Here’s the first part of a wonderful concert / dance created by Gordon Au’s Grand Street Stompers at Grand Central Station on May 5, 2016. The Stompers are Gordon (of course), trumpet, compositions / arrangements, vocal; Matt Koza, clarinet / soprano; Matt Musselman, trombone; Nick Russo, banjo / guitar; Rob Adkins, string bass.
And the second part!
I CRIED FOR YOU:
CRAZY:
YOU’RE NEVER FULLY DRESSED WITHOUT A SMILE:
RIVERBOAT SHUFFLE:
THE SOUND OF MUSIC:
LOUISIAN-I-A:
THE BALLAD OF BUS 38:
NAGASAKI:
And for the deep explication that Gordon only hints at, here’s his wonderfully elliptical blog, THAT OF LOWLY PWUTH. Yes, you did read that correctly.
And to think — before this, I’d thought of Grand Central Station simply as the eastern terminus of the Forty-Second subway shuttle, the “S” — not as a secret mecca for lyrical hot jazz. That’s New York City for you: one surprise tumbling in on another.
On May 5, 2016, Gordon Au and the Grand Street Stompers played a free concert / swing dance session at the dining concourse of Grand Central Station in New York City. The Stompers are Gordon, trumpet, vocal, arrangements / compositions; Matt Musselman, trombone; Matt Koza, clarinet / soprano; Nick Russo, banjo / guitar; Rob Adkins, string bass.
But first, a relevant tale (impatient readers have already skipped to the videos, which is their privilege). One of my literary heroes is the multi-faceted Irish writer “Frank O’Connor” — born Michael O’Donovan in Cork — who made a pilgrimage to James Joyce in Paris in the early Twenties. In Joyce’s apartment, O’Connor noticed a beautiful antique print of Cork City in a frame whose material he could not recognize. “What’s that?” he said to Joyce, pointing at the picture. “Cork,” said Joyce. “I know that,” said O’Connor. “What’s the frame?” “Cork,” said Joyce. “I had the greatest difficulty finding a French frame maker who would construct this.”
That story always amused me — although O’Connor also cited it as an example of Joyce’s peculiar associative mania — but it reverberated loudly in me when I had this rarest of opportunities to see and hear the Grand Street Stompers at Grand Central Station. “Where are we?” “Grand.” “Who’s playing?” “Grand,” and off into the darkness, although swinging mightily.
The Grand Street Stompers are a witty, light-hearted, versatile band. The solos illuminate the room; the ensemble passages are charmed and charming; Gordon’s originals have the lilting energy of songs that you’re sure you’ve heard already. At times, the GSS sounds like an ideal Louis Armstrong band — straddling 1925 and 1965 — in its sweet ebullience. Gordon’s imagination is large and occasionally whimsical, so the band plays Fifties pop, Twenties hot tunes, Disney classics, Broadway melodies, and originals — all of them fresh yet instantly classic.
Here’s the first half of the doubly Grand Event:
Not just a twelve-bar blues, Louis’ MAHOGANY HALL STOMP has its own routines, which the GSS negotiates stylishly:
Gordon’s own hummable SUNSET SERENADE:
BELLA NOTTE, from LADY AND THE TRAMP, music by Sonny Burke, lyrics by Peggy Lee — the image that comes to mind is two romantic canines delicately sharing a plate of spaghetti and meatballs:
Another Au hot tune, RIDGEWOOD STOMP:
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MADE, a song that everyone associates with Dinah Washington in the Fifties, but it is from 1934, originally in Spanish, by Maria Grever:
With Bechet in mind, Gordon’s SARATOGA SERENADE:
Frankie Valli’s CAN’T TAKE MY EYES OFF OF YOU:
BE OUR GUEST, from BEAUTY AND THE BEAST:
The Stompers are a busy band — you can see and hear why — and they appear everywhere, but in New York, in May 2016, this appearance at a swing dance session in Bryant Park might truly be special. Don’t miss a chance to hear them; as I write this, they will be lighting up the room at Radegast this very night.
And there’s a second eight performances from the Grand night of May 5, 2016, to come.
When Emily Asher announced a last-minute gig at Radegast, that cheerful Bierhalle in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, last Tuesday, I was eager to go. Three-quarters of the group was familiar to me — people / players I admire: Emily herself on trombone and vocal; Rob Adkins on string bass; Nick Russo on guitar and banjo. What added to the allure was the fourth member: trombonist Shannon Barnett, someone I didn’t think I knew. So . . . two trombones plus rocking rhythm. How could I be blue?
When I arrived at Radegast — and was directed to the back room, which is quiet and cozy — I met Shannon once again. Once again because we had encountered each other at the Home of Happy Ears (326 Spring Street) one Sunday night. After the band set up and played two numbers, I stepped forward and said to the front line, “Forgive me for getting in the way, but this isn’t just a session. This is A BAND!” They were obviously feeling the congenial vibrations too. The two trombonist heroines (from the States and from Australia) had never played together before; the music they made reinforces the idea of a swinging common language.
Both Emily and Shannon not only play but sing, so you will hear some charming, assured vocalizing. And I know they will have a wide repertoire — larger than these familiar tunes. There was talk of Jay and Kai compositions / arrangements. I’m looking forward to their next gig.
The only thing this band lacks is a NAME — I made some suggestions, which were met with kind amused attentiveness — but I am sure that the four inventive players will think of one that is both apt and witty. For now, just enjoy! Nick Russo swung things along as he always does, although his cap was more wintry than usual; Rob Adkins was playing his new string bass — with beautiful sound, fitting for such a thoughtful, swinging player.
SOME OF THESE DAYS:
SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY:
WHEN I GROW TOO OLD TO DREAM:
MOOD INDIGO:
DINAH:
SWEET SUE:
ROYAL GARDEN BLUES:
Both Emily and Shannon have websites — you can check them out on the JAZZ LIVES blogroll. And I know you’ll want to be on hand when this band — a precocious one for sure — turns one, two . . .
Yesterday, I wrote a very approving review of the new CD by the BABY SODA JAZZ BAND, which found them at Radegast in Brooklyn with a variety of players including Kevin V. Louis, Jared Engel, Kevin Dorn, Adrian Cunningham, Emily Asher, and Peter Ford — with guest appearances by Bria Skonberg, Will Anderson, Satoru Ohashi, and Ed Polcer. Here’s my blogpost. (In retrospect, I am sorry that I didn’t call it THAT’S SOME BABY, but it’s too late to change the title.)
Last Monday, October 15, it was raining vigorously in New York City, but I had found out that Baby Soda was going to be playing at the Highline — a combination difficult to resist. I packed my umbrella and appropriate shoes and headed west. Oh, I also brought my video camera, tripod, and trusty notebook. Thus, some fine new performances by Baby Soda . . . for your dining, dancing, and listening pleasure.
Peter Ford led the band from his one-string box bass (which he plays magnificently) and he sang with a sweet, focused surge; Gordon Au played soaring trumpet solos with every risk-taking note in place; Will Anderson built logical clarinet choruses, phrase upon sweet-toned phrase; Emily Asher held it all together with lovely terse trombone lines, then told us the truth when it was her time to solo or sing; Jared Engel kept the rhythm going on both plectrum banjo and lowboy cymbal . . . and the front line passed around one drumstick and a magic woodblock for spare but swinging rhythmic effects.
I don’t ordinarily post incomplete performances . . . but the second half of MUSKRAT RAMBLE was so satisfying that here it is:
As an acknowledgment of the general sogginess, Peter sang I GET THE BLUES WHEN IT RAINS — an overstatement, for the band was making people very happy:
ONCE IN A WHILE is, of course, the Louis Hot Five romp:
WHEN YOU WORE A TULIP, mixing nostalgia, romance, and botany, provoked an almost-band vocal (a power-packed two minutes!):
I GOT A RIGHT TO SING THE BLUES might have been true, but the band seemed happy to play this melancholy Arlen song:
MILENBERG JOYS — at a brimming tempo, never too fast:
MARIE, warbled by the eminent Miss Asher:
THAT’S A-PLENTY for sure:
JUST A LITTLE WHILE TO STAY HERE, that jazz carpe diem, was not the end of the world:
WRAP YOUR TROUBLES IN DREAMS — with no need to grumble about this band:
I went off after this session feeling so elated — Gene Kelly with a knapsack full of heavy video gear, very happy. Baby Soda can do that to you! And these performances sound as good at the eighth or ninth playing as they do at the first. I guarantee this.
Although the name BABY SODA conjures up weird visions of toddlers working their way through quart-sized paper cups of Diet Coke (tell me it’s all a dream?), the BABY SODA JAZZ BAND has no artificial ingredients and Science has shown that their joyous music extends rather than shortens human life. Here’s a recent sample — JAZZ ME BLUES from Stompology in Rochester, New York, recorded this June:
Their most recent disc is a delightful encapsulation of their essence. For those of my readers who doubt that they will get to the Radegast Bierhalle in Brooklyn any time soon, this disc can act as an effective flying carpet. For those familiar with the delights to be found there, this disc — with equally magic powers — can make a night at Radegast portable . . . compressing the whole experience so that it can reverberate through your earbuds or car audio system.
The music was recorded live on June 29, 2011, by an all-star cast: Emily Asher, trombone, vocal; Adrian Cunningham, clarinet, tenor saxophone; Kevin Dorn, drums; Jared Engel, plectrum banjo; Peter Ford, box string bass, vocal; Kevin V. Louis, cornet, vocals . . . and guests Will Anderson, clarinet; Satoru Ohashi, trumpet; Ed Polcer, cornet; Bria Skonberg, trumpet. The songs are YOU RASCAL YOU / WEARY BLUES / MARDI GRAS IN NEW ORLEANS / JUST A CLOSER WALK WITH THEE / WHEN YOU WORE A TULIP / WININ’ BOY BLUES / JOSHUA FIT THE BATTLE OF JERICHO / PALM COURT STRUT / SUGAR / NOBODY’S SWEETHEART / GLORY GLORY.
Now, I know that some readers — looking at the song list and not knowing many of the musicians — might sniff derisively and think, “Oh, New York Dixieland — the same routines I heard, better, in 1956 / 1971 / whenever.” Wrong. Sorry, but Wrong.
Most of the musicians in this band (with the exception of the Senior Ambassador, Mister Polcer) are still within hailing distance of their thirties, and they approach this music with a good deal of expert enthusiasm and precise vigor. They have heard the records but they are going for themselves, which is always a good thing. So rather than this being a routine gathering of players who can do BOURBON STREET PARADE in their sleep, this session conjures up much of the joyous unbridled energy of a New Orleans street band in this century. It isn’t Jazz By The Numbers. There is good humor, lyricism, and a deep understanding of jazz as a dance music with cadences designed to make Grandma get up and Shake That Thing.
For more information and delight, visit the BABY SODA homepage. And if you would like to buy the music in MP3 form, here is the link to do just that.
As a colleague of mine says (it’s her highest accolade), THEY ROCK.
Something good. And about time! It’s trombonist / singer / composer / arranger / bandleader Emily Asher’s debut CD, sweetly titled DREAMS MAY TAKE YOU.
Along with Emily, you will hear Wycliffe Gordon, on sousaphone and trombone; Bria Skonberg, trumpet, vocal; Philip Dizack, trumpet; Dan Levinson, tenor sax, clarinet; William Anderson, alto sax; Nick Russo, guitar, banjo; Gordon Webster, piano; Kelly Friesen, bass; Rob Adkins, bass; Kevin Dorn, drums; Rob Garcia, drums. For those of you familiar with the hot New York scene, those names are a guarantee of fine swinging inventive jazz.
Much of the repertoire would appear to be “good old good ones,” including SUNNY SIDE OF THE STREET and SOMEDAY YOU’LL BE SORRY, but the CD is anything but by-the-numbers. Emily is more than a fine trombonist and a sweetly winning singer: she is an imaginative musician, so the CD doesn’t bog down in the same thing; every track is its own vignette.
It begins with a romping version of ORY’S CREOLE TROMBONE, which Emily delivers with a fine gutty fervor (and her own version of a trombone cadenza). The soloists share Emily’s high-flying enthusiasm, and the rhythm sections couldn’t be better. So the chestnuts have a delightful 2012 Condonite bounce and looseness. The CD’s title comes from an Asher original — by Emily’s father — called LULLABY FOR A LITTLE ONE, on which Miss Asher sings with winsome charm. (And she knows when to leave an audience wanting more: the LULLABY is a delicious cameo, slightly over two minutes.) It’s followed by a New Orleans “second line” version of CHANGES MADE, which would cause the sedentary to start dancing. The original SWEET PEA is part cowboy-ballad, part rocking barcarolle, with touches of Fifties West Coast cool arranging. HEY, LOOK ME OVER is Emily’s childhood party piece — which begins in an easy waltz-time before morphing into sleek swing — that won me over when I saw her do it (with apt choreography) at Radegast. A streamlined EMPEROR NORTON’S HUNCH has shed all its two-beat trappings, and bursts forth gracefully. SUNNY SIDE OF THE STREET features the duet stylings of Asher and Skonberg — neatly warbling the hip variations I associate with John Birks Gillespie — before the ensemble gives way to a piano / trombone duet. Emily’s original GREAT BIG WALL will be the only song you know (I would guess) that mixes Latin rhythms and Middle Eastern tonalities. Successfully, I must add. YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE begins with a slide guitar / trombone duet and then blossoms, lyrically. MUSKRAT RAMBLE begins with the Hot Five introduction and rocks from the first note (not too slow, not too fast, either) — with a splendidly tapping drum solo by Kevin Dorn in the middle. SOMEDAY YOU’LL BE SORRY, taken at a brisk clip, is another trombone-piano outing, very delicate in its earnestness, with a straight-from-the-shoulder vocal by Emily, taking the lyrics with a gentle seriousness that would have pleased its creator. And the disc ends with LIMEHOUSE BLUES, a version that had the energy of the World’s Greatest Jazz Band of fabled memory.
Nothing’s dull or forced on this CD: it’s one of those rare creations where you want to play it over again when it ends.
I couldn’t attend Emily’s May 29 CD release party at Radegast — a true Garden Party, I hear — but the CD is its own jubilant party. You can purchase one here — either as a digital download or a physical CD.
And the GP will be strolling around the New Jersey Jazz Society’s JAZZFEST on Saturday, June 16, which begins at noon and ends at 9 PM. And when Emily and company need a rest, you can hear Jon Burr, Lynn Stein, Andy Farber’s Swing Mavens featuring Champian Fulton, the Harlem Renaissance Orchestra, the Tony DeSare trio, Eddie Monteiro, Swingadelic, and more. Tickets can be ordered at 908.273.7827 or online at http://www.njjs.org.
How lucky we are to have these young cats swinging out for us! Those of us who can get to Radegast know what I mean — the delicious combination of hot music among friends, with a side order of swing dancing, uplifting food and drink.
If you’ve never been to Radegast, it is well worth the trip — a spiritual oasis of its own singular kind, where the ambient music is often Sidney Bechet, Walter Page, and Jonah Jones. The Radegast Hall and Biergarten — to give it its formal appellation — is located at 113 North 3rd Street Brooklyn, NY 11211 — parking is easy at night. Click here to see their schedule of hot bands.
Here are four performances from Wednesday, April 18, 2012 — to lift you up and get you in the groove in the best way. The Elevators are Gordon Au, trumpet, compositions, arrangements; Matt Musselman, trombone; Dennis Lichtman, clarinet; Peter Maness, string bass; Davy Mooney, guitar; Tamar Korn, vocal.
Let’s start with a genuine Thirties love song written by Gordon Au in the twenty-first century, SOMEHOW THE WORLD HAS TURNED UPSIDE-DOWN, with vocalizing by Tamar:
Then, a sweetly romping 1931 favorite — uplifting even if you put stevia in your latte: WHEN I TAKE MY SUGAR TO TEA:
A spicy Latin-flavored MUSKRAT RAMBLE:
And an encouragement to be candid. IT’S A SIN TO TELL A LIE, you know:
Good deal!
These musicians are playing gigs all over — so be sure to get on their email lists / websites / Facebook pages to keep up with them. The people who lament the aging audience for jazz, the sad necrology of the music . . . come hear this band: they are the past, present, future rolling on!
Perhaps my title is slightly inaccurate. I didn’t see this brass band coming down the street; rather, they slowly and cheerfully assembled themselves on the imagined bandstand of Radegast Bierhalle in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, around nine o’clock on Wednesday, March 7, 2012.
But they were a stirring group. No surprise, because Gordon Au was in charge (he wields his power very lightly and politely) of this different-yet-exhilarating version of the Grand Street Stompers. Different in that the front line was entirely brass — not brassy, but three players of brass instruments: Gordon on cornet; Jim Fryer on trombone and euphonium; Matt Musselman on trombone, with a rhythmic rhythm section of Nick Russo, banjo; Peter Maness, string bass; Giampaolo Biagi, drums. They rocked, they strode, they created a joyous atmosphere. And the two trombones gave this band a solid center that delighted me — especially since Jim and Matt are wonderful ensemble players, skilled at dancing around the other horns with great grace. For me, it summoned up sweet memories of one of the first jazz groups I ever saw in concert — the World’s Greatest Jazz Band at a 1969 New York City concert steered by Dick Gibson (Zoot, Al, and Joe Newman were in one group) featuring the trombone duo of Vic Dickenson and Eddie Hubble, memorably.
At the end of this set, I left to get some sleep before my appointed rounds began on Thursday morning, but I asked Gordon if he would consider other unusual balances and instrumentations for the GSS, since this one was a honey. We shall see! Gordon called an easy one to start, but a meaningful choice. Even though he is a young man, he understands something about jazz’s responsibility to remind people that life is finite and you had better have a good time — so CABARET, a Broadway-via-Christopher Isherwood carpediem, made sense to set the mood of the evening. It also harks back to everyone’s patron Saint, Mister Armstrong . . . it’s impossible for me to hear this song without thinking of Louis, which is always a good thing:
To quote Cootie Williams, “Ain’t the gravy good?”
I wouldn’t be surprised if Gordon is telepathic, for he certainly seemed to be reading my mind. LIMEHOUSE BLUES, with the verse, was the feature number when I saw Vic and Eddie Hubble with the WGJB, so I was more than pleased to hear it here:
On the theme of psychic abilities . . . there’s a lady they call THE GYPSY. Thank you, Louis! And thank you, GSS — Jim Fryer’s euphonium sound is good enough to eat:
The GRAND STREET Stompers then launched into CANAL STREET BLUES — a geographical paradox that upset no one::
And here’s Gordon’s winning original, ONCE, DEAR:
I was thrilled to hear I MAY BE WRONG — memories of the John Kirby Sextet and (more memorably for me) a 1960 recording of the song by Joe Thomas, Pee Wee Russell, Vic Dickenson . . . on Prestige-Swingville:
Without a hint of uncertainty, the GSS proceeded to light up Charlie Shavers’ UNDECIDED:
And going back to Louis — BLUEBERRY HILL:
It was a wonderful set by a wonderful band . . . .
The title for this post isn’t my enthusiastic invention. The very creative Peter Ecklund came over to me to say hello during a set break while the GSS were playing at Radegast (Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York) and his first words were “Isn’t this a wonderful band?” I agreed — and the fact that he phrased it as a rhetorical question takes nothing away from its truth.
Peter was speaking of Gordon Au’s Grand Street Stompers — who, for their Dec. 13, 2011, holiday visitation, were made up of composer / arranger / trumpeter Gordon; reedman Matt Koza; trombonist Emily Asher; guitarist Davy Mooney; bassist Debbie Kennedy; singer Molly Ryan. (Also in the house were friends Marianne Mangan and Robert Levin. And the Official GSS Person, Veronica Lynn Day.)
You’ll find so much to admire here: the swing, the arrangements and compositions; the hot / sweet soloing and singing. I especially admire Gordon’s originals: they lilt and trot like the best jazz tunes or pop songs of the past (I find myself humming them — a sure sign of permanence!) but they take unusual twists: they don’t follow formulaic paths — melodically or harmonically. We begin with three — ranging from a hot march to two rhythm ballads. Then there are pretty vocals by Molly Ryan, ukulele and whistling from Peter Ecklund, and the casually intense playing by every member of this band. They are indeed wonderful!
PISMO BEACH PARADE:
SARATOGA SERENADE:
I want to know what Gordon’s title ONCE, DEAR means. Is it “once” as in a numerical concept, or is it “once,” referring to the past? If I know, then I can begin to whimsically compose the lyrics in my head, without ever expecting to hear anyone sing them:
I have had a soft spot for SHE’S A GREAT, GREAT GIRL for thirty-five years, ever since I heard it on a Jack Teagarden RCA Victor Vintage compilation — with Jack’s solo bursting out in the open (with great sympathetic assistance from Vic Berton’s tympani). But I am also fond of the vocal version I heard in the last year or two, where the male singer, obviously besotted beyond reason by the Girl he loves, offers to “give up golfing, even give up my meals,” if he could only hear “the tap-tap of her heels.” Not bad for late Twenties pop song lyrics, I vow:
AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’ — sweetly sung by our own Molly Ryan and strummed by Peter Ecklund:
Molly says I’LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS:
Peter Ecklund is one of the great whistlers I know (along with John Reynolds) and it was a treat to hear him breathe new life into SWEET SUE:
And — as a joint tribute to Walt Disney, Louis Armstrong, and a man in a bear suit — Molly tells us all about the BARE NECESSITIES:
A good time can be had by all: just appear where Gordon Au’s Grand Street Stompers (or perhaps one of the smaller versions) are playing.
Trumpeter / composer / arranger Gordon Au is a generous person, and so I was delighted to be in the room wtih a video camera when it was time to celebrate him. But it happened in a delightfully subversive way. I was on hand last Wednesday night, October 19, 2011, which happened to be Gordon’s birthday. (I don’t know the exact number of years he has amassed, but it can’t be all that many.) But I hadn’t driven all the way into Williamsburg for a slice of cake. Something better! Gordon’s Grand Street Stompers were playing. That night, the Stompers were Dennis Lichtman (clarinet); Matt Musselman (trombone); Nick Russo (banjo, guitar); Rob Adkins (string bass); Tamar Korn (vocal).
Late in the evening, Nick Russo pulled me aside to let me know a happy plot was hatching — the results of which you’ll see in the video below. The song was CAN’T TAKE MY EYES OFF OF YOU — which was appropriate, because if you turn away, you’ll miss Gordon’s expressions as the band makes a sharp right turn into HAPPY BIRTHDAY.
Dancer, photographer, and dance scholar Lynn Redmile was there also, and (at my request) she provided this valuable annotation:
The shenanigans started with Matt at 1.55 but Gordon only realized at 2.05 (his face was priceless). His girlfriend Veronica Lynn (tap dancer extraordinaire) came through with the cake, and the jam started at 3.20. Jennifer Sowden started the jam with Gordon, followed by Shana Kalson (Gordon doing some great Charleston with her), then Michelle de Castro, Tamar Korn, and finally Veronica Lynn.
Happy birthday, dear Gordon Au! Thanks for all you have given us, and we look forward to much more through many happy years.
Last Wednesday, April 20, 2011, I made the now familiar trip to the Radegast Bierhall (131 North 3rd Street, corner of Berry in Brooklyn, New York) to enjoy one of my favorite bands — trumpeter Gordon Au’s Grand Street Stompers — with the alwys surprising Tamar Korn.
Nick Russo (guitar and banjo) and Rob Adkins (bass) swung out, keeping it all together; the front line was Gordon (trumpet, compositions, arrangements, and quiet moral leadership), Matthew Koza (clarinet), Will Anderson (tenor saxophone).
And here are the festivities, in living HD.
Gordon delights in the songs from certain Disney films, with justification — they’re good songs with good associations. I connect BARE NECESSITIES with Louis.
I told Gordon about seeing Louis on television around 1968, singing and playing this song, and (someone’s idea of a clever visual pun) a man in a bear suit came out, danced around Louis, and the bear and Louis may even have performed a little twirl on camera. Radegast hasn’t yet had anyone come in dressed as a bear; perhaps it will happen. Bears love sausage, as do men dressed in bear suits:
SHE’S CRYIN’ FOR ME is a New Orleans favorite, composed (I believe) by Santo Pecora, although it was originally called GOLDEN LEAF STRUT, a reference to muta, muggles, or shuzzit:
I never get tired of hearing WRAP YOUR TROUBLES IN DREAMS, especially when Tamar sings its message of optimism and resilience:
WHILE THEY WERE DANCING AROUND is a new old favorite, dating from 1913, a song Gordon has revived with the GSS (splendidly on their new CD . . . soon to be available where better books and records are sold):
EXACTLY LIKE YOU is from 1930 but still seems fresh, and its message, that the Beloved is precisely the person of our dreams, never gets stale:
BE OUR GUEST is another Disney creation, this time from BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. I love Gordon’s mock-symphonic treatment, full of crescendo and decrescendo, and all those Italian words. And the key changes. Can I be the only person who thinks this line is close to WHEN YOU’RE SMILING?:
I’M COMIN’ VIRGINIA is one of the loveliest songs about going back home to Dixie, and it calls up memories of Bix, Tram, and Jimmy Rushing:
AVALON reminds me of Puccini (and a lawsuit), Al Jolson, the Benny Goodman Quartet, and of course of Miss Korn:
At points, WALTZ OF THE FLOWERS sounds so much like A MONDAY DATE (or MY MONDAY DATE) that Earl Hines should have sued Tschaikovsky for plagiarism:
Think of how much the previous century and this one owe to Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler while you listen to I’VE GOT THE WORLD ON A STRING:
CRAZY EYES is a silly, frisky Gordon Au love song — it would have been a huge hit in 1936, wouldn’t it?:
And while you’re up, give thanks to Irving Berlin, too, for THE SONG IS ENDED and more:
Gordon comes across splendidly — his swing, feeling, and wit — on this glowing, memorable CORNET CHOP SUEY:
LINGER AWHILE is both a sweet sentiment and a swinging song:
Although some of the lyrics of the Disney songs seem too hopeful for reality, I wouldn’t argue with the idea of A DREAM IS A WISH YOUR HEART MAKES, which begins in sweet 3 / 4 before becoming a delicately swinging rhythm ballad:
As I write this, it’s gray outside. But in the world conjured up by Dorothy Fields and Jimmy McHugh, the SUNNY SIDE OF THE STREET (at a nice bouncy 1938 Louis tempo) is only a few steps away:
Rather than end the evening with something uptempo, Tamar suggested the wistful and romantic A KISS TO BUILD A DREAM ON, which would be a lovely song even if it didn’t make us think of Louis. I think that she is expanding her emotional awareness and taking more chances — not that she was a timid singer to begin with:
This posting contains a large number of video performances — too many to be absorbed at a single sitting? But I couldn’t stand to leave any of them in my camera. Not sharing them would have seemed selfish.
If you close your eyes, something interesting might happen. Listen deeply.
Last Thursday, I made a pilgrimage to Williamsburgh in Brooklyn, New York, and eventually arrived at RADEGAST, a beer garden on the corner of Berry and North Third Streets. The Grand Street Stompers were playing: they are directed by trumpeter Gordon Au (always a good thing) and this edition was all-star: Emily Asher, trombone; Dennis Lichtman, clarinet; Nick Russo, guitar / banjo; Rob Adkins, bass. And Tamar Korn sang.
But.
Before anyone embarks on the first video, the viewers I call the Corrections Officers should know that Radegast is the darkest club I have ever been in. Cozy but Stygian. My video camera was not entirely happy. So the result is nocturnal, visually.
Also, the dance floor in front of me was properly filled with dancers: once your eyes get accustomed to the whirling shadows you can discern the most graceful pair, in harmony with each other and the music.
Because of the season, Gordon chose to play I SAW MOMMY KISSING SANTA CLAUS. Leaving aside the psychological associations: adultery, roleplay with costumes, the primal scene, love-for-sale . . . it’s a Thirties tune that I can hear in my head as a Teddy Wilson Brunswick . . . or what would Fats have done with this? This version has some of the rocking motion of a Goodman Sextet circa 1941, thanks to Nick and Dennis; also echoes of a Fifties date for, say, Ruby Braff and Benny Morton, courtesy of Gordon, Emily, and Rob:
The same flavors continue into I’M CONFESSIN’ — with the addition of the remarkable Tamar Korn, singing from her heart while standing to the left of Rob’s bass. Catch the whimsical contrast between Tamar’s air-trajectories and Gordon’s muted answers: is he our modern Hot Lips Page? And Emily Asher’s tone gets bigger, broader, and more lovely every time I hear her:
With music like this, who couldn’t weather the storm? Homage to Irving Berlin and more of that Thirties combination of sweet-tart vocals and hot playing, I’VE GOT MY LOVE TO KEEP ME WARM. I’ve always admired Tamar as a singer who doesn’t cling to safe routines, and her reach continues to expand into space:
I knew the next performance was Serious Business when someone turned on the light above the music stand. I didn’t immediately recognize the pretty melody Dennis was delicately playing, but I knew I had heard it once. Then Gordon braved the way into . . . . THE SOUND OF MUSIC, which came back to me from 1962. As the performance progressed and everyone relaxed (Rodgers’ melody takes a few unexpected turns), I had a different aural epiphany.
Joe Glaser, Louis Armstrong’s manager, was obsessed with the quest for more popular hits for Louis. Sometimes this worked: consider MACK THE KNIFE and HELLO, DOLLY! But Joe missed this one! I can hear an imagined All-Stars version of this song (with banjo) that would have been extraordinary. And Gordon might have felt it too, as he launched into his solo with a passage that suggests Louis — hinting at the bluesy flourishes of the Hot Seven and the cosmic scope of the 1932 Victor sides. Then Nick’s chimes before settling into a very non-von Trapp Family (say that three times) segment backed by Rob’s Hintonian bass. Hear and see for yourself:
Tamar returned, for one of her classics — LOVER, COME BACK TO ME — that would have pleased Sigmund Romberg, especially if he’d had some of the delicious German beer that Radegast offers all and sundry. And she swings out on invisible trumpet (meeting Gordon’s!) in her second outing.
But I have to apologize to the gifted tenor saxophonist who appeared to the right and began to swing out. Who are you, kind Sir? Are you the ghost of Dick Wilson?
Finally, in honor of the season and of Elvis, Tamar creates a mourning rockabilly interlude in BLUE CHRISTMAS, with Nick going a-sliding along. (I can hear Louis and Trummy Young doing this one, too. Where was Joe Glaser?):
I hope the only thing of yours that’s blue this holiday season is the sky. Or socks, lingerie, or a fleece sweatshirt!
I CRIED FOR YOU:
JAZZ LIVES 