I’ve already posted this cheering bouquet of balloons, and I’m making my first trip to Fresno for “the sounds of Mardi Gras” early next month. And not simply in hope of finding balloons.
Now, we can all get down to the delightful business of planning what to see and hear. I’m sure there are people who simply amble through a festival, guided by the sounds they hear coming from one room or another. But I’m a man with a mission: I know the bands I particularly want to hear and video . . . so I have to plan. If I go to see X and her Jelly Whippers at 6, then I can’t (as Sir Isaac Newton reminds me) hear Y and her Joy Boys at the same time. So either in the solace of my apartment or perhaps on the airplane, I bring out the highlighters so that I can plot and plan . . .
NEWS FLASH: as of January 25, some last-minute changes – – – –
On Friday, in Salon C/D, the morning – afternoon sequence is now Young Bucs / Yosemite / Climax / Tom Hook / High Sierra. The evening sequence in C/D is now Bob Schulz, Dave Stuckey, and the rest unchanged. As far as my nearsighted eyes can tell, those are the only changes. But the sole way to be sure you have the right schedule is to go to the Sounds of Mardi Gras and pick up the current paperwork.
I believe that an even larger version — spread it out on the floor so the whole family can play — can be found here. Since this is my maiden voyage to this festival, I haven’t any videos of my own to share. But my colleagues have filled that need for years — one of them being the faithful Bill Schneider, who captured Bob Schulz’s band playing a lyrical YOU’RE DRIVING ME CRAZY at the 2018 festival — with lovely work from Bob, Kim Cusack, Ray Skjelbred, Doug Finke, Scott Anthony, Jim Maihack, and Ray Templin:
and a very hot MONA LISA from a 2010 performance by the New El Dorado Jazz Band co-led by Hal Smith and Clint Baker, with Marc Caparone, Howard Miyata, Mike Baird, Carl Sonny Leyland, Katie Cavera, and Georgia Korba. Not everyone in this band will be at the 2019 festival, but their music is preserved for us thanks to RaeAnn Berry:
I look forward to the 2019 banquet of good sounds. For details, visit the festival’s websiteand their Facebook page. But don’t take so long looking for the right color highlighter that this hot weekend passes you by.
For those who love the music, this reminder may be superfluous. But there are always new people whom we hope to attract into the world of jazz and dance for great fun. So, first, hereis the Bash’s Facebook page, and hereis their website. Several truly pertinent facts — from personal experience. March in Monterey is balmy, and I recall it as shirt-sleeve / eat gelato with Italians weather. All of the music at the Bash happens under one roof, on several floors of the same building, and there is (as I recall) an elevator. There are eight venues — which, loosely translated, means an immense number of choices, enough to produce vertigo. Approximately 154 sets of music from Friday morning to Sunday afternoon. Seven dance floors. All under one roof, a fact worth repeating.
There are also a few names that didn’t fit on the poster, people you’d know and applaud. Jacob Rex Zimmerman, Steve Pikal, Clint Baker, Jeff Hamilton, Paul Hagglund, Sam Rocha, Chris Calabrese, Sue Kroninger, Ed Metz, Jerry Krahn, Howard Miyata, GROOVUS, Don Neely, and more. I expect that the final schedule will be posted soon on the website so that people like me can start planning strategy with brightly colored highlighters.
A little personal history: I encountered the Jazz Bash by the Bay in 2011, on my first visit to California — out of the womb, that is — and this is what I encountered. Dawn Lambeth had a bad cold, but even congested, she sounds thoroughly endearing: with her, are Clint Baker (drums); Marc Caparone (cornet); Howard Miyata (trombone); Mike Baird (clarinet); Katie Cavera (guitar, banjo); Paul Mehling (bass):
And another piece of vintage joy from 2011, featuring Katie Cavera, the 2019 Musician of the Year, in the center, with Clint Baker, Paul Mehling, and John Reynolds on various banjos — with Marc Caparone on bass and surprises (Clint has a surprise for us, too), and Ralf Reynolds on washboard:
Now, this blogpost isn’t a Trip Down Memory Lane, although I must say I nearly went down the largest rabbit-hole I can imagine when I started searching my own videos to see when I’d first visited Monterey. I couldn’t believe: “Wow, you recorded that? And THAT?” The air was thick with immodesty and gratitude.
No, this is to remind people what glories happen at Monterey, and will happen in less than two months: March 1, 2, 3 of this year. And — let us leave subtlety aside for those who need it — to encourage people to get out of their chairs and be at the Bash. See you there — maybe in the elevator or rapt in the first row.
As I’ve written here, I am making my maiden voyage to the Pismo, California, JAZZ JUBILEE BY THE SEA next month — about five weeks from now. While my suburban neighbors will be having illicit affairs with their leaf blowers and looking skeptically at their down parkas, I’ll be in Southern California, enjoying the sounds of (among others) Larry Scala, Bob Schulz, Carl Sonny Leyland, Chloe Feoranzo, Clint Baker, Creole Syncopators, Danny Coots, Danny Tobias, Dawn Lambeth, High Sierra, IVORY&GOLD, Jeff Barnhart, Marc Caparone, Midiri Brothers, Mike Baird, Adrian Cunningham, the Au Brothers, The Shake ‘Em Up Jazz Band . . . The list is subjective, and I am sure that someone’s favorite band in the cosmos has been omitted, but a complete listing follows below.
I invite you to join me, of course. Details here (Facebook) and the much more comprehensive Pismo Jazz website.
But for people like me, and I would think many of my readers, going to a jazz festival is not just a matter of, “Oh, I’ll drop by this place. Music is coming out of the windows and front door,” but a matter of strategy: “If we go to see the Land Rovers at 3, we’ll be in a perfect place to see the Hot Tortoises at 4:15, and then the Adrian Rollini Memorial Orchestra at 7, but we’ll have to miss the Broken Sandals on Friday. No worry, though, they are playing an 8 AM Saturday set,” and so on.
“Hey, Mister! Hey, Lady! Get the Full Band Schedule here! The Pismo News!”
Such cogitation — worthy of a great eighteenth-century European general planning his campaign — is only possible when one has a Band Schedule, which I can offer you now, courtesy of the very kind people who run things. Hence:
There’s a version of this schedule on the Jubilee website here, which may be easier to read and annotate. I am sure that the schedule will also be given out to attendees when they buy tickets / pick up badges onsite.
Veterans of the Jubilee have pointed out to me that the performance venues are somewhat spread-out. I am moderately ambulatory (that might be a euphemism) but my days of sprinting from one place to another are over. So I report with pleasure the news from Jubilee HQ:
If you get stranded at a venue, we do have buses. We are trying something new. Every venue will have a bus. That bus will be available at the end of the set. They will take you where you want to go, venues first. If that bus is full, another bus will be along and dropping people off.
Very reassuring!
And in the spirit of “breaking news,” here’s a bouncy love song from 1934 by Chick Bullock and his Levee Loungers. Alas, Sterling Bose (or Stirling?), Perry Botkin, Joe Venuti, and Jack Teagarden won’t be at the Jubilee — they have other commitments — but I know you and I will be in for a weekend of singular sights and music:
I’m going to my first Jazz Jubilee by the Sea (although I have visited Pismo, California, once before) for hot jazz, floating swing, gritty blues, tender ballads, and good times among friends this October.
I can now spend the time between late August and late October figuring how I will see my favorite bands. There are twenty-plus bands and guest stars, a cornucopia of jazz and other musics. Here are some of the august participants, listed as they appear on the flyer:
Professor Cunningham and His Old School • Larry Scala, Dawn Lambeth, and Friends • The Shake ‘Em Up Jazz Band • Tom Rigney and Flambeau • Blue Street • Cornet Chop Suey • High Sierra • Midiri Brothers • Tom Hook and the Terriers • Dick Williams Jammers • We Three + One • Ivory&Gold® • Creole
Syncopators • Rag Bone Saints • Mariachi Autlence • High Street
Party Band • The Au Brothers • Sue Palmer and Her Motel
Swing Orchestra • Night Blooming Jazzmen • Ulysses
Jasz Band.
SPECIAL SETS WITH GUEST ARTISTS
Bob Draga • Carl Sonny Leyland • Larry Scala • Dawn Lambeth •
Jeff Barnhart • Danny Coots • Washboard Steve • Pat Yankee •
Bob Schulz • Paul Ingle • Danny Tobias • Chloe Feoranzo.
Now, if you’ve been reading JAZZ LIVES for any length of time, you can recognize the names of my friends and heroes above. I will be there to celebrate them and hear new bands and new combinations, as is my habit and sometimes good fortune.
Here’s a promotional video from 2016 — an audio-visual tasting menu:
and one of my happy souvenirs of good times in Pismo — a 2014 concert by Clint Baker, Marc Caparone, Dawn Lambeth, Mike Baird, Carl Sonny Leyland, Bill Reinhart, Jeff Hamilton:
I hope to see you there for some good sounds. Hereis the Jubilee website, and hereis their Facebook page. It would be pleasing if you said “JAZZ LIVES sent me,” if, in fact, I did. It’s too early to start charging camera batteries, but I assure you that my psychic ones are at full capacity.
I hope that posts such as these aren’t too frustrating for those JAZZ LIVES readers who are far away from the particular Mecca of Hot. If you’re in Illinois or Newcastle, you are hereby let off the hook. But for those readers who can, or could, or might . . . read on.
The 2015 Jazz Bash by the Bayis happening soon — an opening concert / dance on Thursday, March 5, then full-steam ahead for Friday through Sunday. I have delightful memories of being there from 2011 on — a very friendly and hospitable festival, the staff and volunteers exceedingly nice, the rooms in which one hears and sees music very comfortable. And the music itself, although the players and singers shift slightly from year to year, is always both superb and varied. Your favorite bands — including High Sierra, the Carl Sonny Leyland Trio, Ivory & Gold, Ellis Island Boys, Crescent Katz, Cocuzzi/Vache All Stars, Le Jazz Hot, Royal Society Jazz Orchestra. Soloists: Dan Barrett, Eddie Erickson, Rebecca Kilgore, Ehud Asherie, Stephanie Trick, David Boeddinghaus, Banu Gibson, Dawn Lambeth, Yve Evans, Jeff Barnhart, Jason Wanner, Marc Caparone, Bob Draga, John Reynolds, Jeff Hamilton, Paul Mehling, Clint Baker, John Cocuzzi, Allan Vache, Danny Coots, Virginia Tichenor, Marty Eggers, and many more. Everything from hot jazz to swinging rhythmic ballads to ragtime, stride, and boogie-woogie, with offferings of zydeco and gypsy swing.
It’s a lovely place to visit, also — my meteorological memories of Monterey in March (say that once at a conversational tempo) are lovely: sunny and warm.
Here are the band schedules. I spent a happy fifteen minutes this morning with a green highlighter, noting sets I absolutely wanted to be at — and there were no idle hours.
And just for our collective happiness, here are my videos of a March 2011 performance featuring Clint Baker, Marc Caparone, Howard Miyata, Mike Baird, Dawn Lambeth, Katie Cavera, Jeff Hamilton, and Marty Eggers — mixing sweet, swing, and hot.
I am eagerly looking forward to it. And I hope to see you there, too. No fooling. And if you’re hungry for more music, you can search this site for “bash” or “Monterey” and find videos from 2011-14 . . . better yet, you can make plans to attend.
Loosening our collars and wiping our brows — all in the name of hot music.
Clint Baker’s New Orleans Jazz Band swung out on Sunday, January 26, 2014, at the Central Coast Hot Jazz Society’s concert held in Pismo Beach. Clint himself played trombone and euphonium and sang. With him were Marc Caparone, cornet; Mike Baird, reeds; Carl Sonny Leyland, piano, vocal; Bill Reinhart, banjo; Katie Cavera, string bass and vocals; Jeff Hamilton, drums. The wonderful Dawn Lambeth sang a few songs, which you can hear and see here.
If you didn’t make it down to Pismo, here’s the first instrumental set.
And a second helping of delightful music:
William H. Tyers’ PANAMA (with a parasol parade, no extra charge):
Katie Cavera asks, respectfully, WON’T YOU COME HOME, BILL BAILEY?:
Headgear or other clothing optional, but PUT ON YOUR OLD GREY BONNET:
J.C. Higginbotham asks, politely, GIVE ME YOUR TELEPHONE NUMBER:
After the number is received, the proper response might be I WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR YOU (thanks to Alex Hill and Claude Hopkins):
Clint and his bands are active at a variety of gigs and festivals and swing dances. If you want to experience this hot music for yourself, click here to plan your next swing outing.
It was indeed warm in Pismo Beach, but my title refers to what was happening indoors.
Clint Baker’s New Orleans Jazz Band swung out this last Sunday, January 26, 2014, at the Central Coast Hot Jazz Society’s concert held in Pismo Beach. Clint himself played trombone and euphonium and sang. With him were Marc Caparone, cornet; Mike Baird, reeds; Carl Sonny Leyland, piano, vocal; Bill Reinhart, banjo; Katie Cavera, string bass and vocals; Jeff Hamilton, drums. The wonderful Dawn Lambeth sang a few songs, which you can hear and see here.
Here’s another helping of delightful music.
Paul Barbarin’s THE SECOND LINE:
Father Leyland explains it all with BEALE STREET BLUES:
WHEN I GROW TOO OLD TO DREAM:
A special request from Dottie Baird, not to be ignored: WHEN MY DREAMBOAT COMES HOME:
EVERYBODY LOVES MY BABY:
Clint and his bands are active at a variety of gigs and festivals and swing dances. If you want to experience this hot music for yourself, click here to plan your next swing outing.
Ladies and gentlemen, a real singer. No tricks, no emoting. Just someone with a lovely multi-hued voice, swinging with the band, delighting in the melody and the words, never getting in the way of the song.
She’s one of our favorites, Dawn Lambeth.
Here she is with the equally rewarding New Orleans Jazz Band of Clint Baker, at an afternoon session sponsored by the Central Coast Hot Jazz Society in Pismo Beach, January 26, 2014. That’s Clint, trombone / euphonium; Marc Caparone, cornet; Mike Baird, clarinet / alto; Carl Sonny Leyland, piano; Bill Reinhart, banjo; Katie Cavera, string bass; Jeff Hamilton, drums.
Aligning ourselves with the calendar, SUNDAY:
AS LONG AS I LIVE:
I’M FOREVER BLOWING BUBBLES:
EMALINE:
I CRIED FOR YOU:
I wish many singers, young and older, new and presumably wise and experienced, would savor and study the singing of Ms. Lambeth — she isn’t didactic, but by her example we could learn a great deal about subtle, convincing music.
Good things in store. On January 26, 2014, Clint Baker and his New Orleans Jazz Band will be playing a Sunday afternoon gig in the monthly series of “Basin Street Regulars” concerts hosted by the Central Coast Hot Jazz Society. It will be held at the Pismo Beach Veterans’ Memorial Building, 780 Bello Street, Pismo Beach. Clint and his band will play two sets of seventy-five minutes apiece; there will also be jazz from the Cal Poly Jazz Band. This Sunday session will begin at 11 AM and end at 4:30 PM. For more information, click here.
“Who’s in Clint’s band?” I hear the cognoscenti murmuring. (Sometimes their rhetorical murmuring can get a trifle loud, but I don’t mind, having invented them for the purpose of sentences such as this one.)
“The A-Team,” I respond.
Clint, trombone, vocal; Marc Caparone, cornet, vocal; Mike Baird, clarinet; Carl Sonny Leyland, piano, vocal; Bill Reinhart, banjo; Katie Cavera, string bass, vocal; Jeff Hamilton, drums; Dawn Lambeth, vocal.
That takes care of Sunday, as far as I’m concerned. The Beloved and I have made our plans: groceries have been purchased; plants will be watered; computers, clothing, amenities, bric-a-brac, and more will be loaded into the New Old Car . . . to make the trip from Northern California to Less-Northern California, with occasional digressions for begonias, thrift stores, and other pleasures. Neither of us is a road-trip fancier, but this band is worth the journey and more.
See you there, I hope.
P.S. In the evening of January 26. THE MUSIC WAS WONDERFUL. You should know this.
With great pleasure, I have transplanted myself from one coast to the other, from suburban New York to Marin County in California, where I will be for the next eight months. So what follows is a brief and selective listing of musical events the Beloved and I might show up at . . . feel free to join us!
Clint Baker and his New Orleans Jazz Band will be playing for the Wednesday Night Hop in San Mateo on January 8: details and directions here.
Emily Asher’s Garden Partywill be touring this side of the continent in mid-January, with Emily’s Hoagy Carmichael program. On January 16, she, friends, and sitters-in will make merry at a San Francisco house concert: details here. On the 17th, the Garden Party will reappear, bright and perky, at the Red Poppy Art House, to offer another helping of subtle, lyrical, hot music: details to comehere.
Clint and Friends(I don’t know the official band title, so am inventing the simplest) will be playing for the Central Coast Hot Jazz Society in Pismo Beach on January 26. Details are not yet available on the website, but I have it on good authority that the band will include Marc Caparone, Dawn Lambeth, Mike Baird, Carl Sonny Leyland, and Katie Cavera.
A moment of self-advertisement: I will be giving a Sunday afternoon workshop at Berkeley’s The Jazz School — on February 9, called LOUIS ARMSTRONG SPEAKS TO US. Details here.’
And, from February 21-23, the Beloved and I will be happily in attendance at the San Diego Jazz Party— details here — to be held at the Del Mar Hilton, honoring guitar legend Mundell Lowe and featuring Harry Allen, John Allred, Dan Barrett, John Cocuzzi, John Eaton, Eddie Erickson, Rebecca Kilgore, Ed Metz, Butch Miles, Nicki Parrott, Houston Person, Bucky Pizzarelli, Ed Polcer, Chuck Redd, Antti Sarpila, Richard Simon, Bria Skonberg, Rossano Sportiello, Dave Stone, Johnny Varro, Jason Wanner. The sessions will offer solo piano all the way up to nonets, with amiable cross-generational jazz at every turn. In a triumph of organization, you can even see herewho’s playing with whom and when, from Friday afternoon to Sunday farewell.
In March, the Jazz Bash by the Bay in Monterey . . . make your plans here!
And — a little closer to the here and now — if you don’t have plans for a New Year’s Eve gala, check out ZUT! in Berkeley. Good food — and Mal Sharpe and the Big Money in Jazz(with singer Kallye Gray) will be giving 2013 a gentle push at the stroke of midnight. Details here.
Here’s a beautiful performance by a group of players who truly know one way to create beautiful hot jazz . . . steady but rocking, sweet but intense. The emotional temperature of the music rises, but the tempo doesn’t budge. Each instrumental voice is clear, distinct, personal — combining to make a harmonious instrumental conversation. It’s the sort of performance you can hear several times in a row and each time, happily, discover new delights.
The players? Chris Tyle, cornet; Leon Oakley, cornet; John Gill, trombone; Mike Baird, clarinet; Steve Pistorius, piano; Clint Baker, banjo; Marty Eggers, string bass; Hal Smith, drums.
Chris not only plays beautifully but he has a knack for assembling the best players and making them sound — at a record date or a concert — as if they have been working and touring for years. The performance (a rarely heard Twenties pop song) evokes King Oliver and his bands, but copies nothing.
Now, you’ll notice that this isn’t one of my videos of this band at a festival, in a club, or in a concert hall. If this band did have such a gig, I would be there as quickly as my job / bank balance would allow. Is any festival promoter or jazz booker out there listening? The NRA sign says WE DO OUR PART . . . why not? The title of this song is its own commentary, but that absence could be repaired without much difficulty, I think.
Here is the New El Dorado Jazz Band, performing at the Seaside, Oregon Jazz Festival during February 22-24, 2012 — that’s Hal Smith, washboard; Katie Cavera, banjo / guitar; Dave Brown, string bass; Carl Sonny Leyland, piano; Mike Baird, clarinet; Howard Miyata, trombone; Marc Caparone, trumpet.
The song is SALTY BUBBLE, composed by trumpeter / vocalist Papa Ray Ronnei, and catapulted to fame by Woody Allen, who used it in his film WHATEVER WORKS. (SALTY BUBBLE does have a certain kinship with a famous Twenties song about an Asian gentleman who puts people to sleep in the nicest ways, but no matter.)
Back to YouTube. Without meaning to do so, they have cut through the ideological chatter that continues to afflict jazz. Is this New Orleans jazz, Dixieland, traditional jazz, small-band swing . . . what-cha-call-em-blues? No, without knowing it, they have taken their cue from Eddie Condon and his brother-in-law Sidney Smith, who chose to call what Eddie and friends played simply MUSIC.
And that it is! More to come from Seaside and the New El Dorados, courtesy of the fine band and of our steady videographer “islandstarfish“.
Some time ago on JAZZ LIVES, I had some fun posting two Desert Island Disc lists of my own — one of the Great Dead, one of the Happily Living.
Now, it’s time to revise those lists — because TEARS, by Clint Baker’s New Orleans Jazz Band, is an absolute delight.
It’s not a respectful museum-piece, but a lively, surprising evocation of many jazz eras — one of those CDs you will listen to all the way through and then want to play again.
Clint Baker is one of those blessed players who can swing the band no matter what instrument he picks up. On Rae Ann Berry’s YouTube videos (and some of mine), the exciting evidence is there: Clint on trumpet, cornet, trombone, clarinet, guitar, banjo, drums, vocal — all superbly. On this CD, he plays trombone — moving around stylistically from the hot roughness of the late Twenties to the smoothness of mid-Thirties Benny Morton, all with conviction and wit. In the front line, he has Marc Caparone (punching out that fine lead in the best Mutt Carey manner or looping around in the sky a la Buck Clayton) and Mike Baird (think Johnny Dodds or Prince Robinson).
But the best front line imaginable sinks without a cohesive, friendly rhythm section — like the one on this CD: Dawn Lambeth on piano (more about Dawn in a minute), Katie Cavera on swinging guitar and banjo (ditto); Mike Fay (did someone say “Wellman Braud”?) and the wonderful Hal Smith, propulsive but always deeply sensitive to the band as a whole.
Katie delivers one of her delicious sweet-tart, almost-innocent vocals on SWEET MAN, which is a treat. And Clint convinces us of the earnest message of WHEN I GROW TOO OLD TO DREAM. But this CD also has a vocal masterpiece: Dawn Lambeth’s pure, yearning I CAN DREAM, CAN’T I? And Dawn illuminates four more selections — jazz singing at its best.
Clint favors what he calls “musical whiplash,” which has a rather ominous ring to it — but it’s not what happens when you’re driving, engrossed in a new CD. No, what he means is a wide-ranging repertoire, a band comfortable with playing music from the ODJB, King Oliver, operetta and opera (Saint-Saens!), Twenties pop and novelty tunes . . . all with precision and abandon, intensity and relaxation.
The CD runs 73;34, and the songs are OSTRICH WALK / I CAN DREAM, CAN’T I? / TEARS / SWEET MAN / ONE HOUR / YOU MADE ME LOVE YOU (the Hot Five song, not Jolson’s) / LOVING YOU THE WAY I DO / MY HEART AT THY SWEET VOICE / WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MADE / ORIENTAL STRUT / BLUES IN THIRDS / IT’S A SIN TO TELL A LIE / WHEN I GROW TOO OLD TO DREAM.
Through the magic of YouTube and the generosity of Rae Ann Berry, I had been watching the extraordinary Clint Baker lead bands, generate swing, and dazzle on a good number of instruments for years before I was privileged to meet him.
He turned out to be a real kindred spirit: funny, genuine, candid. And he throws himself into whatever musical environment he finds himself, never standing back at a reserved distance. His groups swing — you can take that for granted — but Clint has different varieties of swing for different musical contexts — as you will hear in this set.
Clint’s New Orleans Jazz Band is clearly a group of friends, which is always a plus. There’s Marc Caparone on cornet; Howard Miyata on trombone; jazz patriarch Mike Baird on reeds; Dawn Lambeth on piano and vocals; Jeff Hamilton on piano and drums; Katie Cavera on guitar and vocals; Paul Mehling on bass . . . a versatile band of shape-shifters who are true to their own deep conception of rocking improvised music.
The set began with a funky ONE SWEET LETTER FROM YOU (its antecedent more Bunk than Hamp): Uncle How had to scurry from one set to another but did make it!
Katie came to the microphone to do one of her specialties, DO SOMETHING, what I think of as the flapper’s sweetly impatient updating of TO HIS COY MISTRESS, or “Shut up and kiss me, will you?” I’ve posted several versions of this song from Monterey, and each one’s been a pleasure:
Now that we’ve gotten the erotic carpe diem out of the way (at least for the moment), it’s time to honor Paul Barbarin with BOURBON STREET PARADE and the appropriate vocal chorus:
Something a little closer to the North: the lovely singing of Dawn Lambeth (with Jeff Hamilton taking over at the piano bench) — turning this New Orleans street parade into a time-travel back to the Vocalion studios with everyone making it up for the first time on THEM THERE EYES:
And Dawn follows with the tender THEY CAN’T TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME. Listen closely to her sweet, original phrasing — a delight:
I knew MILENBERG JOYS was going to be something special when the ever-useful Jeff moved back to the drums, Dawn regained her seat at the piano, and Clint broke out his cornet. Please sit a safe distance from the monitor! The brass interplay is just extraordinary. I was wiping the sweat from my brow, and I was only videorecording. Later that day, I caught Clint taking a break betwen sets and I approached him with my best ominous look. “That MILENBERG JOYS you played earlier caused me a real problem,” I said unhappily. “Why? What happened?” he said with the deep gloom of a teenage boy whose misdeed has been found out. “It was so hot it melted part of my camera, you know!” I said, and he relaxed and grinned. I felt guilty for tormenting him, but it was worth it:
I’LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS is often the closing song of a set — and this would have satisfied any dreamy jazzlover, with Dawn’s gentle, heartfelt vocal:
But this is a New Orleans band . . . so they had to go out with something assertive, even something feline. Here’s TIGER RAG, which begins with a loud MEOW. It offers more of that two-cornet arson! And sharp-eyed cornet detectives will note that at some point in the performance (probably during the banjo solo) Marc and Clint switched cornets, although surely keeping their own mouthpieces. No matter: this music brings down the house even when you watch it with your eyes closed:
Glorious!
And for those who can’t miss a minute or an alternate take . . . you should know that the devoted Rae Ann Berry has put her own videos of this band on YouTube (see “SFRaeAnn”) and you might find the variations in cinematography and sound of interest. I know I do. And I imagine someone with two computers, synchronized, digging Clint and this band in surround-sound-and-Hot-Cinerama.
Clint Baker is an inspiring multi-instrumentalist (everything from brass to reeds to strings to drums to vocals) and here at Dixieland Monterey 2011, he contented himself with leading a small hot group from his drum set — he is a master of percussive sounds and propulsions. With him were hot cornetist Marc Caparone, pianist / singer Dawn Lambeth (united in connubial bliss), trombonist and euphonist Howard Miyata (that’s Uncle Howie to Gordon, Brandon, and Justin Au), reedman Mike Baird, bassist Paul Mehling, and guitarist / banjoist Katie Cavera.
Oh, they did rock!
Their first selection was a request — from Dottie Baird, Mike’s wife, who always asks for WHEN MY DREAMBOAT COMES HOME, on which Mike has to play saxophone. A wonderful idea:
One law of performance is “Get the crowd involved: engage the audience!” So here’s a bit of audience participation — feel free to join in at home in the HOLLER BLUES with shrieks or howls:
Dawn Lambeth (who is moderately pregnant — we wish her the world’s easiest delivery!) is also a spectacularly gifted singer. Here she introduces IT HAPPENED IN MONTEREY, written by Mabel Wayne, as a song with a great deal of sentimental depth for Marc and herself — the sad lyrics notwithstanding. Even with a terrible cold, Dawn sounds so fine:
A good old good one — what could be better than PANAMA by William H. Tyers, king of the Exotic Landscape (he also wrote MAORI):
And a tribute to Papa Joe Oliver, King Oliver, Louis Armstrong’s spiritual father, SNAG IT (An idle thought: where did the inspiration for that slang phrase come from? I take it to mean “Oh, get it!” From fishing? From baseball?):
Finally, something personally pleasing. SWEETHEARTS ON PARADE is one of my favorite songs — even though it’s not exactly harmonically taxing — perhaps because I heard Louis’s recording of it early in my life. And I felt very much embraced at and by Dixieland Monterey (a weekend of many hugs, all given and received happily), no more so than when Marc asked me if I had any requests and then played this one. You know you’ve arrived! Two by two, they go marching through:
This band is the absolute equivalent of a big plate of down-home red beans and rice: spicy, colorful, hot, satisfying for a long time afterwards. And look how happy they look!
A footnote: JAZZ LIVES readers who energetically watch “SFRaeAnn”‘s channel will see her videos of these performances. She is Rae Ann Berry, a wonderful archivist and deep friend to me and to many musicians . . . and we were often sitting at the same concert in Monterey and videotaping. Why, then, you might ask, why post my versions as well as hers? I have this fantasy that someone more technically gifted than myself will find a way to screen both her video and mine on a particular song – – – synchronized, to provide something like Dixieland Cinerama, or Hot Technicolor. Just imagine!
GIVE SOMETHING BACK TO THE LIVING MUSICIANS! ALL MONEY COLLECTED GOES TO THEM:
Rae Ann Berry is back on the case — and we are so much richer for her diligence. Here she captures a rocking session with the New El Dorado Jazz Band, that hot group honoring cornetist Papa Ray Ronnei and his friends.
In its current incarnation at the Sounds of Mardi Gras in Fresno, California, it is made up of Hal Smith, drums (he’s the co-leader); Marc Caparone, cornet (subbing for co-leader Clint Baker); Howard Miyata, trombone (“Uncle Howie” of Gordon, Justin, and Brandon Au); Mike Baird, clarinet (a charter member); Katie Cavera, banjo, guitar, vocals; Carl Sonny Leyland, piano; Georgia Korba, bass.
Katie assures us THE WORLD’S JAZZ CRAZY (AND SO AM I):
Do you like Mexican food? HERE COMES THE HOT TAMALE MAN:
The soaring, pensive FAR AWAY BLUES:
GATEMOUTH BLUES (harking back to Miss Lil and the Dodds brothers):
OLE MISS (named for a very fast train) has Kim Cusack subbing for Mike Baird:
THAT’S A PLENTY (how true):
Hotter than that!
FEELING JAZZ CRAZY? CLICK HERE TO GIVE SOMETHING BACK TO THE MUSICIANS!
Another jazz gift from some brilliant musicians, ably captured by Rae Ann Berry!
MKG and Friends, on February 6, 2010, at the Sounds of Mardi Gras in Fresno, California.
That new acronym, translated, adds up to MARC Caparone, cornet; KATIE Cavera, guitar; GEORGIA Korba, bass; along with Mike Baird, alto sax; Chris Tyle, clarinet and vocal; Ray Skjelbred, trombone; Jeff Hamilton, drums; and Carl Sonny Leyland, piano.
They were intended to perform as a trio, but this happy aggregation just grew, in a friendly way. The overall ambiance reminds me of a late-Thirties record session (the Varsity Seven with Benny Carter, Joe Marsala, Coleman Hawkins, and George Wettling), or a Lionel Hampton Victor, perhaps a Keynote band — the same loose, groovy feeling. Two of the musicians are happily and ambitiously playing instruments they aren’t always associated with: Ray is well-known on piano, Chris on trumpet and drums. But their knowledge and love of the music comes through powerfully.
Speaking of “powerfully,” might I suggest that readers who aren’t on the West Coast or who aren’t familiar with his work need to pay close attention to Marc Caparone, whose hot playing is a highlight of this set and of the New El Dorado Jazz Band. Rough or polished, intense or pretty, he’s a great trumpet player, subtle or driving. He loves the obvious Masters, but you’ll hear a good deal of those glorious eccentrics Red Allen and Jim Goodwin in his ferocities.
And I’ve singled out the nifty Jeff Hamilton for praise at other times in this blog — but he’s having a wonderful time here, getting the sounds out of a drum kit that say Swing Is Here.
Here is a spirited reading of Walter Donaldson’s MY BUDDY, originally written as a lament — but that was before Hawk (in France) and Hamp (in the US) latched on to it. Wow!
Here’s another lament, defined by Katie Cavera as “the saddest song” she knows — NOBODY CARES IF I’M BLUE. It’s not true, Katie — we would worry about you if the lyrics were true. Could we make you some soup or a cup of tea?
I delight in her girlish angst, as if Annette Hanshaw had somehow found herself in the Vocalion studios circa 1937, and in the ghosts floating through this performance — not only Pee Wee Russell and Red Allen but Sandy Williams or J. C. Higginbotham.
DO YOU EVER THINK OF ME reminds me of Vic Dickenson, who liked it, and of Jon-Erik Kellso, who continues to do so. A rocking performance of a sweet old tune, it has the sound of a Condon Town Hall Concert — with Jeff’s splashing cymbal summoning up Mr. Dave Tough, his accents suggesting Wettling or Catlett.
Here’s something pretty and winsome from the singular Dawn Lambeth, who takes AS LONG AS I LIVE at the easy, convincing tempo she likes (with deep-down work from Marc, who seconds the emotions). Nobody sounds like Dawn, and the embellishments she creates in her second chorus are delightful:
Time for something slow and romantic, a dance for the lovers, explicated by Dawn: hold your Beloved tight as Dawn and the band do BLUE MOON:
For the pastoral poets among us, a song I associate with Duke Ellington, Louis and the Mills Brothers: IN THE SHADE OF THE OLD APPLE TREE. Dawn brings Nature inside for a few minutes:
A rocking boogie-inflected version of ST. LOUIS BLUES:
Finally, a swinging version of LINGER AWHILE, entirely in the spirit:
“Groovy!” I thought to myself, in its pre-1967 meaning. You could look it up.
More from the New El Dorado Jazz Band — at the Pismo, California, Dixieland Society “Sounds of Mardi Gras,” on February 6, 2010 — with Hal Smith (washboard), Clint Baker (clarinet, banjo, vocal), Marc Caparone (trumpet), Howard Miyata (trombone), Mike Baird (clarinet), Carl Sonny Leyland (piano), Katie Cavera (banjo), Georgia Korba (bass). Romping, one and all, and recorded by the apparently tireless Rae Ann Berry.
Here’s ALEXANDER’S RAGTIME BAND, with the verse:
Some mournful funk reminiscent of Bunk Johnson — STORYVILLE BLUES:
And the song W.C. Handy claimed as his own, named for a rocketing train, OLE MISS:
And a wonderful oddity — the Fifties pop song (think Nat Cole) MONA LISA, which was a real favorite for the New Orleans musicians, including George Lewis. Incidentally, this clip takes a minute before the video portion appears, so do not adjust your set:
Wonderful solos and ensemble drive — who could ask for more? And the second or third time you watch these clips, drinking in the music, you may find yourself observing the dancers off to the left of the stage. There are several well-behaved couples, but the person who drew me was a young woman with a cap on and a sleeveless blouse. Leaping like a Dixieland bunny, she didn’t need a partner to express her joy in the music.
Thanks to the energetic Rae Ann Berry, who took her nimble video camera to Fresno, California on February 6, 2010, for the Sounds of Mardi Gras (sponsored by the Fresno Dixieland Society), here are some lively videos of the New El Dorado Jazz Band, co-led by Hal Smith (on washboard) and Clint Baker (clarinet, banjo, vocals, and more) with HowardMiyata on trombone, Marc Caparone on trumpet, Mike Baird on clarinet, Katie Cavera on banjo, Carl Sonny Leyland on piano, Georgia Korba on bass — with a guest appearances by singer DawnLambeth and the multi-talented Jeff Hamilton.
Here they are on a romping BIG CHIEF BATTLE AXE, which Dawn once told me they called (privately) BIG CHEAP CADILLAC, a title I much prefer. Now the secret is out!
Here’s SNAG IT, a wonderful evocation of New Orleans – Chicago funk:
Marty Bloom’s improvisation on the theme of jazz sorrow, MELANCHOLY (with the verse):
Are you prey to violent urges? SHAKE IT AND BREAK IT might be the right theme music:
Jelly Roll Morton’s WININ’ BOY BLUES, at a splendid tempo, with Carl hilariously swerving around the more erotic lyrics not once but twice (send a quarter to this blog by email for the missing lines, if you’re over eighteen):
And a romping ORIENTAL MAN (which I would bet has wonderfully archaic and unpopular lyrics):
Here’s a delicious YOU’RE DRIVING ME CRAZY — even though Dawn’s microphone lets her down, the combination of her creamy legato approach and the band’s Louis / Moten riffs is irresistible:
In tribute to Papa Ray Ronnei, here’s his original, SALTY BUBBLE:
Here’s YOU ALWAYS HURT THE ONE YOU LOVE — a wonderful song but bad advice in personal relationships. Howard’s shifted over to the massive helicon, and Jeff Hamilton sits in on trombone (not his usual drums or piano — who knew?):
Carl Sonny Leyland can certainly rock the blues, as he does here — see how Hal Smith is enjoying the tempo even before the band joins in for SONNY’S BLUES:
And a nearly dangerous ONE SWEET LETTER FROM YOU, with Howard and Jeff continuing. This band delivers the mail for sure.
This band has recorded a CD for Clint’s BURGUNDY STREET RECORDS: if you’re lucky enough to see members of the band on gigs, I’m sure they’ll have some, and Hal Smith promises that it will soon be available through his website. (http://www.halsmithmusic.com/hals_cdpage.html.) I’m buying some copies!
Does anyone have the lyrics to ORIENTAL MAN? Or the original sheet music to share?
P.P.S. For no reasons aside from personal pleasure, I’d like to know the “reach” of this blogpost. Who’s watching these clips from far, far away? A prize to the most distant viewer . . . !
It has been nearly 40 years since I first heard the cornet magic of ‘Papa Ray’ Ronnei…
In the mid-‘60s I was a dedicated fan of the San Francisco style as played by Lu Watters, Turk Murphy, Bob Scobey, the Firehouse Five and…Vince Saunders’ South Frisco Jazz Band. In 1966 my parents had taken me to Huntington Beach, Californiawhere the South Frisco band played weekends at the ‘Pizza Palace’. We became instant fans of the SFJB after that first evening and made regular trips up from La Jolla to catch the band on weekends. The band members were especially kind to a young fan. Washboardist Bob Raggio, then an employee of Ray Avery’s ‘Rare Records’ was particularly helpful in locating several out-of-print Murphy and Watters LPs for me.
Late in 1967, Bob sent a note along with an LP he had found for me. The note mentioned that on the coming weekend, a ‘very special edition of the South Frisco band would perform at the Pizza Palace, with ‘Papa Ray’ Ronnei on cornet.’ I had heard of Ray Ronnei, but had not actually heard him play. 1 Even so, my parents accompanied me to Huntington Beach to hear the band.
At the Pizza Palace we settled in at a table, not knowing quite what to expect, when the band took off on ‘You Always Hurt The One You Love’. Ray Ronnei’s brassy, staccato attack and almost surrealistic phrasing was like nothing I had ever heard! 2 It was a glorious and unique sound; one I still have not recovered from! The tune selection was a radical departure from the San Francisco repertoire I was so used to: ‘Bogalusa Strut’, ‘Salutation March’, ‘Big Chief Battle Axe’, ‘One Sweet Letter From You’, ‘Ugly Chile’, ‘Blue Bells, Goodbye’, ‘Sweet Lotus Blossom’, ‘Bugle Boy March’ etc. This night at the Pizza Palacethe first time I had heard any of these numbers! 3
When the performance ended—much too soon to suit me!—we headed home to La Jolla. My head was spinning from the spellbinding sound of Ray Ronnei’s cornet. Despite my continuing interest in the San Francisco style, I wanted to hear this hornman again—as soon as possible! I did not have to wait too long, as South Frisco’s cornetist Al Crowne took a leave of absence from the band in 1968. His replacement: Ray Ronnei! My family made dozens of journeys north to Huntington Beach during Papa Ray’s tenure with the South Frisco in 1968-69.
The SFJB lineup varied during this period. 4 Trombonist Frank Demond moved to New Orleans and was replaced on by Eric Rosenau, then Roy Brewer. Mike Baird was usually on clarinet, though Jim Bogen and soprano saxophonist John Smith sometimes filled in for him. Ron Ortmann was the regular pianist, spelled at times by Dick Shooshan, Bill Mitchell and Robbie Rhodes. Tubist Bob Rann was usually present, with Mike Fay on string bass in Rann’s absence. Banjoist-leader Vince Saunders was a constant, as was washboardist Bob Raggio—until the latter moved to Pittsburgh to play at baseball star Maury Wills’ nightclub. But despite the shifting personnel, that distinctive cornet sound continued to ring joyously over the ensembles.
When the South Frisco repertoire expanded, three of the ‘new’ tunes—at least new to me—caught my fancy: ‘Here Comes The Hot Tamale Man’, ‘Messin’ Around’ (by Cook and St. Cyr) and ‘Flat Foot’. These three have been my favourite ‘trad’ numbers since hearing Papa Ray play them in 1968. Though Vince Saunders was the bandleader, he frequently let Papa Ray kick off tunes. The latter tended towards brisk tempos and kicked them off old-style, i.e. ‘one-two-three-four ONE! TWO! With only a little imagination I can still hear the powerful band roaring through all-ensemble versions of ‘Maple Leaf Rag’ and ‘Cakewalking Babies’ (with Papa Ray playing the same burst of capsicum on the outchorus that Mutt Carey played on the ‘New Yorkers’ record of the same tune). The South Frisco Jazz Band in 1968-69 was truly one of a kind.
In 1969, Papa Ray left the South Frisco group and Al Crowne returned. Earlier, the band recorded an LP for the Vault label entitled ‘Here Comes The Hot Tamale Man.’ Unfortunately, that LP has not yet been reissued on CD. However, Ted Shafer’s Merry Makers Record Company has released a CD of the South Frisco Band live at the Pizza Palace, recorded in 1968 by clarinetist Ron Going. This disc ‘tells the story’ of just how exciting a time 1968-1969 was for fans of Papa Ray’s cornet work.
While still a resident of Los Angeles, Papa Ray played with the Salutation Tuxedo Jazz Band, Crescent Bay Jazz Band and other groups. Before signing on with South Frisco, he worked with Ted Shafer’s Jelly Roll Jazz Band in the Bay Area. He returned to the Jelly Roll Jazz Band temporarily in 1969. I was able to enjoy his music via tapes made previously at the Pizza Palace, LPs by the El Dorado Jazz Band, Jelly Roll Jazz Band and the then-new South Frisco LP. On one occasion, our family was watching a San Francisco Seals hockey game on tv. After a Seals goal, a jazz band in the stands struck up ‘Hot Time In The Old Town Tonight’. Clarinetist Bob Helm and trombonist Bob Mielke were instantly identifiable, as was the peppery cornet—Papa Ray, of course!
I continued to see and hear Ray Ronnei on his visits to the L.A. area. Sometimes he would play at a Sunday-afternoon jam session at one of the local jazz societies. On one memorable occasion, I was asked to play a set with Papa Ray, Dan Barrett, Ron Going, Dick Shooshan, Doug Parker and veteran New Orleans bassist Ed Garland. I don’t have a recording of this session, but at least I got a photo!
Living away from California, I would hear occasional news concerning Ray’s appearances on various jobs. Later, there was a disheartening rumor that he had quit playing. I had the recordings to listen to, but still hoped to hear the ‘real thing’ again some day. In the early ‘90s I returned to California and wound up playing once a week at the ‘Hofbrau’ in Fullerton (Orange County), California. The bands in rotation at the time included Gremoli, Evan Christopher’s Quintet and my own Frisco Syncopators. One night, Mike Fay came to hear the band—with Papa Ray in tow! Ray looked the same as he had the last time I saw him, in the ‘70s. What a blast it was to see him, and in good health at that.
Later, when key personnel became unavailable to play the Hofbrau, the Frisco Syncopators gradually became the New Orleans Wanderers. Papa Ray was still making an occasional appearance at the club, though I had not been able to induce him to play. But Mike Fay stepped in, describing the band’s sound and repertoire and we managed to get Ray on cornet! With Alan Adams (trombone), Mike Baird (reeds), Vic Loring (banjo), Mike Fay (bass) and myself on drums, we hit ‘You Always Hurt The One You Love’. It unleashed a flood of happy memories, of good times at the Pizza Palace. And best of all, Ray had his lip and his drive. No one had to shoulder an extra load that night! I still don’t know why I didn’t take a tape recorder. Unfortunately, no one recorded us that night! The lack of recording is all the more unfortunate because Ray was unable to make the job on a regular basis. The Golden Eagles’ Ken Smith stepped in and became our regular hornman.
My last encounter with Papa Ray was in 1995, when the Wanderers recorded a session for release on cassette. We assembled in Mike Fay’s living room in Claremont, California and saw that a guest was settling in to listen to the session. Papa Ray was happy to see his musical friends and obviously enjoyed our performances. He would not join in on cornet, but we managed to coax him into singing ‘How Long Blues’, which was released on the cassette.
Since then, I continue to hear that Papa Ray has taken part in occasional sessions and the report invariably includes the line ‘He sounded as great as ever’. I am sure the reports are true. Hearing Papa Ray Ronnei on cornet has always been a magical experience; one of the biggest thrills I have experienced in jazz. To me, he will always be one of the greats!
Notes
I never heard the El Dorado Jazz Band in person. They played mostly in bars where a teenager could not enter, according to California state law. I bought the El Dorado Epitaph and Item-1 LPs after hearing Ray with the South Frisco band. The band finally broke up in mid-1966, but this ‘special edition’ of the South Frisco Jazz Band would be composed almost entirely of El Dorado veterans.
At the time I was unfamiliar with the recordings of Freddie Keppard, Abbie Brunies and especially Mutt Carey, who were the premier inspirations for Ray Ronnei. (Ray studied with Mutt Carey in the late ‘40s).
I discovered Bunk Johnson, George Lewis, Kid Ory and ‘British Trad’ after hearing this ‘New Orleans’ version of the South Frisco band. Bassist Mike Fay played that night, as did pianist Dick Shooshan. Besides hearing Ray Ronnei for the first time and hearing a wealth of ‘new’ tunes, this was my first exposure to New Orleans style string bass and Jelly Roll Morton type piano.
There were surely more substitutes and guests with the South Frisco Jazz Band during this period. My listing is based on those I actually heard, or who were recorded at the Pizza Palace.
P.S. Ray Ronnei, born in 1916, is happily still with us! Although he no longer plays the cornet, his composition SALTY BUBBLE can be heard in the 2009 Woody Allen film WHATEVER WORKS, and Ray plans to continue composing! The original recording can be purchased here: http://www.worldsrecords.com/pages/artists/r/ronnei_ray/ray_ronnei_64328.html
If, by this time, you are a little weary of FROSTY THE SNOWMAN and the remainder of the winter-holiday songbook, may I suggest this as an aesthetic panacea?
It’s Clint Baker’s New Orleans Jazz Band, recorded by Rae Ann Berry on December 20, 2009, at Pismo Beach, performing WHEN MY DREAMBOAT COMES HOME. Clint’s happy colleagues are Marc Caparone, trumpet; Dave Caparone, trombone; Mike Baird, alto sax; Carl Sonny Leyland, piano and vocal; Katie Cavera, banjo; Mike Fay, bass; Hal Smith, drums. Highlights for me are the friendly two-teumpet conversation at the start. Clint then shifts to trombone so that he and Dave can be a full section; Mike Baird sounds remarkably like Cap’n John Handy on alto; Carl shouts the vocal most endearingly, and that rhythm section rocks — at a tempo that’s not too slow and not too fast, either.
This clip led me into half an hour of etymological research into “dreamboat,” with the lexicographers getting the meanings right — the adored one or something that is adorable — but no one noticed that the song above was a hit in 1935 (music by Dave Franklin, lyrics by Cliff Friend). Whether lyric writers invent new idioms or they simply make effective use of them in their songs, I wouldn’t say, but having Bing Crosby record this tune for Decca meant that it came into the public consciousness — with versions by Jimmy Rushing with the Basie band, the Bob Crosby Bobcats, Tommy Dorsey, and even Fats Domino, Benda Lee, and Cliff Richard (!) to follow.
Whatever one might make of the etymology, I send the best romantic wishes to all my readers. May your dreamboat be close at hand, now and always. And if you are temporarily dreamboat-lacking, may (s)he come to you in 2010 or even earlier!
Postscripts: the American and British sheet music covers, (where “dream boat” is two words), to inspire you:
Just when I thought I had made the most of Rae Ann Berry’s video largesse, more clips emerged on YouTube — one of Dawn Lambeth singing AS LONG AS I LIVE with Clint Baker, Marc Caparone, Mike Baird, Carl Sonny Leyland, Katie Cavera, Mike Fay, and Hal Smith — the same devoted band of swinging individualists I praised in the recent post, NEW ORLEANS HOT SAUCE!
Dawn is one of my favorite singers — unaffected, swinging, and sincere, with a deep-hued voice that conveys emotional messages without strain or “acting.” I’ve heard her sing this Arlen classic at a more leisurely tempo, but here she rides the rhythm wave of the band with style. (Am I correct in thinking that AS LONG AS I LIVE is based on the harmonies of BASIN STREET BLUES? If so, it just testifies to Harold Arlen’s deep love and immersion in Hot Music.)
And I’d like Dawn and the rest of this band to be around a long long time — although I wouldn’t insist that they wear long underwear in the balmy breezes of Pismo Beach. Maybe they could take multivitamins instead?
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