A good time was had by all.
Emily Asher’s Garden Party — captured here nearing the end of their 2014 West Coast Tour (historians take note). Here they are at a very rewarding house concert in San Francisco, hosted by Daniel Fabricant and Vic Wong, offering good-old-good ones, Hoagy Carmichael, music associated with Louis Armstrong, and a few locally-sourced originals.
The GP in these videos is Emily, trombone, vocals, arrangements / compositions; Mike Davis, trumpet, vocal; Tom Abbott, reeds; Nick Russo, banjo, guitar; Rob Adkins, string bass; Jay Lepley, drums. (My videos are a little dark but the music blazes brightly.)
For Ella, the Mills Brothers, Sammy Cahn, Saul Chaplin, and the elusive Hy Zaret, DEDICATED TO YOU:
Emily’s original, dedicated to a clamorous stretch of road in her home town, EAST MERIDIAN:
TWO SLEEPY PEOPLE, a sweet bit of Carmichael voiced for Asher and Davis, soft-shoe tempo provided by that nimble rhythm section:
Appropriate for a Garden Party, WHEN YOU WORE A TULIP:
Thinking again of Ella and Chick, the band shouts HALLELUJAH!:
A small Louis-Jack trilogy (catch Mr. Davis’ beautiful sound here) STARS FELL ON ALABAMA:
From ‘way out West, BIG BUTTER AND EGG MAN:
At a nice tempo, MUSKRAT RAMBLE:
Emily’s original, for her flowering niece, SWEET PEA:
Music in blossom, with more to come!
May your happiness increase!
