous to watch as they kept a line of sight so they could play off each other.

Honestly, it reminded me of how Smitty and Ronnie would signal back and forth as they played games!

(smile!)

During the set change, bass player (Luques Curtis) and harmonica man (Grégoire Maret) carried off their instruments, but Ruy's many pieces were set in the corner to await their next concert.

Etienne Charles' Traces quartet was more a gypsy jazz combo, with all instruments carried onto the stage by the musicians.

The lead man, clad in a turquoise blue, turtleneck, sleeveless, sweater, played both trumpet and beat box, with lovely arm muscles.

He was joined by French cellist Vincent Ségal;  New Yorker Or Bareket on bass; and Venezuelan Jorge Clem on the cuatro.

Jorge was the only one styling along, wearing a gorgeous red hat and deep purple, short-sleeved, shirt, as he stood and strummed his long-necked instrument!

[Three of the four can be watched here in a Christmas concert.]

After about an hour-long set, the concert was over.

Etienne had hands to shake and CD's to sell, as this was not his first rodeo and he'd come with merchandise!

That left the tech crew to clear off their seats from the stage and get everything ready to go again for the final concert here at the Morris Center.

And that's where the problem arose.

None of them could quite recall the orientation of all of those percussive bits - and their microphones - that were part of Ruy's repertoire.

Sure, the carpet 'cheat sheet' showed where all the legs should be... 

but which cymbal went where?

That's when I piped up: "The big one with the holes in it was closer to the wall, and the one with the extra hat was to the front on the other side."

I even showed them the photo, enlarging it for detail.

So, they set it up as I had it, then, just to make sure, they asked Ruy to come out and double check it.

Sure enough, my photo had the pieces oriented right for him, though he did tweak their proximity, just a little!

Very nice to be of service, sir!

(smile!)

Then I had settled back and enjoyed the show again.

(smile!)

And then I had enjoyed the Traces show again, too!

Afterward, I'd helped a German trio find the Metal Building for their event, after their Uber driver had mistakenly left them, in the light rain, there at the Charles Morris Center, where all was in process of being closed down.

(smile!)

When I got home, I texted this photo to Christina, saying "I had a double shift as my last one with the music fest. Cuban and Venezuelan bands! was the bouncer!!"

She replied, "I can't see you as a bouncer.

Just thinking about Roadhouse now and Patrick Swayze."

 

Then she added, "And this guy", with a photo of Sam Elliott as the mentor in the movie.

 

I told her, "All ya gotta do is stand straight and throw back your shoulders. 

It's all about confidence and appearance. 

I love being a bouncer!"

 

I really do...

even when I'm wearing my gray hair in a single, soft braid over my right shoulder!

(smile!)

finally at the charles morris center again!

I say "again," when what I mean is "for the first time this music festival!"

(smile!)

When Dana asked who wanted to work the artists' entrance, I immediately volunteered!

I love being the Stage Door Wench!

I love it even more when Tony Clarke is in the house as the Show Manager... 

and he loves that I'm there, knowing he can count on me to keep folks out...

so, most def winner, winner, all the way!

(smile!)

This concert was the second one I'd volunteered for, back in February.

Featuring two aging jazz men, you'd think I must be familiar with their decades of music to have been so quick on the draw, right?

But, nope!

Them I knew not.

I mean, sure, I like jazz...

though I don't own but a couple of albums of that genre...

unless you count Steve Winwood, who I love...

but I'd signed up for the venue, not the concert itself.

(smile!)

Old, tall, Bill was there, too, as was Joyce, plus Ruth Tisbert with her neighbor, Fred.

Good to have familiar faces for this penultimate day.

Did I say "penultimate"?

I did, and not just for my volunteering services, but for the music festival itself.

What a rush this has been!

(smile!)

This was also one of the shorter concerts, much like the noon30 shows.

For 79-year-old pianist Kenny Barron and 76-year-old - and British-born - bassist Dave Holland, I'd think a 75-minute program would pretty well be all they could handle...

especially as they knew another such would follow in the 8 PM concert.

I'm sure the drummer, Johnathan Blake, at almost 47, would have been just dandy with a longer set, but he's been with the pianist for a while.

(Just click that link for a 30-minute 'concert' from them!)

Of the seven, or so, songs played, only two really stayed with me.

First was "The Oracle", penned by Dave Holland; have a listen.

Then there was the last one, "Porto Alegre", written by Dave Barron after a concert.

Very nice... and had a tempo for dancing!

(smile!)

Looking forward to volunteering here tomorrow!

b k and the foot music

This was the last of the five extra SMF shows that I'd added to my volunteer roster.

I am sooo glad I did!

It was a prevening concert - as my favorite fictional physicist would say - that I only signed up for on Tuesday.

Someone had mentioned it would be dance music, so that's why I jumped aboard.

(Hey, a little train ref as an inside joke for Sheldon!)

And were they right?

Was it dance tunes?

Well, let me put it this way: it had a beat and I could certainly move to it!

So could little 2-year-old Loulou, once I showed her how it was done!

(smile!)

But that was for the second half of the concert.

I was still posted by Isaac as VIP lounge Door Wench, and he never did come and relieve me so I could go inside for any of the show.

Ack.

He is a bit blond, though... which, as one with blonde roots, I can certainly recognize.

Maybe he saw that I was moving my pigtails to the beat anyway and thought I was good to go.

(smile!)

Fortunately, the doors to the concert venue are glass, and the acoustics are such that I was still able to hear perfectly well, so no worries!

That's Bassekou Kouyate and his band, Ngoni Ba.

He's the guy in white, on the right, with the funny little Mali guitar known as a jeli ngoni.

The woman in orange, in the middle, is his wife, Amy Sacko, and they both sing in the band.

(smile!)

My guess is most of their music today was from the 2019 album, Miri.

Curious about their sound?

Here's a 30-minute concert to sample...

you're welcome!

(smile!) 

What about that first concert of the show?

Well, that's the one that really tickled my fancy!

In fact, I liked them so much that I stayed to help with the evening concert, knowing they would be first onstage and that I could leave afterward.

(This time, I was the Street Wench, out on the sidewalk to welcome folks and reassure them that they were at the Metal Building venue.)

I took a seat and shot this, the second photo I took, during the entire music festival, of actual artists inside of their instruments.

That's Jake Blount at the microphone, Laurel Premo sitting down, and Nic Gareiss with the yellow suspenders and blue pants.

That last one is the one who so intrigued me.

See, he wasn't just a singer; he was a dancing musician, making percussive sound as he moved in a style of shufflefoot or flatfoot.

As he described his art: it's "music you can see, and dance you can hear."

All I can say is he is a joy to watch!

Here he is, performing to Laurel Premo's song, "Fine Times At Our House", which is one of the ones performed at this show.

This was has him performing to Jake Blount's "Goodbye, Honey, You Call That Gone", another tune performed by the trio in this large venue with the cozy feel.

And here's one with just him, doing a song that sounds straight out of the 17th and 18th centuries, as did most of their work here.

That last one wasn't at this show, but sure shows off his singing voice!

is it any wonder that I stayed for the second performance of this trio?

Now, let's hope they'll put out a dvd.

I don't think an album would adequately capture them.

Here's hoping!

(smile!)