text:
Бетмен () амерички је суперхеројски филм из 2022. године. Темељи се на истоименом лику -{DC Comics}--а. Филм су продуцирали -{DC Films}-, -{6th & Idaho}- и -{Dylan Clark Productions}-, а дистрибуирао га је -{Warner Bros. Pictures}-. Рибут је филмске франшизе Бетмен. Редитељ филма је Мет Ривс, по сценарију који је написао с Питером Крејгом. Роберт Патинсон глуми Бруса Вејна / Бетмена. Споредне улоге играју Зои Кравиц, Пол Дејно, Џефри Рајт, Џон Туртуро, Питер Сарсгард, Енди Серкис и Колин Фарел. Филм је смештен током друге године Бетменове борбе против криминала и прати га док истражује корупцију Готам Ситија и суочава се са Загонетачем, серијским убицом опседнутим загонеткама.

Након што је добио улогу Бетмена у филму Бетмен против Супермена: Зора праведника (2016), Бен Афлек је започео развој самосталног филма о Бетмену унутар -{DC}--јевог проширеног универзума (-{DC}-ЕУ), са Џефом Џоунсом и планирао је да буде редитељ, сценариста, продуцент и главни глумац, али се одустало од пројекта. Мет Ривс је преузео улогу редитеља и сценаристе следећег месеца и уредио је причу, прекинувши везу са -{DC}-ЕУ. Настојао је да истражи Бетменову детективску страну више од претходних филмова, црпећи инспирацију из филмова и стрипова из 1970-их, као што су "Прва година" (1987) и Его (2000). Патинсон је у мају 2019. потписан за главну улогу, док су остали глумци најављени крајем 2019. године. Филм је сниман у Уједњеном Краљевству и Чикагу током јануара и марта 2021. године.

Премијера филма била је у Лондону 23. фебруара 2022. године, а у биоскопима је објављен 4. марта. Два пута је одложен од првобитног датума објављивања у јуну 2021. због пандемије ковида 19. -{Blitz Film & Video Distribucija}- је објавио филм у биоскопима у Србији 3. марта 2022. године. Филм је добио позитивне критике уз похвале за глумачке изведбе, акционе сцене и причу, иако су неки критиковали трајање. Намера је да се покрене заједнички универзум о Бетмену, са два планирана наставка и две спиноф телевизијске серије за -{HBO Max}-.

Радња
На Ноћ вештица, градоначелника Готама, Дона Мичела млађег, убио је човек који себе назива Загонетач. Повучени милијардер Брус Вејн, који већ две године ради као осветник познат као Бетмен, истражује овај случај заједно са полицијском управом Готама. Поручник Џејмс Гордон открива поруку коју је Загонетач оставио Бетмену. Загонетач убија комесара Пита Севиџа и оставља још једну поруку Бетмену.

Бетмен и Гордон откривају да је Загонетач оставио УСБ диск у Мичеловом аутомобилу са сликама Мичела са женом, Аником Кослов, у ноћном клубу "Ледени брег", којим управља Пингвин, мафијашки поручник Кармајна Фалконеа. Док Пингвин тврди да не зна ништа о овој афери, Бетмен примећује да Селина Кајл, Аникина цимерка и пријатељица, ради у клубу као конобарица. Када Аника нестане, Бетмен шаље Селину назад у ноћни клуб по одговоре и открива да је Севиџ био на Фалконеовом платном списку, као и окружни тужилац Гил Колсон.

Загонетач отима Колсона, причвршћује му темпирану бомбу са крагном на врат и шаље га да прекине Мичелову сахрану. Када Бетмен стигне, Загонетач га зове преко Колсоновог телефона и прети да ће детонирати бомбу ако Колсон не одговори на три загонетке. Колсон одбија да одговори на трећу — име доушника који је полицији дао информације које су довеле до историјског хапшења трговаца дрогом које је окончало операције мафијаша Салватореа Маронија — и умире. Бетмен и Гордон закључују да је доушник можда Пингвин и прате га до посла са дрогом. Откривају да је Маронијева операција пребачена на Фалконеа, уз учешће многих корумпираних службеника полиције. Селина их нехотице разоткрива када стигне да украде новац и открива Аникин леш у гепеку аутомобила. После потере, Бетмен хвата Пингвина, али сазнаје да он није доушник.

Бетмен и Гордон прате Загонетачев траг до рушевина сиротишта које су финансирали Брусови убијени родитељи, Томас и Марта Вејн, где сазнају да је Загонетач љут на породицу Вејн. Брусов батлер и чувар, Алфред Пениворт, хоспитализован је након што је отворио писмо-бомбу упућену Брусу. Загонетач пушта доказе да је Томас, који се кандидовао за градоначелника пре него што је убијен, унајмио Фалконеа да убије новинара који је претио да ће открити детаље о Марти и историји менталних болести њене породице. Брус, који је одрастао верујући да је његов отац морално исправан, суочава се са Алфредом. Алфред тврди да је Томас само тражио од Фалконеа да запрети новинару у тишини; Томас је планирао да пријави себе и Фалконеа полицији када је сазнао да је Фалконе уместо тога убио новинара. Алфред верује да је Фалконе убио Томаса и Марту да би то спречио.

Селина открива Бетмену да је Фалконе заправо њен отац, који ју је занемаривао. Она планира да га убије након што је сазнала да је задавио Анику јер јој је Мичел рекао да је Фалконе доушник. Бетмен и Гордон стижу на време да је зауставе, али Загонетач убија Фалконеа док су га приводили. Загонетач је разоткривен као форензички рачуновођа Едвард Нештон и затворен је у државну болницу Аркам, где говори Бетмену да га је он инспирисао да убија корумпиране. Бетмен сазнаје да је Нештон поставио ауто-бомбе по Готаму и да је позвао своје онлајн пратиоце да убију новоизабрану градоначелницу Белу Реал.

Бомбе уништавају морски зид око Готама и преплављују град. Нештонови следбеници покушавају да убију Реалову, али их заустављају Бетмен и Селина. Након тога, Нештон се спријатељи са још једним затвореником, док Селина сматра да Готам није могуће спасити и одлази. Бетмен помаже у опоравку града и обећава да ће улити наду у Готам.

Улоге

|-
| Роберт Патинсон || Брус Вејн / Бетмен
|-
| Зои Кравиц || Селина Кајл / Жена-мачка
|-
| Пол Дејно || Едвард Нештон / Загонетач
|-
| Џефри Рајт || Џејмс Гордон
|-
| Џон Туртуро || Кармајн Фалконе
|-
| Питер Сарсгард || Гил Колсон
|-
| Енди Серкис || Алфред Пениворт
|-
| Колин Фарел || Освалд Коблпот / Пингвин
|-
| Џејми Лосон || Бела Реал
|-
|}

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Филмови 2022.
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Амерички суперхеројски филмови
Амерички акциони филмови
Амерички криминалистички филмови
Амерички филмски трилери
Амерички детективски филмови
Филмови о Бетмену
Филмови по стрипу
Амерички 3Д филмови
3Д филмови 2022.
ИМАКС филмови
4DX филмови
Филмови студија Warner Bros.
Филмови Blitz-а
Филмови Мета Ривса
Филмови за које је музику компоновао Мајкл Ђакино


text:
Q: What's the meaning of "is there any other way to see it?"
A: Are you saying accepting your help obligates me?
B: ls there any other way to see it?
A: No.

I found this line from the movie, As Good As It Gets, and I'm curious about this phrase "Is there any other way to see it".
Does it mean 'please don't distort my intention. Please see it in other ways'?

A: As always, context is everything.  "A" here is the character Carol Connelly (Helen Hunt), and "B" is the character Melvin Udall (Jack Nicholson) in the film As Good As It Gets.  Udall is an obsessive compulsive whose mental problems have stunted him emotionally, making it impossible for him to relate to other people.
When Carol asks Melvin whether her accepting his help obligates her, she's being incredulous.  In normal human interaction, people often offer their help to others freely.  But Melvin, not having normal emotional capacity, not only thinks that Carol's accepting his help obligates her to him, he can't think of any other possibility.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Teaching Artist Spotlight – Nick Hrutkay
By Ariel Cianfarano Uncategorized No Comments
Nick Hrutkay, Teaching Artist Q&A About Nick: "I'm a director and arts educator native to Pittsburgh where I'm currently the Founding Artistic Director of a new company called Underscore Theater,…
Teaching Artist Spotlight – Tru Verret-Fleming
Tru Verret-Fleming, Teaching Artist Q&A About Tru: "I'm a singer, actor, teaching artist, adjunct professor, and all-around entertainer originally from Bridgeport, CT. I've been living in Pittsburgh since 2010, and…
Teaching Artist Spotlight – Jennifer Tober
Jennifer Tober, Director of Education Q&A About Jenn: "I was born in Philadelphia, went to Temple University and West Virginia University for Theatre Performance, and then lived in New…
A Note from Quantum on Vaccination
By Stewart Urist Uncategorized One Comment
Dear Friends, I write as we open An Odyssey in the wide open air of Schenley Park, braving the elements without a tent, as we've done many times before. It...
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – Pittsburgh theater's best shows live and online in 2020 and '21
The season of ho ho ho and "Christmas Carols" is at a close, but the hourglass does not run out on best-of lists until we show our appreciation for Pittsburgh…
Medium – Quantum Theatre's "Chimerica" — Brave in a New World
Quantum Theatre presents Chimerica by Lucy Kirkwood, directed by Karla Boos, art direction by Susan Tsu at the Maverick Hotel, 120 S. Whitfield Ave. 15206 through Dec. 19, 2021. I anticipate…
The Pittsburgh Tatler – "Chimerica" at Quantum Theatre
The spine of the story in Lucy Kirkwood's award-winning 2013 play Chimerica is relatively simple: an American photographer who captured the iconic image of an unknown man standing in front of a…
Entertainment Central – Quantum's 'Chimerica' Hits Us Where We Live
In Greek mythology, the Chimera was a multi-headed monster. Lucy Kirkwood's play Chimerica depicts the world's two current superpowers, China and America, as a multi-headed monster. Quantum Theatre is staging Chimerica in Pittsburgh through…
Local Pittsburgh – Quantum Theatre's CHIMERICA brews tantalizing blend of history and myth
LOOKING TO WIND DOWN a politically edgy year with a rousing nightcap of insightful, timely and provocative Live Theatre? The new Quantum Theatre production of Lucy Kirkwood's 2013 play Chimerica provides that, along with…
CityPaper – Quantum Theatre searches for Tank Man with Chimerica
The once-bustling Ace Hotel in East Liberty has sat dormant for over a year. This is partly because of the pandemic, which put a stop to the kind of travel,…

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
340.1115A/3: Telegram
[Received September 16—10:45 a.m.]
2000. Your 920, September 14, 5 p.m. I am, of course, exceedingly grateful for the effort the Department is making to provide emergency shipping for the repatriation of American citizens urgently desiring to leave the scene of war for the United States. I believe I understand the difficulties you have had to face.
I have noted attentively the words in the last paragraph of the Department's telegram under reference with regard to the last westbound sailing of the Manhattan "with approximately 200 passengers under capacity". That ship sailed from Havre on September 1st before war had actually been declared. The manager of the United States Lines in France sold for that sailing every bed which had been allotted his office. It seems to me that we should not accept a statement that this ship sailed with approximately 200 passengers under capacity as indicative of a lack of demand for space at that time. It is also not clear what the author of that statement regards as the capacity of the ship and whether he is referring to a theoretical or a practical capacity. We do know that the ship sailed from South hampton with 450 passengers more than it had ever carried before; that theoretically it would have been possible to wedge more passengers on board by process of placing strangers in cabins with married couples mixing men and women indiscriminately and insisting that the 20 Congressmen on board accept strangers in their cabins.
I am told [no?] practical steamship authority ever hopes to fill a vessel to its theoretical capacity either as regards passengers or cargo. There is always the possibility of the last minute failures to arrive because of illness, rail connections, et cetera. We do know that the next sailing of the lines the Washington carried 1753 passengers with a theoretical capacity of 1780.
I hope, therefore, that the Department will not conclude from the statement in question which was undoubtedly made by some well-meaning person that the thousands of nervous Americans then awaiting sailing disdained even a cot in one of the public rooms of the Manhattan.
The same paragraph also contains a reference to the last westbound sailing of the Exchorda with 25 vacant places. I am informed by the Consulate at Marseille that the Exchorda sailed with 175 passengers. The office at Marseille booked passengers for all places allotted by the company to that office. It is understood that two passengers failed to make connections and were left behind. The Genoa office of the American Export Lines, it is understood, controls the booking of space and can undoubtedly explain why the theoretical passenger capacity of the vessel was not attained.
The Department's telegram under reference makes no mention of provisions to be made for Latin Americans. I should be grateful for the Department's further advice as to what I should now say to my Latin American colleagues, all of whom, to my great embarrassment, have been and are calling me daily for specific information as to when ships to evacuate their nationals will arrive.


text:
Woman in viral video, swimming in York street in her underwear, cited by police
The woman from Conewago Township was cited with public drunkenness and disorderly conduct.
Woman in viral video, swimming in York street in her underwear, cited by police The woman from Conewago Township was cited with public drunkenness and disorderly conduct. Check out this story on ydr.com: https://www.ydr.com/story/news/crime/2018/07/20/viral-video-woman-playing-her-underwear-street-rain-storm-cited-police-york-city/798269002/
Teresa Boeckel, York Daily Record Published 4:45 p.m. ET July 20, 2018 | Updated 4:46 p.m. ET July 20, 2018
On a regular day, York County 911 gets between 1,100 and 1,200 calls. Here's what happens when you call 911. Sean Heisey, York Daily Record
Police news(Photo: Stock)
A woman seen in a viral video playing in the rain in her underwear in the middle of a York street on Tuesday has been cited by police.
Michele Kowalski, 44, of the 5100 block of the Susquehanna Trail in Conewago Township, was cited with public drunkenness and disorderly conduct.
The video, which was posted publicly and shared on the Fixing York Facebook page, showed a woman in her bra and underwear playing in the puddles in the street during a rainstorm on Tuesday.
The video, taken from inside a vehicle, shows the car approaching the woman. "What are you doing?" one person says. The woman in the street turns and says something to the occupants of the car, but it's inaudible. She points in another direction.
"Nooo," those inside the car respond.
A man who posted the video on Facebook declined to comment.
More: Best friends: Detective Prince, Officer Musselman of West York PD join Lip Sync Battle
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More: Why was naked man in road? 'Partying hard,' cops say
York City Police say the incident happened just before 3 p.m. Tuesday in the 600 block of West Mason Avenue. She was running on porches and on the road in her bra and underwear. Her breath smelled of alcohol, and she was slurring her speech, the citation states.
Kowalski had been cited early Tuesday morning, too, in the same neighborhood.
In that case, she was standing on the road, wearing a T-shirt and underwear. It happened around 7:40 a.m. in the first block of North West Street.
Kowalski smelled of alcohol and was stumbling on the road, causing a danger to herself, the citation states. The summary charge is public drunkenness.
Kowalski could not be reached for comment. Phone numbers listed in her name were not in service.
Read or Share this story: https://www.ydr.com/story/news/crime/2018/07/20/viral-video-woman-playing-her-underwear-street-rain-storm-cited-police-york-city/798269002/


text:
#LoveWins—Or Else
by Andrew Walker 6 . 30 . 15
In the aftermath of Friday's Supreme Court decision, attention is turning toward the future of religious liberty. And if you read Justice Kennedy's opinion on the ruling, you'll quickly learn that if there's to be any semblance of our historic understanding of religious liberty, there will be so in spite of his written remarks.
Kennedy's comments come in two main places:
Many who deem same-sex marriage to be wrong reach that conclusion based on decent and honorable religious or philosophical premises, and neither they nor their beliefs are disparaged here. But when that sincere, personal opposition becomes enacted law and public policy, the necessary consequence is to put the imprimatur of the State itself on an exclusion that soon demeans or stigmatizes those whose own liberty is then denied. (19)
Kennedy remarks that objections to same-sex marriage are made on "decent and honorable religious or philosophical premises." Oh, and they shouldn't be "disparaged." He's channeling the idea that Barack Obama has himself noted, namely, that there are people of good will on both sides of the debate.
Great. Wonderful. The future is looking bright.
But, and this is where it begins to get interesting: When those "decent honorable religious or philosophical premises" are acted upon—or are lived out in public life through either businesses or institutions—there's a reason to reign those "decent honorable religious or philosophical premises" in. Kennedy denies that these religious principles have any basis for codification in law. Why? Because his own arbitrary imposition of liberty and autonomy sets the criteria.
Then Kennedy goes down a well-worn path that we've seen President Obama's administration go down. He seems to adopt the foreign, historically ignorant "freedom to worship" concept of religious liberty.
Finally, it must be emphasized that religions, and those who adhere to religious doctrines, may continue to advocate with utmost, sincere conviction that, by divine precepts, same-sex marriage should not be condoned. The First Amendment ensures that religious organizations and persons are given proper protection as they seek to teach the principles that are so fulfilling and so central to their lives and faiths, and to their own deep aspirations to continue the family structure they have long revered. (27)
Notice what Kennedy says and does not say. He says the First Amendment is an excellent predicate for allowing one's beliefs to continue to be taught. Okay. But he gives no deference to that inconvenient clause of the First Amendment that insists upon the free exercise of religion, which signifies a lot more than simply the right to "teach" one's views in the abstract. Religious teaching, contra Kennedy, is doctrinal, of course. But if doctrine is worth anything, it's worth something because Christianity, along with all religions, believes its orthodoxy is personally and socially transformative.
The mere mention of religious liberty amidst the soaring language of Kennedy's pen may appear comforting, but Chief Justice Roberts—indeed, all dissenting opinions brilliantly do—cries foul.
In Chief Justice Roberts's words,
Perhaps the most discouraging aspect of today's decision is the extent to which the majority feels compelled to sully those on the other side of the debate. The majority offers a cursory assurance that it does not intend to disparage people who, as a matter of conscience, cannot accept same- sex marriage. That disclaimer is hard to square with the very next sentence, in which the majority explains that "the necessary consequence" of laws codifying the traditional definition of marriage is to "demean or stigmatize" same-sex couples. The majority reiterates such characterizations over and over. By the majority's account, Americans who did nothing more than follow the understanding of marriage that has existed for our entire history—in particular, the tens of millions of people who voted to reaffirm their States' enduring definition of marriage—have acted to "lock . . . out," "disparage," "disrespect and subordinate," and inflict "dignitary wounds" upon their gay and lesbian neighbors. These apparent assaults on the character of fairminded people will have an effect, in society and in court. Moreover, they are entirely gratuitous. It is one thing for the majority to conclude that the Constitution protects a right to same-sex marriage; it is something else to portray everyone who does not share the majority's "better informed understanding" as bigoted. (28)
The Chief Justice's words are exactly right. He calls the bluff of the majority decision's empty statements. The majority's care for protecting religious liberty is meaningless, the Chief alleges, because how can we meaningfully protect religious liberty if religious values are the source of the gay community's alleged indignity and defamation? There is no answer and the majority's opinion is hypocritical and unfulfilling if it believes that its approach will allow for a robust conception of religious liberty to persist.
As the Chief Justice very rightly notes, "people of faith can take no comfort in the treatment they receive from the majority today."
Lastly, Alito offers these foreboding words:
It will be used to vilify Americans who are unwilling to assent to the new orthodoxy. In the course of its opinion, the majority compares traditional marriage laws to laws that denied equal treatment for African-Americans and women. The implications of this analogy will be exploited by those who are determined to stamp out every vestige of dissent. (6)
The likes of Roberts and Alito offer a more telling portrayal of where we're headed. There will be no dissent. The state will act to punish institutions that fail to comply. But remember, dear sheep, what the Beautiful People all told us: #LoveWins. And if you don't think it does, you're a bigot.
Of course, the Christian narrative is one where love does indeed win. But whether stealing Christian imagery such as rainbows, or vivifying that which the Scriptures say to mortify—Pride—it isn't beyond the LGBT community to disorder the word "love," either.
Andrew Walker is Director of Policy Studies at The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission and a PhD student in Christian Ethics at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
More on: LGBTQ, Obergefell v. Hodges
Articles by Andrew Walker
@andrewtwalk


text:
Tag Archives: Jonathan Doyle
Charlie and friends at the Redwood Coast Music Festival, 2018
The trombonist Charlie Halloran has a sweetly audacious imagination. We can all say, "I wonder what this combination of musical experiences would sound like"; Charlie goes ahead and gives his brightly-colored set of possibilities musical shape. And the surprises that result are so very pleasing. Before I introduce you to his latest creation, I would go back a few years to praise one from the past:
Charlie is the first-call trombonist in New Orleans, which means that he plays with a variety of bands — Tuba Skinny, the Shotgun Jazz Band, the Little Big Horns, his own Quality Six, and more. He's come up to New York to be a featured guest with the EarRegulars at The Ear Inn, where he played nobly and made everyone happy. But I think his heart beats fastest (without rushing, mind you) to a larger world-view than SOMEDAY SWEETHEART.
Charlie has immersed himself in that wonderful Venn diagram where New Orleans jazz meets the music of the Caribbean, as astute listeners could hear above. This brings listeners to places they've never been but where the music is — although the songs are new — deeply heartfelt and satisfying. When I first began to listen to CE BIGUINE, for example, I thought within a few minutes, "This is going to be one of my favorite discs, full of embracing surprises." And it's remained so. When I heard Charlie play some of the same music at the Redwood Coast Music Festival, I looked away from my camera to see the room swaying, the band playing. Smiles proliferated. And the room was gently sashaying in time.
Charlie's new CD, THE ALCOA SESSIONS, is just extraordinary: not a simple plastic disc with good sounds embossed digitally into it, but a combination of a novel, a travelogue, a happy series of musical voyages to places that only exist in our ears and imaginations. Here's the cover: doesn't it make you feel like finding sandals and sunscreen? (It's not even lunchtime as I write this, but a mojito dances before my eyes.)
But I hear you saying. "Alcoa. Isn't that an antique brand of aluminum foil? What has all this got to do with music?" Patience. All will be revealed.
The Alcoa Sessions
Charlie Halloran………Trombone
Tomas Majcherski……Tenor Sax
Jonathan Doyle….Tenor Sax. Clarinet.
Mike Davis…………Trumpet
Don Vappie, John Rodli and John Maestas………..Guitar
Tyler Thomson, Pete Olinciw……..Bass
Joe Lastie, Doug Garrison, Chris Davis……..Drums
Larry Sieberth, David Boeddinghaus…….Piano
Cesar Bacaro…..Percussion
Dédé St. Prix, Drew Gonsalves, Don Vappie………Vocals
Now, a pause for some enlivening musical evidence:
Trombonist Charlie Halloran's fifth album, and first on the ArtistShare label, imagines the musical experience aboard cruises run by the Alcoa Steamship Co. out of New Orleans from 1949-1959. Pulling from dance band repertoire of Mid Century New Orleans, Trinidad, Venezuela and Guadeloupe, the Alcoa Sessions presents a band in the style of Paul Barbarin or Dave Bartholomew, augmented by Cuban percussion, French Creole and calypso vocals, fully leaning into the Crescent City's placement as the northernmost city in the Caribbean.
Don Vappie leads the band through "When I Was a Little Child," a swinging creole number from the Paul Barbarin / John Bruinous band, followed by the appropriately titled "Everybody's Wailin'," originally recorded by Huey Piano Smith.
By now the cruise has left the Mississippi River and we begin to explore ports further south. Considered Venezuela's unofficial national anthem, "Alma Llanera" is given a Trinidadian dance band treatment ala Johnny Gomez. The moody and exotic "Margarita Rosa" comes from the Fitz Vaughan Bryan Orchestra, another dance band working in Port of Spain throughout the 1950s.
Back on the boat now, Halloran provides the vocals for the old jazz standard, "I Used To Love (But It's All Over)". 1950s New Orleans saw the explosion of seminal Rock and Roll and R&B recordings, so surely a New Orleans dance band of the era would be ready to let rip on a tune such as Dave Bartholomew's "Twins" featuring fine trumpet work here from Mike Davis.
Lionel Belasco was a prolific composer working in Barbardos, Trinidad, Venezuela and New York City through the 1960s. His composition "Miranda" is a Venezuelan waltz and provides the perfect outlet for practicing some Arthur Murray dance steps, whose classes were often taught on these cruises. But don't get too comfortable in 3/4, as Martinique's Dédé St. Prix is up next to lead the band through "Moune a ou, ce moune a ou," a brisk biguine from the French Caribbean, featuring the interplay between the trombone and reeds, particularly Tomas Majcherski's tenor, giving the trumpet player a moment to grab a drink.
Jonathan Doyle steps to the front on the raucous, "Feeling Good", harkening to Herb Hardesty, Lee Allen and the screaming tenor sax driven R&B of the 1950s. Trinidadian/Canadian singer Drew Gonsalves of the band Kobotown joins the band for a humorous calypso from Lord Funny, featuring Gonsalves' infectious rhythm and cadence.
The band swings out the last two numbers, first with the uptempo "Goodnight" written by Pat Castagne for the sign-off music for Radio Trinidad, and finally the dreamy tropical standard, "Song of the Islands."
The "Alcoa Sessions" mines wonderful, under the radar repertoire, all of it danceable and from the era when calypso, biguine, R&B, and traditional New Orleans Jazz were exploding and intermingling, alongside the tiki craze, mambo and tropicalia. The Alcoa Steamship company used music imagery and language in their ads and brochures, and Halloran's "The Alcoa Sessions" is sure to melt the ice in your drink and have you packing your suitcase for a TWA plane bound for warmer climes this winter.
Excited? I certainly was. You can check in here to hear a sample, purchase a download or a disc. Echoes of calypso, early rhythm and blues, and delicious old-school NOLA music. I've heard the music and am delighted. You will be, too.
I'll let Charlie have the last word(s):
I like to imagine a young band aboard the Alcoa steamships, comfortable playing traditional jazz and New Orleans R&B, but incorporating local musicians while in port, blending calypso, beguine, and mazurkas, with their New Orleans sensibilities. This album will feature the sounds likely heard on a 13 day excursion from New Orleans through the Caribbean on the Alcoa Clipper, Corsair, and Cavalier.
Posted in "Thanks A Million", Bliss!, Generosities, Hotter Than That, It's All True, Jazz Titans, Jazz Worth Reading, Mmmmmmmmmmmmm!, Pay Attention!, Swing You Cats!, That Was Fun!, The Heroes Among Us, The Real Thing, The Things We Love, Wow!
Tagged ALCOA SESSIONS, biguine, calypso, Charlie Halloran, Don Vappie, Jazz Lives, Jonathan Doyle, Michael Steinman, R&B, rhythm and blues
JUST FOUR BARS: MUSIC TO FEEL GOOD ABOUT BY, OR WITH (YOU CHOOSE): HAL SMITH'S JAZZOLOGISTS, JONATHAN DOYLE AND FRIENDS AT EASTSIDE STOMP.
Posted on November 5, 2021 | 1 comment
I will be brief. Two new releases from heroes of mine, just out on Bandcamp — music to dance to even if, like me, you can't dance.
The first is the second volume by Hal Smith's Jazzologists: elegantly rough New Orleans Revival jazz featuring Clint Baker, John Gill, Ryan Calloway, Katie Cavera, Bill Reinhart, Kris Tokarski. Dee-lightful, as Louis would say.
For the historians in the room, think of an alternative universe where Bunk, Mutt, Steele, Jelly, and the Fatha get together, ever so sociably. Here is the link.
Eight rocking performances, good even for the lactose-intolerant.
Jonathan Doyle and his bands are like eternally bubbling fountains, and his new digital album, THE SPIRIT OF KANSAS CITY MEETS CHICAGO, recorded at a swing dance in Seoul, is just grand — think of the Reno Club in modern times.
The stellar band here is Jonathan Doyle, Saul Cline, Josh Roberts, Ray Skjelbred, Jen Hodge, Mike Daugherty. And here is the link.
Eddie Durham said of Edmond Hall (I am paraphrasing) that Hall could do anything except not swing. Hal and Jonathan and their bands can be described the same way. This music will act as the best tonic for all your days and nights.
Posted in "Thanks A Million", Bliss!, Generosities, Hotter Than That, Irreplaceable, It's All True, Jazz Titans, Mmmmmmmmmmmmm!, Pay Attention!, SURPRISE!, Swing You Cats!, That Was Fun!, The Heroes Among Us, The Real Thing, The Things We Love, Wow!
Tagged Hal Smith, Jazz Lives, Jonathan Doyle, Michael Steinman
SOME SPLENDID NEWS: THE RETURN OF THE REDWOOD COAST MUSIC FESTIVAL (Sept. 30 – Oct. 3, 2021)
Given the landscape we have been traveling through, when good news shows up, it's almost a shock. So brace yourself: I have some, as spelled out in the title of this post.
The Redwood Coast Music Festival is going ahead, energetically and intelligently, for 2021.
I did not take the pandemic lightly, and I spent a good deal of last year scared to bits . . . but I'm going. And I hope you will also, if you can.
Details here — but I know you want more than just details.
Although for those who like it very plain, some elementary-school math: four days, more than a hundred sets performed at eight stages, from intimate to huge. Dance floors. And the festival is wonderfully varied, presenting every kind of "roots music" you can imagine: "jazz, swing, blues, zydeco, rockabilly, Americana, Western Swing, country."
Off the top of my head — when I was there in 2019, I heard the music of Charlie Christian, Moon Mullican, Pee Wee Russell, Kid Ory, Louis Armstrong, Johnny Hodges, Pete Johnson, Billie Holiday, and much more. Bob Wills said howdy to Walter Donaldson, which was very sweet.
And here are some of the jazz and blues artists who will be there: Carl Sonny Leyland, Duke Robillard, Dave Stuckey, Hal Smith, Andy Schumm, Dan Barrett, Jonathan Doyle, Jacob Zimmerman, Dan Walton, Marc Caparone, Joe Goldberg, Bill Reinhart, Joshua Gouzy, Joel Patterson, Katie Cavera, Dawn Lambeth, Clint Baker, Kris Tokarski, Nate Ketner, Brian Casserly, Josh Collazo, Ryan Calloway, and two dozen other worthies whose names don't yet appear on the site. And of course, bands — ad hoc units and working ones.
For the justifiably anxious among us, here is the RCMF's Covid update: several things stand out. First, California has mandated that ticket sales must be in advance. And understandably, there will be fewer people allowed in any space . . . so this translates for you, dear reader, as a double incentive to buy tickets early. I know that festivals always urge attendees to do this, but you can see these are atypical reasons.
How about some musical evidence?
CASTLE ROCK, by the Jonathan Doyle Swingtet:
WAITING AT THE END OF THE ROAD, by Dawn Lambeth and her Quartet:
REACHING FOR SOMEONE, by the Doyle-Zimmerman Sextet:
HELLO, LOLA! by Hal Smith's SWING CENTRAL:
SAN ANTONIO ROSE, by Dave Stuckey – Hal Smith's Western Swing All-Stars:
PENNIES FROM HEAVEN, by Marc Caparone and his "Louis Armstrong All-Stars":
If the videos don't act as proof, my words may be superfluous. But to paraphrase Lesley Gore, "It's my blog and I'll write if I want to."
I come to this festival-jazz party circuit late — both late for me and for the phenomenon — September 2004. Chautauqua, California, Connecticut, Newcastle, Westoverledingen, and others. I've attended a hundred of them. Meaning no offense to any festival organizer, I think Redwood Coast delivers such quality and such range that it is astonishing. I told Mark Jansen that it was the SUPERMARKET SWEEP of festivals: so much to pick up on in so short a time. And readers will understand that my range is narrow: there is much music on the list of genres above that doesn't stir me, although it might be excellent.
However: in 2019 I came home with over 150 videos in four days of enthusiastic observation-participation. I slept as if drugged on the plane ride home. I'd been perforated by music of the finest kind.
I also need to write a few darker sentences.
There is a blessed influx of younger people — dancers, often — to music festivals like this one. But festivals are large enterprises, costly to stage and exhausting to supervise. Those of us who want to be able to see and hear live music must know that this phenomenon needs what realistic promoters call Asses in Seats.
So if you say, "Well, I'll come in a few years when I'm retired," that's understandable. But Asses at Home mean that this festival, and others, might not wait for you. Grim, but true.
So I hope to see you there. There are a million reasons to stay at home. But who will come in and dust you?
Tagged Andy Schumm, Bill Reinhart, Billie Holiday, Bob Willis, Brian Casserly, Carl Sonny Leyland, Charlie Christian, Clint Baker, Dan Barrett, Dan Walton, Dave Stuckey, Dawn Lambeth, Duke Robillard, Hal Smith, Jacob Zimmerman, Jazz Lives, Joe Goldberg, Joel Patterson, Johnny Hodges, Jonathan Doyle, Josh Collazo, Joshua Gouzy, Katie Cavera, Kris Tokarski, Louis Armstrong, Marc Caparone, Mark Jansen, Michael Steinman, Moon Mullican, Nate Ketner, Pee Wee Russell, Pete Johnson, Redwood Coast Music Festival, Ryan Calloway, Walter Donaldson
IRRESISTIBLY SWINGING: THE BROOKS PRUMO ORCHESTRA: "THIS YEAR'S KISSES"
The new CD by the Brooks Prumo Orchestra, THIS YEAR'S KISSES, is wonderfully groovy, rather like the thing you can't stay away from, Bert Lahr's single Lay's potato chip. (You can look that up on YouTube. I'll wait.) By the way, I loved the BPO's first CD, PASS THE BOUNCE (2017): read about it here.
Here's the Bandcamp link for KISSES, where you can see the personnel, the song titles, hear a sample, download, or purchase this CD.
The description reads: The Brooks Prumo Orchestra was made for dancing. Featuring brand new arrangements of long-lost big band tunes, original compositions, and crowd favorites, the Brooks Prumo Orchestra aims to embody a big band dance orchestra of the Swing era. Filled with world-class musicians, the band will evoke thoughts of Count Basie, Earl Hines, Andy Kirk, and Billie Holiday.
The noble members of the BPO are Alice Spencer, vocals*; Mark Gonzales, trombone; Jonathan Doyle, tenor saxophone, clarinet; Lauryn Gould, alto saxophone; David Jellema, cornet; Oliver Steck, cornet; Hal Smith, drums; Ryan Gould, string bass; Kris Tokarski, piano; Brooks Prumo, guitar.
And the delicious repertoire is CASTLE ROCK / SOMEBODY LOVES ME* / 'T'AIN'T LIKE THAT / PEEK-A-BOO / THIS YEAR'S KISSES* / JO-JO / DON'T BE THAT WAY / ARMFUL O' SWEETNESS* / OUT OF NOWHERE / THE THEME / WHAT'S YOUR NAME?* / BLUE LESTER / BROADWAY / I'M THRU WITH LOVE* / JEEP'S BLUES.
Those who know will see splendid associations: Al Sears, Johnny Hodges, Rex Stewart, Count Basie, Karl George, Billie Holiday, Joe Bushkin, Jo Jones, Lester Young, Buck Clayton, Alex Hill, Fats Waller, Henry "Red" Allen, Dexter Gordon, Nat Cole.
Happily, the CD is very forgiving of the dance-challenged: it allows me to sit in my chair, listen, and beam. And to give you an idea of the intense attraction I had for this CD on my first hearing I thought, "I want this CD!" and then calmed down enough to think, "You already have it."
Listening to it again and again, I envisioned the eleven members of this orchestra as a kind of M.C. Escher drawing, people swimming blissfully in two divergent streams at once. One could be labeled NOW, which means that the musicians here sound like themselves — and their voices are so individualistic — but they are also having a high old time splashing around in THEN, so that many of the performances have a tender connection to past recorded performances. But there is no conscious attempt (use your Steve Martin voice) to say, "Hey! Let's Get OLD!" — no archival stiffness. And the familiar material, say SOMEBODY, BROADWAY, NOWHERE, is delightfully enlivened by the band's passionate immersion in not only the notes but the emotions.
The rhythm section is fine-tuned, flexible and resourceful, four individuals playing as one; the solos are memorable; the ensemble work is both loose and graciously cohesive. This is a band, and even if there isn't the official BPO band bus for the one-nighters, you can hear their pleasure in working together, easy and intense.
And a few lines, once again, for the miracle of nature known as Alice Spencer, who takes familiar music and makes it fresh, who makes songs associated with Billie Holiday for decades into her own without warping their intent, who can be perky or melancholy with utter conviction. She is full of surprises — many singers telegraph what they are going to do in the next four bars, but she doesn't — although her surprises always seem like the right thing once they have landed. I won't compare her to other singers: rather, she has an aura like a great film actress, comfortable in many roles. Think Joan Blondell or Jean Arthur, and you have some idea of her great personal appeal.
This CD is a great gift. It's music for dancers, music for those of us who know the originals, music for people who need joy in their lives. THIS YEAR'S KISSES is like sunshine breaking through: a consistent delight, much appreciated. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to listen to it again.
Posted in "Thanks A Million", Bliss!, Generosities, Hotter Than That, It's All True, Jazz Titans, Mmmmmmmmmmmmm!, Pay Attention!, SURPRISE!, Swing You Cats!, That Was Fun!, The Heroes Among Us, The Real Thing, The Things We Love, Wow!
Tagged Al Sears, Alex Hill, Alice Spencer, Bert Lahr, Billie Holiday, Brooks Prumo, Brooks Prumo Orchestra, Buck Clayton, Count Basie, David Jellema, Dexter Gordon, Fats Waller, Hal Smith, Henry "Red" Allen, Jo Jones, Joe Bushkin, Johnny Hodges, Jonathan Doyle, Karl George, Kris Tokarski, Laura Glaess, Lauryn Gould, Lay's potato chips, Lester Young, Mark Gonzales, Michael Steinman, Nat Cole, Oliver Steck, PASS THE BOUNCE, Rex Stewart, Ryan Gould, swing, swing dance, THIS YEAR'S KISSES
YOU'LL WANT TO TAKE THEM HOME: THE OXBLOOD MELODIANS
Those who have visited my apartment would agree that it resembles as a homemade record store-yard sale. Or a spousal nightmare. Over there, a George Barnes lp, on that table an Eddie Miller cassette; on top of some papers, a Jimmie Rowles CD, and then there are the 78s — which, I say proudly, are in alphabetical order. So I don't need any more music right away.
Sorry, I was proven wrong this morning when I had a chance to hear and purchase the Oxblood Melodians' debut CD on Bandcamp. Listen to the first track here while you read.
I had heard of the band — rather like one of those listings in Brian Rust that you know were once recorded (Adrian Rollini, Teddy Bunn, and Frank Froeba, 1930) but you have never heard — I knew some of the musicians, but did not know that they would appear, fully-feathered, to me, this Friday, August 7. More about that date shortly.
For now, some enticing data. Or you can read it all for yourself here if you are a proud independent cuss who don't take help from nobody.
We are excited to present The Oxblood Melodians. This self-titled album is the collaboration of Jonathan Doyle & David Jellema, and features many of our favorite Austinites and honorary Austinites. Our goal was to create an ensemble that evokes the New York and Chicago small groups of the mid-late 1920s, with bass saxophone in the bass role and embracing both jazz and blues traditions. The Oxblood Melodians are named in part after the oxblood lilies that grace Austin and central Texas yards in the fall (including our own). Recorded at the legendary "Dandyville" by Alex Hall in 2014, these sides have been simmering and gestating, waiting for just the right moment to be released into the world. That time is finally upon us!
Day 1 :: 4,5,6,7,10,12,14
Alice Spencer—vocals 6 & 14
David Jellema—cornet &/or clarinet
Lyon Graulty—clarinet &/or tenor saxophone
Mark Gonzales—trombone (except 7)
Westen Borghesi—tenor banjo (+vocal on 12)
Jonathan Doyle—bass saxophone
Hal Smith—drum set 4,6,12,14
Day 2 :: 1,2,3,8,9,11,13
Alice Spencer—vocals 1,2,9
Austin Smith—violin
J.D. Pendley—guitar & tenor banjo
Jonathan Doyle—bass saxophone (+contra-alto clarinet 3 only)
1. Louis-I-An-Ia (Day 2) / (Joe Darensbourg) dir. D.Jellema
2. Oh Daddy Blues / (William Russell / Ed Herbert) arr. D.Jellema, J.D.Pendley
3. Dardanella / (Fred Fisher / Felix Bernard / Johnny S. Black) arr. D.Jellema
4. Goose Pimples / (Jo Trent / Fletcher Henderson) adpt. J.Doyle
5. New Orleans Shuffle / (Bill Whitmore) dir. D.Jellema
6. Of All the Wrongs You've Done to Me / (Lew Payton / Chris Smith / Edgar Dowell) dir. D.Jellema
7. Farewell Blues / (Paul Mares / Leon Roppolo / Elmer Schoebel) dir. D.Jellema
8. Cryin' All Day / (Frank Trumbauer / Chauncey Morehouse) arr. D.Jellema
9. Don't Give All the Lard Away / (Lockwood Lewis / Henry Clifford) adpt. J.Doyle
10. Feel the River Move / (David Jellema / Rod Jellema) dir. D.Jellema
11. Old Stack O'Lee Blues / (Sidney Bechet) dir. D.Jellema
12. Love Affairs / (Al Dubin / J. Russel Robinson) adpt. J.Doyle
13. Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams / (Ted Koehler / Billy Moll / Harry Barris) dir. D.Jellema
14. Louis-I-An-Ia (Day 1) / (Joe Darensbourg) dir. D.Jellema
Some of the repertoire will point us to "the dear boy" from Davenport, but this is both a humble tribute to him and an understanding that our heroes prize individuality the most. So this isn't a bunch of kids dressing up for Halloween: "I want be Bessie this year! How come you always get to be Bessie?" "Your brother gets to be Larry Binyon this year. I promised him." "Let us be. Mom and I are going as Fats Waller."
Rather, what you will hear is a group of dear musical friends, exuberant and precise, who know the history and have their own songs to sing. Too many delights to elucidate here: I'd rather you head over to Bandcamp directly. Why the rush? Because today Bandcamp gives all the proceeds to the artists and takes no fees. So if you haven't been able to hear some live jazz, hear this lively version: it will make you glad.
"Believe me," as Alice tells us at the end of OH DADDY BLUES.
Posted in "Thanks A Million", Bliss!, Generosities, Hotter Than That, It's All True, Jazz Titans, Pay Attention!, SURPRISE!, Swing You Cats!, That Was Fun!, The Heroes Among Us, The Real Thing, The Things We Love, Wow!
Tagged Adrian Rollini, Alex Hall, Alice Spencer, Austin Smith, Bandcamp, Bessie Smith, Bix Beiderbecke, David Jellema, Fats Waller, Frank Froeba, Hal Smith, J.D. Pendley, Jazz Lives, Jonathan Doyle, Larry Binyon, Lyon Graulty, Mark Gonzales, Michael Steinman, Teddy Bunn, The Oxblood Melodians, Westen Borghesi
WHERE WE WERE IN MAY 2019 AND HOPE TO BE AGAIN IN MAY 2021: BOUNCING WITH THE JONATHAN DOYLE SWINGTET (Part Two) at the REDWOOD COAST MUSIC FESTIVAL: JONATHAN DOYLE, JOSH COLLAZO, SAM ROCHA, JAMEY CUMMINS, ALEX BELHAJ, GORDON AU, CHARLIE HALLORAN (May 12, 2019)
I know it's the most unwieldy title in the history of JAZZ LIVES' unwieldy titles, but so be it. At least readers know what they're getting, or getting into. Here I can offer you gorgeous music from the Jonathan Doyle Swingtet: Jonathan, tenor, composer; Gordon Au, trumpet; Charlie Halloran, trombone; Sam Rocha, string bass; Josh Collazo, drums; Jamey Cummins, Alex Belhaj, guitars. Recorded on May 12, 2019, at the Redwood Coast Music Festival, the second part of a very rewarding set, and here is the first.
Let us begin with Cole Porter's whimsical-salacious depiction of a very practical amorous relationship, MY HEART BELONGS TO DADDY, which has a good deal of moral ambiguity to it, but who thinks about such things when sunk deeply into this groovy evocation?
More groove, more funk — Al Sears' CASTLE ROCK:
The venerable CRAZY RHYTHM, at a surprisingly tender tempo, featuring the eloquent Charlie Halloran:
Jonathan's own JUMP IN, JUMP OUT — which, like his other originals, shows a fully-developed compositional sense. Even when his originals are built on familiar harmonic patterns, his introductions, riffs, textures, and voicings show his expansive imagination:
Fine riffin' this afternoon — with Illinois Jacquet's BOTTOMS UP:
and finally, the dark-hued YOU NEVER KNEW ME AT ALL, based on a noble Thirties ballad:
Jonathan and friends were just one highlight of the immensely stirring Redwood Coast Music Festival that made my May 2019 completely memorable. Eleven months from now, there will be the 2021 version . . . and I'll be there. It's not too soon to start anticipating these joys and more. May 6-9, 2021. "Mark it down."
Posted in "Thanks A Million", Bliss!, Generosities, Ideal Places, Irreplaceable, It's All True, Jazz Titans, Mmmmmmmmmmmmm!, Pay Attention!, Swing You Cats!, That Was Fun!, The Heroes Among Us, The Real Thing, The Things We Love
Tagged Al Sears, Alex Belhaj, Charlie Halloran, Gordon Au, Illinois Jacquet, Jamey Cummins, Jazz Lives, Jonathan Doyle, Jonathan Doyle Swingtet, Josh Collazo, Michael Steinman, Ray Noble, Redwood Coast Music Festival, Sam Rocha
BOUNCING WITH THE JONATHAN DOYLE SWINGTET (Part One) at the REDWOOD COAST MUSIC FESTIVAL: JONATHAN DOYLE, JOSH COLLAZO, SAM ROCHA, JAMEY CUMMINS, ALEX BELHAJ, GORDON AU, CHARLIE HALLORAN (May 12, 2019)
Bouncing has been shown to have salutary therapeutic effects, so join us!
The source of all this joy is the Jonathan Doyle Swingtet, recorded in performance at the magical Redwood Coast Music Festival on May 12, 2019. That's Jonathan Doyle, tenor saxophone / compositions / arrangements; Gordon Au, trumpet; Charlie Halloran, trombone; Jamey Cummins [right], Alex Belhaj [left], guitars; Sam Rocha, string bass; Josh Collazo, drums. . . . captured in a still photograph by the JAZZ LIVES staff:
Now to the music played for the first half of this gratifying set — what Mildred Bailey might have called "a hot half-dozen."
Take us back to 1943, while Coleman Hawkins stands off to the side, smiling:
and something sweet that Jonathan calls DON'T WALK OUT (the harmonic hint is this — imagine Louis' opening number as a rhythm ballad and you have it):
Winnie the Pooh couldn't make it, but in his honor, HONEY JAR, his love:
SLIPPERY SLOPE, perhaps named because of ascending and descending lines:
I'VE NEVER BEEN TO NEW YORK. If this is true, I have to invite Jonathan and Corinne to sit in Washington Square Park in the late spring:
Thinking of Austin, Texas, zoology, where THE BATS ARE SINGING:
The best news is that Jonathan and friends will be appearing — in whatever permutations they choose — at the Redwood Coast Music Festival, May 7-10, 2020. Here you can see a list of the other artists, a cornucopia of musical joys that increases my heart rate dangerously.
Even better! — here is the schedule for the Festival. I can't wait.
Posted in "Thanks A Million", Bliss!, Generosities, Ideal Places, It's All True, Jazz Titans, Mmmmmmmmmmmmm!, Pay Attention!, Swing You Cats!, That Was Fun!, The Heroes Among Us, The Real Thing, The Things We Love, Wow!
Tagged Alex Belhaj, Charlie Halloran, Coleman Hawkins, Gordon Au, Jamey Cummins, Jazz Lives, Jonathan Doyle, Jonathan Doyle Swingtet, Josh Collazo, Louis Armstrong, Michael Steinman, Mildred Bailey, Redwood Coast Music Festival, Sam Rocha, Washington Square Park
THE GLORIES OF WALTER DONALDSON: JONATHAN DOYLE – JACOB ZIMMERMAN SEXTET at the REDWOOD COAST MUSIC FESTIVAL: KRIS TOKARSKI, KATIE CAVERA, CHARLIE HALLORAN, HAL SMITH, BRANDON AU (May 12, 2019)
Few people would recognize the portrait on its own.
But Walter Donaldson (1893-1947) wrote songs that everyone knows (or perhaps, in our collective amnesia, once knew): MY BLUE HEAVEN; LOVE ME OR LEAVE ME; AT SUNDOWN; YES SIR, THAT'S MY BABY; HOW YA GONNA KEEP THEM DOWN ON THE FARM?; MAKIN' WHOOPEE; CAROLINA IN THE MORNING; LITTLE WHITE LIES; MY BABY JUST CARES FOR ME; WHAT CAN I SAY AFTER I SAY I'M SORRY; YOU'RE DRIVING ME CRAZY, and many more — six hundred songs and counting. Ironically, the man who created so much of the American vernacular in song is little-chronicled, and if Wikipedia is to be believed, he is buried in an unmarked grave in Brooklyn. So much for Gloria Mundi.
On May 12, 2019, Jonathan Doyle (here playing bass saxophone) and Jacob Zimmerman (clarinet and alto saxophone) created a wonderful exploration of Donaldson's less-known and often completely unknown compositions for the Redwood Coast Music Festival. Joining them were Kris Tokarski (piano); Katie Cavera (guitar); Charlie Halloran (trombone); Hal Smith (drums). Charlie had to rush off to another set, so Brandon Au takes his place for the final number, JUST THE SAME. There are some small interferences in these videos: lighting that keeps changing, dancers mysteriously magnetized by my camera, yet oblivious to it (a neat trick) but the music comes through bigger-than-life.
Ordinarily, I parcel out long sets in two segments, but I was having such fun reviewing these performances that I thought it would be cruel to make you all wait for Part Two. So here are ten, count them, Donaldson beauties — and please listen closely to the sweetness and propulsion this ad hoc ensemble gets, as well as the distinctive tonalities of each of the players — subtle alchemists all. At points, I thought of a Twenties tea-dance ensemble, sweetly wooing the listeners and dancers; at other times, a stellar hot group circa 1929, recording for OKeh. The unusual instrumentation is a delight, and the combination of Donaldson's unerring ear for melodies and what these soloists do with "new" "old" material is, for me, a rare joy. In an ideal world, this group, playing rare music, would be "Live from Lincoln Center" or at least issuing a two-CD set. We can hope.
LITTLE WHITE LIES, still a classic mixing swing and romantic betrayal:
DID I REMEMBER? — possibly best-remembered for Billie's 1936 recording:
SWEET JENNIE LEE! which, for me, summons up a Hit of the Week paper disc and a Frank Chace home jam session:
MAYBE IT'S THE MOON — so pretty and surprisingly unrecorded:
YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO TELL ME (I KNEW IT ALL THE TIME) — in my mind's ear, I hear Jackson T. singing this:
SOMEBODY LIKE YOU, again, surprisingly unacknowledged:
CLOUDS, recorded by the Quintette of the Hot Club of France:
TIRED OF ME, a very touching waltz:
REACHING FOR SOMEONE (AND NOT FINDING ANYONE THERE), which enjoyed some fame because of Bix, Tram, and Bing:
JUST THE SAME, which I went away humming:
Thoroughly satisfying and intriguing as well.
I dream of the musical surprises that will happen at the 2020 Redwood Coast Music Festival (May 7-10, 2020). With over a hundred sets of music spread out over four days and on eight stages, I feel comfortable saying there will be delightful surprises. Their Facebook page is here, too.
Tagged Billie Holiday, Bing Crosby, Bix Beiderbecke, Brandon Au, Charlie Halloran, Frank Chace, Frank Trumbauer, Hal Smith, Hit of the Week, Jack Teagarden, Jacob Zimmerman, Jazz Lives, Jonathan Doyle, Katie Cavera, Kris Tokarski, Michael Steinman, OKeh Records, popular song, Quintette of the Hot Club of France, Redwood Coast Music Festival, Walter Donaldson, Wikipedia
HAL SMITH'S SWING CENTRAL AT THE REDWOOD COAST MUSIC FESTIVAL, PART TWO: HAL SMITH, STEVE PIKAL, DAN WALTON, JAMEY CUMMINS, JONATHAN DOYLE (May 11, 2019)
Hal Smith swings:
and his bands do also:
Hal Smith's SWING CENTRAL is a splendid little band, greeted enthusiastically in person and in cyberspace, which will become evident in sixty-four bars. (The lovely weird artwork below is the cover of their debut CD, by the way.)
Here's Part One, where you can savor LITTLE GIRL; LOVE IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER; HELLO, FISHIES; BATS ON A BRIDGE; BIG AL; PIPELINER'S BLUES; WINDY CITY SWING; HELLO, LOLA.
And the second portion, beginning with LONG-DISTANCE MAN, which has a beautiful story behind it even before the deeply lyrical music begins — for me a highlight of the 2019 Redwood Coast Music Festival:
Dan Walton's exuberant ROLL 'EM, PETE:
Jamey Cummins' THE SHEIK OF airbnb:
The poignant BLUE LESTER:
And a rollicking THE LADY'S IN LOVE WITH YOU:
Truly a band to know and to follow. On a related note — in a major key — the 30th Anniversary Redwood Coast Music Festival will take place in Eureka, California, from May 7-10, 2020. I'll be there, and Hal and many of my hero-friends also.
Posted in "Thanks A Million", Bliss!, Generosities, Hotter Than That, Ideal Places, It's All True, Jazz Titans, Pay Attention!, Swing You Cats!, That Was Fun!, The Heroes Among Us, The Real Thing, The Things We Love, Wow!
Tagged boogie-woogie, Dan Walton, Frank Chace, Hal Smith, Hal Smith's Swing Central, Jamey Cummins, Jazz Lives, Jonathan Doyle, Lester Young, Michael Steinman, Pee Wee Russell, Pete Johnson, Redwood Coast Music Festival, rocking, Steve PIkal
HAL SMITH'S SWING CENTRAL AT THE REDWOOD COAST MUSIC FESTIVAL, PART ONE: HAL SMITH, STEVE PIKAL, DAN WALTON, JAMEY CUMMINS, JONATHAN DOYLE (May 11, 2019)
This is part of the world that Hal Smith's Swing Central comes from — but the world of Swing Central is living and thriving now.
Courtesy of the Carnegie Hall Archives
This little group is packed with pleasures. It's Hal Smith's evocation of a world where Pee Wee Russell and Lester Young could hang out at Jimmy Ryan's, where Teddy Wilson, Charlie Christian, Eddie Condon, Pops Foster, and Dave Tough could have breakfast after the gig, perhaps chicken and waffles uptown. And the music they created as naturally as breathing was lyrical hot swing that didn't have the time or patience for labels.
This version of Hal's group has him on drums and moral leadership, Jonathan Doyle, clarinet and some original compositions, Dan Walton, piano and vocal, Steve Pikal, string bass; Jamey Cummns, guitar. This is the first part of a long leisurely showcase at the 2019 Redwood Coast Music Festival in Eureka, California.
and a Bing Crosby hit that justifiably entered the jazz repertoire:
Jonathan Doyle's wonderful HELLO, FISHIES:
something for people who have been to Austin, Texas, or for those who need to take a trip there, BATS ON A BRIDGE:
A dedication to one Mister Capone, who liked jazz when he wasn't working:
Dan Walton sings and plays Moon Mullican's PIPELINER'S BLUES, while everyone joins in on this jump blues:
for the Chicagoans and the rest of us as well, WINDY CITY SWING:
and we'll close the first half of this uplifting set with HELLO, LOLA — a reminder of Red McKenzie and his friends:
Hal's beautiful little group also made a CD where they strut their stuff quite happily: I wrote about it here.
And they will be appearing — with Kris Tokarski and Ryan Gould in for Walton and Pikal — at the Austin Lindy Exchange, November 21-24 — which, like love, is just around the corner.
Not incidentally, the Redwood Coast Music Festival is happening again, thank goodness and thanks to Mark Jansen and Valerie Jansen, from May 7-10, 2020. More information here as well. Some numbers: it's their 30th anniversary; it runs for 4 days; there are 30 bands; more than 100 sets of music. Do the math, as we say, and come on.
Posted in "Thanks A Million", Bliss!, Generosities, Hotter Than That, Ideal Places, It's All True, Pay Attention!, Swing You Cats!, That Was Fun!, The Heroes Among Us, The Real Thing, The Things We Love, Wow!
Tagged Al Capone, Austin Lindy Exchange, Bing Crosby, Charlie Christian, Dan Walton, Dave Tough, Eddie Condon, Hal Smith, Hal Smith's Swing Central, Jamey Cummins, Jazz Lives, Jon Doyle, Jonathan Doyle, Joshua Hoag, Kris Tokarski, Mark Jansen, Michael Steinman, Moon Mullican, Mound City Blue Blowers, Pee Wee Russell, Pops Foster, Red McKenzie, Redwood Coast Music Festival, Ryan Gould, Steve PIkal, Teddy Wilson, Valerie Jansen, WINDY CITY SWING
THE FAT BABIES: "UPTOWN" (Delmark Records): ANDY SCHUMM, JOHN OTTO, JONATHAN DOYLE, DAVE BOCK, PAUL ASARO, JOHNNY DONATOWICZ, BEAU SAMPLE, ALEX HALL
To my ears, modern bands don't find it easy to reproduce the music of Twenties and early Thirties medium-sized ensembles beyond playing the notes, although I commend their attempts. The most pleasing exceptions have been Vince Giordano's Nighthawks, still doing the thing regularly in New York and elsewhere; I've also delighted in some ad hoc ensembles put together at the Whitley Bay Classic Jazz Festival. (Listeners have other favorites, I know: I am not compiling a list here.)
But most recently, the Chicago-based FAT BABIES are are a consistent pleasure.
Here's UPTOWN, performed at the July 2016 Evergreen Jazz Festival:
UPTOWN is also the name of the Babies' latest CD, their fourth for Delmark, beautifully thought-out, played, and recorded.
Visit here to buy the disc and hear samples, or vice versa.
The band on this disc is the 2016-18 version, with Andy Schumm, cornet, alto saxophone, clarinet; Dave Bock, trombone; Jonathan Doyle, clarinet, tenor, soprano; John Otto, clarinet, tenor; Paul Asaro, piano, vocal; Johnny Donatowicz, tenor banjo, tenor guitar; Beau Sample, string bass; Alex Hall, drums, percussion. They deeply understand the music without being stuffy.
Of the thirteen selections, UPTOWN and THAT GAL OF MINE are originals by Andy Schumm; SWEET IS THE NIGHT by Jonathan Doyle. The arrangements and transcriptions are by Schumm, Doyle, and Paul Asaro, who also sings on five tracks with proper period flourishes. The rest of the repertoire — venerable songs — EDNA, HARMONY BLUES, THE BATHING BEAUTY BLUES, RUFF SCUFFLIN', OUT OF A CLEAR BLUE SKY, THUMPIN' AND BUMPIN', THE SPELL OF THE BLUES, TRAVELIN' THAT ROCKY ROAD, THE SOPHOMORE, HARLEM RHYTHM DANCE — have noble associations with King Oliver, Bennie Moten, Andy Kirk, Eubie Blake, Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler, Bing Crosby, the Dorsey Brothers, McKinney's Cotton Pickers, Clarence Williams, Claude Hopkins, and others. But you'll notice that the song selection, although deep and genuine, is not The Same Old Thing (you know: the same two Ellingtons, one Bix, DIPPER MOUTH BLUES, MOTEN SWING, and so on): even scholars of the period might not be used to hearing some of these compositions.
What makes this band so delightful? The answers come thick and fast. They are a working band, so their section work is beautifully polished but never stiff. The solos caress or explode, depending on what the song requires. There's also a refreshing variety in tempo and mood: the Babies do not need to play racetrack tempos all the time, and they know that hot is best served with with nicely seasoned side dishes of sweet. This is music for dancers as well as listeners. I've seen other ensembles do creditable work with charts they are seeing for the first or second time, but nothing can replace the comfortable familiarity that comes with playing a song twenty times in a month.
"Authenticity" is always a slippery subject, but the Babies manifest it in every note and phrase: they've lived with this music long enough and intensely enough to have the rhythmic feel of this period as part of their individual and collective nervous systems, so there is no self-conscious "going backwards," but the band feels as if they've immersed themselves in the conventions of the style — which go beyond slapped bass and choked cymbal. It doesn't feel as if they are acting, pretending to be ancient: their joy in being comes through. And the solos are stylistically gratifying without being museum-pieces. It's been said before, but if the Babies were to be dropped in Harlem in 1931, they would cause a sensation and be welcomed at the Rhythm Club, the dance halls, and after-hours clubs.
It's joyous music, joyously played. And my only reservation about this Delmark CD (which, again, I point out, is beautifully recorded) is that it's not a three-disc set. Maybe next time.
Posted in "Thanks A Million", Bliss!, Generosities, Hotter Than That, It's All True, Jazz Titans, Mmmmmmmmmmmmm!, Pay Attention!, Swing You Cats!, That Was Fun!, The Heroes Among Us, The Real Thing, The Things We Love, Wow!
Tagged Alex Hall, Andy Kirk, Andy Schumm, Beau Sample, Bennie Moten, Bing Crosby, Clarence Williams, Claude Hopkins, Dave Bock, Delmark Records, Eubie Blake, Evergreen Jazz Festival, Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler, Jazz Lives, John Otto, Johnny Donatowicz, Jonathan Doyle, King Oliver, McKinney's Cotton Pickers, Michael Steinman, Paul Asaro, The Dorsey Brothers, The Fat Babies, uptown, Vince Giordano's Nighthawks
SALUTARY VIBRATIONS FROM THE DOYLE GALAXY: JONATHAN DOYLE SWINGTET at the REDWOOD COAST MUSIC FESTIVAL: JONATHAN DOYLE, JACOB ZIMMERMAN, CHARLIE HALLORAN, KRIS TOKARSKI, JAMEY CUMMINS, STEVE PIKAL, HAL SMITH (5.11.19)
I've been praising Jonathan Doyle in print and in person for the past five years, give or take an enthusiastic outburst. Not only is he a superb reed player (clarinet, tenor and bass saxophones), but he's a wonderful composer and arranger — not only on the paper but on the spot. And the music he and his friends make is a proven mood-enhancer.
Jonathan Doyle, 2015
I've been doling out the music from this May 11, 2019 set at the Redwood Coast Music Festival because it is so delicious that I didn't want — myself or anyone else — to make it into smartphone background music while the listener was doing something crucial like Instagram or microwave popcorn.
Here are the final three beauties from that set — two originals by Jon, one by Buck Clayton. And in an era where some bands take a long time to get in the groove, please note that the first two performances would fit on a 10″ 78; the last one on a 12″ — maybe a Keynote or a V-Disc . . . although there's nothing museum-dusty about this music. Ask the dancers.
And the band! The band! From the back, that's Hal Smith, drums; Steve Pikal, string bass; Jamey Cummins, guitar; Kris Tokarski, piano; Jonathan Doyle, tenor saxophone; Charlie Halloran, trombone; Jacob Zimmerman, alto saxophone. What fun! And, for a change, let me cyber-embrace the team that makes the Redwood Coast Music Festival so memorable, here, rather than at the end of a posting: Mark and Valerie Jansen.
TELL ME IN CHICAGO:
HIGH FIVE, MR. ZEPHYR:
and SIX CATS AND A PRINCE:
I feel better now, and that's no stage joke.
Next year's Redwood Coast Music Festival will take place May 7-10, 2020. Miss it and you've missed the Acme fast freight, as Mildred Bailey sang.
And the whole set is now available on the blog: just type in "Swingtet" and you will find joys.
Tagged Buck Clayton, Charlie Halloran, groove, Hal Smith, Jacob Zimmerman, Jamey Cummins, Jazz Lives, Jonathan Doyle, Jonathan Doyle Swingtet, Kris Tokarski, Mark Jansen, Michael Steinman, Redwood Coast Music Festival, Steve PIkal, Valerie Jansen
PAPPY AND JUNIOR'S WESTERN SWING ALL-STARS (Part Two): DAVE "PAPPY" STUCKEY, HAL "JUNIOR" SMITH, ELANA JAMES, MARC CAPARONE, JONATHAN DOYLE, DAN WALTON, JAMES MASON, RUSTY BLAKE, CHRIS WILKINSON, JAMEY CUMMINS, WALLY HERSOM (Redwood Coast Music Festival, May 10, 2019)
In he name of joy, I present the second half of Dave Stuckey and Hal Smith's Western Swing party at the 2019 Redwood Coast Music Festival.
But for the people who didn't get yesterday's plateful, here it is. (Not just music, but two lovely essays on Western Swing, one each by Hal and Dave.)
The wondrous music-makers are Dave Stuckey, guitar, vocal; Elana James, fiddle, vocal; Hal Smith, drums; James Mason, fiddle; Dan Walton, piano, vocal; Marc Caparone, cornet; Jonathan Doyle, reeds; Rusty Blake, steel guitar; Chris Wilkinson, guitar; Jamey Cummins, guitar; Wally Hersom, string bass. And this glorious outpouring took place at the Redwood Coast Music Festival on May 10, 2019. (I will point out that next year's RCMF is May 7-10, 2020, and we are going to be there.)
Here's the swinging REMINGTON RIDE:
Asking the musical question, WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH THE MILL? — a song I could hear Stuff Smith and his Onyx Club Boys doing (with a cameo appearance by the Roving Photographer):
Cindy Walker's I HEAR YOU TALKIN' with echoes of Fifty-Second Street:
The pretty MAIDEN'S PRAYER:
TIME CHANGES EVERYTHING, as we know:
Dan Walton's PIPELINER'S BLUES, from the Moon Mullican book:
TEN YEARS:
Cindy Walker's DUSTY SKIES:
SAN ANTONIO ROSE, the "Western Swing national anthem":
How can you hear more of this . . . . ? Come to the Redwood Coast Music Festival, May 7-10, 2o2o.
Posted in "Thanks A Million", Bliss!, Generosities, Hotter Than That, Ideal Places, It's All True, Jazz Worth Reading, Mmmmmmmmmmmmm!, Pay Attention!, Swing You Cats!, That Was Fun!, The Heroes Among Us, The Real Thing, The Things We Love, Wow!
Tagged Bob Wills, Chris Wilkinson, Cindy Walker, Dan Walton, Dave Stuckey, Elana James, Ernest Tubb, Hal Smith, James Mason, Jamey Cummins, Jazz Lives, Jimmie Rodgers, Jonathan Doyle, Marc Caparone, Mark Jansen, Michael Steinman, Milton Brown, Moon Mullican, Redwood Coast Music Festival, Rusty Blake, Tex Williams, Valerie Jansen, Wally Hersom, Western Swing
PAPPY AND JUNIOR'S WESTERN SWING ALL-STARS (Part One): DAVE "PAPPY" STUCKEY, HAL "JUNIOR" SMITH, ELANA JAMES, MARC CAPARONE, JONATHAN DOYLE, DAN WALTON, JAMES MASON, RUSTY BLAKE, CHRIS WILKINSON, JAMEY CUMMINS, WALLY HERSOM (Redwood Coast Music Festival, May 10, 2019)
It's taken me many years to truly appreciate the breadth and soulfulness of Western Swing but I get it now, so I was thrilled to attend (and record) this leisurely long presentation by a genuinely all-star group, co-led by Dave Stuckey, guitar, vocal; and Hal Smith, drums, at the 2019 Redwood Coast Music Festival.
Here's the personnel — the hot / sweet rascals all in a row: Dave Stuckey, guitar, vocal; Elana James, fiddle, vocal; Hal Smith, drums; James Mason, fiddle; Dan Walton, piano, vocal; Marc Caparone, cornet; Jonathan Doyle, reeds; Rusty Blake, steel guitar; Chris Wilkinson, guitar; Jamey Cummins, guitar; Wally Hersom, string bass.
Because I don't think of myself as an authority on this music, I asked Dave and Hal for their comments, which are as different as they are. Dave, first:
While most people think of Western Swing as a melting pot…and I wouldn't disagree necessarily (music did come across the border…Wills had Spanish Fandango, the Tune Wranglers had el Rancho Grande, etc), I think that was a just a subset of what they played. The base line was jazz, though. When you look at WS's (as it was called by 1947 — previously it was regarded as Hot String Band) repertoire, it's all jazz. Very few originals.
I always think of it as a bunch of cats in Texas who were wild about jazz and wanted to play it – so they did with the instruments they had (steel guitar, fiddles). Judging from what I've heard from the limited amount of old-timers I've been lucky enough to meet is that jazz was just about ALL they listened to.
I met Benny Garcia, the excellent guitarist for Wills, Tex Williams, Hank Penny and at one point, Goodman (!). He grew up in Oklahoma City and when we chatted, all he wanted to talk about was Charlie Christian, his biggest influence.
I don't know how often the jazz guys even knew of Western Swing but I do know the story of Jimmie Bryant, the singular country jazz guitarist who, it was said, would often leave his weekly gig at Hometown Jamboree in El Monte (south of L.A.) and shoot up to Hollywood and sit in with Stuff Smith at Billy Berg's on Vine Street.
Jimmie Rodgers is a wellspring, just like Pops. I regard those two as the only occupants on Music Mount Olympus. I also think to call Jimmie The Father of Country Music is to way undersell him. He was all of it – jazz, country, blues, Hawaiian. I don't know if you've read Finding Jimmie Rodgers by Barry Mazor, but I think you'd really enjoy it. It ties a lot of it together with fact and supposition.
Milton Brown? Well, it's hard to imagine what the whole timeline would be like had he not died so young. He was right there…once he and Bob broke up after that first, seminal record, they both went in fairly disparate, but equally great directions.
and Hal:
I was aware of Western Swing music in the '60s, after finding out that hot jazz cornetists Benny Strickler and Danny Alguire had worked with Bob Wills' Texas Playboys. But it was difficult to find comprehensive reissues of Wills' music until the '70s. Once I heard those recordings, with more great hornmen like Tubby Lewis, reedmen Wayne Johnson and Woody Wood, the Jess Stacy-like piano of Al Stricklin, the hot jazz of fiddlers Jesse Ashlock and Joe Holly and steel guitarist Leon McAuliffe, the swinging drums of Smokey Dacus, Bob Fitzgerald and Monte Mountjoy and the friendly vocal styles of Tommy Duncan and Wills himself…I was hooked!
Fast-forward to the early 2000s in Southern California, when I made the acquaintance of Dave "Pappy" Stuckey. We quickly found out that we shared a lot of musical interests, from the Firehouse Five Plus Two to Eddie Condon to…Western Swing! With the help of some talented Southern California musicians, we organized the "Hi-Lo Playboys" to perform at a variety of events. However, conflicting schedules, disagreements regarding the band's approach and a general lack of work doomed this group within a short time.
Fast-forward again to the 2017 Redwood Coast Music Festival…As Dave and I rode together in a van to the Eureka airport, the subject of Western Swing came up. We agreed that a hot Western group would be a great addition to the musical presentations at Redwood Coast. When we contacted Festival Director Mark Jansen, he immediately agreed. After receiving the green light for a special set at the 2018 festival, "Pappy" Stuckey and "Junior" Smith began to contact musicians who would be able to play the music the right way and simultaneously put together set lists to reflect the best music from the Texas Playboys repertoire. "Pappy and Junior's Barn Burner" was a smash hit at the 2018 Redwood Coast Music Festival. Happily, Mark Jansen agreed to a reprise in 2019 and friend Michael videotaped the band for posterity.
And now . . . the first half of this glorious effervescent evening of music.
TAKE ME BACK TO TULSA:
A HOME IN SAN ANTONE:
WHOA BABE! — which some of us will also know from a Lionel Hampton Victor:
BEAUMONT RAG:
I'M FEELING BAD:
SMOKE, SMOKE, SMOKE:
BLUE TEARS:
DRIVIN' NAILS IN MY COFFIN:
I will close by saying that my ears were opened wider by this erudite hilarious feeling presentation, that a second half is waiting in the wings, that all of this wouldn't happen were it not for the generosities of Mark and Valerie Jansen, AND that the next Redwood Coast Music Festival is May 7-10, 2020, and you will see us there.
Posted in "Thanks A Million", Bliss!, Generosities, Hotter Than That, Ideal Places, It's All True, Jazz Titans, Jazz Worth Reading, Mmmmmmmmmmmmm!, Pay Attention!, Swing You Cats!, That Was Fun!, The Heroes Among Us, The Real Thing, The Things We Love, Wow!
JUST ADD RUM, ICE, AND SUNGLASSES: "CHARLIE AND THE TROPICALES" (Part Two): CHARLIE HALLORAN, BEN POLCER, JONATHAN DOYLE, KRIS TOKARSKI, ALEX BELHAJ, JOSHUA GOUZY, JOSH COLLAZO (Redwood Coast Music Festival, May 11, 2019)
Back by popular demand (and not just mine)!
Here's the second half of Charlie Halloran's glorious set of hot and sweet island dance music, performed at the Redwood Coast Music Festival last May 11. Charlie is on trombone (and I believe research and arrangements as well); Ben Polcer, trumpet; Jonathan Doyle, clarinet; Kris Tokarski, piano; Alex Belhaj, guitar; Joshua Gouzy, string bass; Josh Collazo, drums. And here is the first half of their musical cocktail.
Lord Melody's THE RIVER:
JULIANNE:
The title of Charlie's most recent CD, CE BIGUINE:
THE RHYTHM WE WANT, which would be a good CD title:
MIRANDA:
The Mighty Sparrow's JEAN AND DINAH:
I have it on good authority that there will definitely be another set like this at next May's Redwood Coast Music Festival . . . I'll be in front, grooving!
Tagged Alex Belhaj, Ben Polcer, calypso, CE BIGIUNE, Charlie and the Tropicales, Charlie Halloran, Guadeloupe, Jazz Lives, Jonathan Doyle, Josh Collazo, Josh Gouzy, Joshua Gouzy, Kris Tokarski, Mark Jansen, Michael Steinman, Redwood Coast Music Festival, Trinidad, Valerie Jansen
SO FLAVORFUL: "CHARLIE and the TROPICALES" at the REDWOOD COAST MUSIC FESTIVAL (Part One): CHARLIE HALLORAN, BEN POLCER, JONATHAN DOYLE, KRIS TOKARSKI, ALEX BELHAJ, JOSHUA GOUZY, JOSH COLLAZO (May 11, 2019)
Charlie Halloran's wonderful CD of rocking island music.
I confess that if you tapped me on my shoulder at a jazz festival and said, "Do you want to hear a band playing calypsos, music from the islands?" even though I live on one, I might be skeptical. But if you said, "Charlie Halloran is leading a group on this stage," I would trip over myself in my eagerness to be there. (And those of you who want only ROYAL GARDEN BLUES . . . I encourage you to be brave and approach the new songs without fear.)
(I first fell in love with the music Charlie and friends create because of his Quality Six, and then his CD devoted to rocking Caribbean music, CE BIGUINE, which I've written about here and here.)
I didn't have to go through this imagined playlet at the musical Garden of Delights that is the Redwood Coast Music Festival: I was ready in my seat for this set, which Charlie now calls "Charlie and the Tropicales." Perhaps you need to know who else was there besides Charlie on trombone: Ben Polcer, trumpet; Jonathan Doyle, clarinet; Kris Tokarski, piano; Alex Belhaj, guitar; Joshua Gouzy, string bass; Josh Collazo, drums.
Much has been said about the multi-cultural influences on what we loosely call the music of New Orleans: I'll leave such ruminations to the cultural anthropologists — I prefer music to theorizing. And what music did Charlie and the Tropicales make! If you can listen to it without smiling and swaying, that (as they say) is your problem. And if you've turned away because it isn't a jazz classic played by your favorite band, to quote Louis, "too bad for you." Here's music that rocks!
ROAD MARCH:
DOUDOU PAS PLEURE:
VICKY:
VOLTIGE ANTILLAIS:
TABU:
If you sat still in your seat through that music, let me talk to your neurologist, please. There's a second part of this set to come . . . quickly, if you ask nicely.
CELESTIAL VIBRATIONS FROM PLANET DOYLE: JONATHAN DOYLE, JACOB ZIMMERMAN, CHARLIE HALLORAN, KRIS TOKARSKI, JAMEY CUMMINS, STEVE PIKAL, HAL SMITH (Redwood Coast Music Festival, May 11, 2019)
Posted on July 11, 2019 | 1 comment
The music that Jonathan Doyle writes, plays, and inspires is too expansive to fit into any box, but listening to these four glorious performances from the Redwood Coast Music Festival, I thought, "What would happen if some magical science could graft the soundtrack of JAMMIN' THE BLUES onto the Ellington small groups and the secret John Hammond-Basie sessions of 1936-9?" That imagined concoction, a rich brew, amused me, but again it was too confining for what Jonathan does with and through his Swingtet.
I would have you note the obvious: he is a wonderfully inspired soloist and ensemble player, improvising as he goes with great feeling, but his lines are quirky and surprising, and his arrangements are so rewarding that one should revisit any performance more than twice or three times to savor the mix of soloists, ensemble passages, dynamics, timbres (delicate to raucous) which all add up to a compositional sense that keeps the fervor of a jam session / head arrangement — the results not only please but amaze.
Some of the amazement, to be accurate, comes from the singular talents Jonathan attracts — I think people on this level are eager to play alongside him and read his charts, because they thrive on the stimulation they can find here. It is as far from formulaic readings of PERDIDO or ROYAL GARDEN BLUES as one could imagine or hope for. For this set, Jonathan's colleagues are Hal Smith, drums; Steve Pikal, string bass; Kris Tokarski, piano; Jamey Cummins, guitar (SOME rhythm section, as E.B. White's Charlotte would have written); Charlie Halloran, trombone; Jacob Zimmerman, alto saxophone and clarinet. All brought to you — not only by the musicians — by the generous wise pair who create the Redwood Coast Music Festival, Mark and Valerie Jansen.
Here's more. Only the first half of Laura Glaess' title applies here:
Jonathan's JUST A LITTLE RIGHT:
Named for the thrilling Mister Smith:
and the gorgeously textured STEPPIN' LIGHT:
And a brief didactic moment, which those who listen deeply can skip. I suspect, sadly, that some jazz consumers are brand-fixated, rather like children who will only eat McNuggets and drink Coke. "That's not My Favorite Band, so I'll skip it." Dear consumers, take a chance and listen: beauty sprouts and blooms all through Jonathan Doyle's Swingtet.
Posted in "Thanks A Million", Bliss!, Generosities, Ideal Places, Irreplaceable, It's All True, Jazz Titans, Mmmmmmmmmmmmm!, Pay Attention!, Swing You Cats!, That Was Fun!, The Heroes Among Us, The Real Thing, The Things We Love, Wow!
Tagged Charlie Halloran, Charlotte's Web, Coke, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, E.B. White, Hal Smith, Jacob Zimmerman, Jamey Cummins, JAMMIN' THE BLUES, Jazz Lives, John Hammond, Jonathan Doyle, Jonathan Doyle Swingtet, Kris Tokarski, Laura Glaess, Mark Jansen, McNuggets, Michael Steinman, Redwood Coast Music Festival, Steve PIkal, Valerie Jansen
SOMETHING FOR THOSE PEOPLE, AND WE KNOW WHO THEY ARE: HEALING SOUNDS FROM The JONATHAN DOYLE SWINGTET: JONATHAN DOYLE, JACOB ZIMMERMAN, CHARLIE HALLORAN, KRIS TOKARSKI, JAMEY CUMMINS, STEVE PIKAL, HAL SMITH (Redwood Coast Music Festival, May 11, 2019)
Posted on June 9, 2019 | Leave a comment
The gorgeous music below is sent out as a moral inducement, less of a rebuke, to the people who "don't know how to Act Nice."
The boss who raises his voice at a subordinate; the salesperson who tries to flatter us to make the sale; the insecure person who bullies; the driver who tailgates; the liar; the self-absorbed person too busy recounting their own exploits to ask how you might be or too busy to leave that smartphone alone . . . the list is, sadly, long, and there is no need to add to it here.
To these people I send Jonathan Doyle's instructive but also healing gift of this performance — called DON'T BE THAT WAY — performed at the 2019 Redwood Coast Music Festival. The artful creators are Jonathan Doyle, tenor saxophone; Jacob Zimmerman, alto saxophone; Charlie Halloran, trombone; Kris Tokarski, piano; Jamey Cummins, guitar; Steve Pikal, string bass; Hal Smith, drums. This easy rocking performance (not too fast, thank you!) summons up Teddy Wilson, Lester Young, Lionel Hampton small-group recordings rather than the famous Benny Goodman one.
Incidentally, I don't espouse Goodman-bashing, but the 1934 Webb recording of the song, an instrumental, has Edgar Sampson as composer; later, Mitchell Parish added lyrics; Benny added his name, as the sheet music bearing his image, twice, shows.
The Swingtet scales peaks without stressing itself or us. How splendidly they glide. Bless them! And bless Mark and Valerie Jansen for making this life-changing music happen at the Redwood Coast Music Festival, a sweet explosion of joys which will nuzzle our faces once again on May 7-10, 2020. For now:
So, please. Be any way that's kind, easy, and compassionate. Be aware that we are all connected. Be candid, be loving. Be aware.
But DON'T BE THAT WAY.
Posted in "Thanks A Million", Bliss!, Generosities, Ideal Places, It's All True, Jazz Titans, Pay Attention!, Swing You Cats!, That Was Fun!, The Heroes Among Us, The Real Thing, The Things We Love, Wow!
Tagged Benny Goodman, Charlie Halloran, Chick Webb, DON'T BE THAT WAY, Edgar Sampson, Hal Smith, Jacob Zimmerman, Jamey Cummins, Jazz Lives, Jonathan Doyle, Jonathan Doyle Swingtet, Kris Tokarski, Lester Young, Lionel Hampton, Mark Jansen, Michael Steinman, Mitchell Parish, Steve PIkal, Teddy Wilson, Valerie Jansen
A LITTLE EPIPHANY: "JEEP'S BLUES," THE JONATHAN DOYLE SWINGTET at the REDWOOD COAST MUSIC FESTIVAL (JONATHAN DOYLE, JACOB ZIMMERMAN, CHARLIE HALLORAN, KRIS TOKARSKI, JAMEY CUMMINS, STEVE PIKAL, HAL SMITH: May 11, 2019)
What does one say when the Divine decides to pay a social call? I don't know if there's only one answer, but mine was a quiet "Thank you," and held-back tears.
JEEP'S BLUES — if examined analytically — is a mixture of the simplest blues phrases, phases that were part of the common musical lexicon in 1938. But what transforms it as a composition and a performance is what Louis called Tonation and Phrasing — which I translate as musicians achieving vocalized sounds through their instruments, singing with deep feeling, becoming a wordless choir.
The Jonathan Doyle Swingtet (for this set at the Redwood Coast Music Festival, Jonathan, tenor saxophone and arrangement; Jacob Zimmerman, alto saxophone; Charlie Halloran, trombone; Kris Tokarski, piano; Jamey Cummins, guitar; Steve Pikal, string bass; Hal Smith, drums) sang their pure and impure songs to us, to the heavens, and for the musicians present, past, and future. . . . secular hymns that elated us.
I'm sure some listeners will say, "Oh, that's just a blues." Too bad for them, say I. Blessings on these musicians, on Mark and Valerie Jansen of the Redwood Coast Music Festival (hint: May 7-10, 2020!) on Johnny Hodges and Duke Ellington, all of whom make holy music and make holy music possible.
Tagged Charlie Halloran, Duke Ellington, Hal Smith, Jacob Zimmerman, Jamey Cummins, Jazz Lives, JEEP'S BLUES, Johnny Hodges, Jonathan Doyle, Jonathan Doyle Swingtet, Kris Tokarski, Mark Jansen, Michael Steinman, Redwood Coast Music Festival, Steve PIkal, Valerie Jansen
UP IN THE CLOUDS (Part Two): THE JONATHAN DOYLE SWINGTET at the REDWOOD COAST MUSIC FESTIVAL: JONATHAN DOYLE, GORDON AU, CHARLIE HALLORAN, JAMEY CUMMINS, ALEX BELHAJ, SAM ROCHA, JOSH COLLAZO (May 12, 2019)
I think I first took notice of Jonathan Doyle — clarinetist, tenor saxophonist, later bass saxophonist, composer, arranger — when he was a member of the Thrift Set Orchestra some six years ago, then working with Hal Smith, leading his own groups, in combos with Ray Skjelbred, part of the Fat Babies, with Hal's Swing Central, and more than I am no doubt leaving out. By the time I met him in person, possibly at the 2014 San Diego Jazz Fest, I was already dazzled.
What Jonathan has and shares with us is a special emotional-spiritual energy, as if he's connected to electric current, no matter how lazy the tempo might be. I've never seen him coast or fall back on formula: he is fully present and fully engaged. I offered these two splendid performances by his Swingtet at the Redwood Coast Music Festival (with Jacob Zimmerman, Charlie Halloran, Kris Tokarski, Jamey Cummins, Steve Pikal, Hal Smith) here and they deserved all the enthusiastic prose I could write and all the accolades from audience members. A day later at the RCMF, Jonathan assembled a slightly different Swingtet: Gordon Au, trumpet; Charlie Halloran, trombone; Sam Rocha, string bass; Josh Collazo, drums; Jamey Cummins, Alex Belhaj, guitars.
I love this music dearly.
First, Jonathan's original A SYBARITE'S DREAM, featuring Gordon, musing and soaring, in the fashion of an Ellington mood-piece but purely Doyle:
Then, an utterly captivating romp on Benny Carter's KRAZY KAPERS, inspired by the 1933 Chocolate Dandies recording — a line on DIGA DIGA DOO. Watch Gordon's face as Jonathan solos: it tells you all you need to know. And if you'd been sitting near me, you would have seen my even more dramatic look of astonished delight as Jonathan announced the song . . . as if I'd been given a lovely present. I haven't changed my mind at all since then:
Such remarkable passion, allied to an irresistible swing. Bless Jonathan and his musicians, and Mark and Valerie Jansen for creating such a splendid space for beauties. (The 2020 Redwood Coast Music Festival will be next May 7-10, and it will be a doozy, a honey, or a blast: you pick. I think it will be all three.)
Tagged A SYBARITE'S DREAM, Alex Behaj, Benny Carter, Charlie Halloran, Fat Babies, Gordon Au, Hal Smith, Jamey Cummins, Jazz Lives, Jonathan Doyle, Jonathan Doyle Swingtet, Josh Collazo, KRAZY KAPERS, Mark Jansen, Michael Steinman, Ray Skjelbred, Redwood Coast Music Festival, Sam Rocha, Swing Central, the Chocolate Dandies, Valerie Jansen
UP IN THE CLOUDS (Part One): The JONATHAN DOYLE SWINGTET at THE REDWOOD COAST MUSIC FESTIVAL: JONATHAN DOYLE, JACOB ZIMMERMAN, CHARLIE HALLORAN, KRIS TOKARSKI, JAMEY CUMMINS, STEVE PIKAL, HAL SMITH (May 11, 2019)
It's lovely to have heroes, and the man in the photograph is one of mine. The only problem with the photograph is that it's a still picture, and he is rarely still, but the videos below will remedy that.
When I was fortunate enough to chat with clarinetist Frank Chace on the telephone (now more than twenty years ago), he remembered that he and Marty Grosz had listened, rapt, over and over, to Pee Wee Russell's solo on SWEET SUE with the Muggsy Spanier Ragtimers on Commodore. Marty's comment was, "Well, if that doesn't scrape the clouds . . . !" which is as good a summation of what artistic bliss feels like.
Those words kept coming back to me all through my weekend immersion in joy at the Redwood Coast Music Festival: I listened, quite amazed, at the wonderful music I was privileged to hear. I'm still in a state of blissful amazement: feelings shared by those around me.
One of the reasons for this unearthly happiness has to do with reedman / composer / arranger / imaginative-phenomenon Jonathan Doyle, a rare source of renewable energy in our time. Here 's where you can find him on Facebook as well. Spiritual electricities course through him without harming him or us, and they come out as the most beautiful surprising patterns of notes, tones, and rests. He never coasts; he never parodies anyone or himself.
Jonathan was a stimulating presence all through the weekend: with Charlie Halloran's Calypsonians, leading several sets of his own and with Jacob Zimmerman (one a Walter Donaldson tribute with Doyle on bass sax), as lead horn in Hal Smith's Swing Central, with the extravagant Western Swing Party co-led by Hal and Dave Stuckey. (He was also one-third of the double tribute to composer-players Gordon Au and Josh Collazo, but by that time I had collapsed as if I'd been made of damp cardboard. I'll do better next year, I hope.)
Here are four uplifting performances from the first set of Jonathan's Swingtet, a glorious affair consisting of Doyle, Jacob Zimmerman, alto; Charlie Halloran, trombone; Kris Tokarski, piano; Steve Pikal, string bass; Jamey Cummins, guitar; Hal Smith, drums.
BLUE DRAG (a nod to 1934 Django):
CHICAGO (he'll show you around!):
THE FED HOP (Jonathan's irresistible original):
DICKIE'S DREAM (Basie 1939, anyone? Because of sudden battery demise, I lost the first ensemble chorus and Charlie Halloran's delicious solo, but what remains is very satisfying):
When you're through admiring the solo work and the overall joyous bounce of these four performances, I urge you to listen again to Jonathan's arrangements, their sweet surprises, their dynamics and voicings. He's not just a great player and composer: he's a wonderful orchestral visionary who makes his dreams and ours come true in swing.
More to come from my hero JD and his friends.
Tagged Charlie Halloran, Commodore Records, Dicky Wells, Django Reinhardt, Frank Chace, Gordon Au, Hal Smith, Jacob Zimmerman, Jonathan Doyle, Jonathan Doyle Swingtet, Josh Collazo, Kris Tokarski, Mark Jansen, Marty Grosz, Micnael Steinman, Pee Wee Russell, Redwood Coast Music Festival, Steve PIkal, Swing Central, Val Jansen
AN ALL-YOU-CAN-HEAR BUFFET: THE REDWOOD COAST MUSIC FESTIVAL (May 9-12, 2019)
When I used to teach college, I would sometimes harangue my students about the money they spent, and ask them to consider before their next purchase, how many hours of work this item cost them, but more importantly, how much lasting happiness it would bring. I made a conscious decision to invest in jazz. Good music, improvised on the spot, pays immense emotional dividends that (let us say) new kitchen counters or other indulgences would not.
There's also the Carpe Diem factor. I hear so many fellow enthusiasts saying, "Wow. I'll certainly have to go there next year," and then the "there" evaporates like a drop of water in a hot iron skillet because the jazz party costs too much to run year after year. So a listener's willingness to invest in jazz, to tear themselves away from the computer means that the festival goes on or the club stays open.
Carpe Diem is also personal — if you're twenty-seven, please skip this passage. This music has been one of the centers of my life for more than fifty years now, and since I know I don't have another fifty, I am determined to experience as much of it as possible, while it's here, while I have some income, and while my body cooperates.
Thus it delights me to invite you along to what is obviously a Humdinger and a Lollapalooza of a music festival:
and a listing of bands that, for me, induces a sweet vertigo:
JAZZ LIVES readers will see that a whole host of my West Coast secular deities are here, and this listing doesn't include all the sidemen and women. I encourage you all to do several things. The first, and it's not idle, is to create a mental space that includes a visit to this festival on May 9-12. You have to envision something before it becomes a possibility, then a reality. How you deal with the tangible obligations is your choice and it would be impudent for me to suggest borrowing from Hendrik and Melisandre's college funds, but you can think of something.
Enough urging. Please visit the RCMF website — with videos and biographies of musicians. And here is the RCMF Facebook page.
It's too soon for a complete schedule of performances to be posted, but I know that it will be. I have heard — among other delights — words about a Charlie Christian tribute, a Walter Donaldson performance, an evocation of the Louis Armstrong All-Stars . . . . Those aren't the usual festival fare, and I cherish them. Dance competitions, also. Let that sink in.
And for those who realize there is life away from the stage, the RCMF takes place in one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world — the Humboldt County redwood forest: details here.
But you'd like to hear some music, correct? For once, I won't easily gratify that desire for free through the computer. Heaven knows there's enough to be had. For a change, consider leaving your chair, shutting your phone off in favor of a jaunt into the redwoods. And an amazing cornucopia of musical experiences.
Posted in "Thanks A Million", Bliss!, Generosities, Ideal Places, Irreplaceable, It's All True, Jazz Worth Reading, Mmmmmmmmmmmmm!, Pay Attention!, Swing You Cats!, The Heroes Among Us, The Real Thing, The Things We Love, Wow!
Tagged blues, Hal Smith, Humboldt County, Jazz Lives, Jonathan Doyle, Marc Caparone, Mark Jansen, Michael Steinman, New Orleans jazz, Redwood Coast Music Festival, redwoods, rockabilly, swing, Western Swing, zydeco


text:
Minnesota: Unionizing child-care: DFL appears…
Minnesota: Unionizing child-care: DFL appears to have the votes, but not the case
By Pioneer Press | news@pioneerpress.com
PUBLISHED: May 14, 2013 at 11:01 pm | UPDATED: November 5, 2015 at 7:58 pm
While we slept, Republicans in the Minnesota Senate fought all night Tuesday for families and child care providers, said a tweet from the Republican Party.
It was a losing battle. The upshot of the all-nighter: Minnesota is a step closer to unionizing private business owners to bargain with the state over taxpayer dollars. The bill, affecting home-care workers who care for state-subsidized clients, passed by a vote of 35-32.
It next goes to the House, where Saturday is the soonest it could be considered. If the measure reaches his desk, it's considered certain that Gov. Mark Dayton will sign it into law. A judge in Ramsey County ruled last year that Dayton exceeded his authority in trying to order a unionization vote. The judge said the matter should be handled through the legislative process.
The organizations with the most to gain are the unions: Day-care operators would be represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, or AFSCME. Personal-care attendants, who care for the sick, elderly and disabled, could join the Service Employees International Union, or SEIU.
The conservative-leaning Freedom Foundation put the situation this way: "The extraordinary union power grab under way at the state Capitol is breathtaking, especially in light of the prevailing trend of Midwest states enacting positive, taxpayer-friendly collective bargaining reforms."
The foundation says that thousands of independent small business owners will be "forced to pay for a union they never requested and do not want."
If the union prevails in a vote to organize, providers who receive subsidies but "opt out" of membership must — under state law — pay fair-share dues, a percentage of the dues paid by full members.
Estimates say the total number of affected workers is about 21,000. It's the small-business-based child-care workers who've drawn the most attention, and controversy.
In making their case, opponents:
— Argue that the measure would affect the bottom lines of their businesses and that added costs would be passed on to parents. Some have suggested that the cost-cutting required might also mean lower pay for child-care workers. Like other markets, this one is best left to function more freely rather than less.
— Dispute claims about union representation prompting training that would improve care for kids. We're not convinced that you need a union to advance training, professional development and other educational programs for these workers. Many best-practice resources are available in a state that's paying increased attention to its littlest learners.
— Point to political payoff. Action this session on the measure is a result, in part, of the power shift at the Legislature that put Democrats in control. According to an Associated Press analysis of campaign reports, unions pumped more than $3.7 million into Democratic races and the state party last year, and steered millions more toward independent campaign groups.
— Worry about creating what amounts to additional public-worker unions, about pressure on state budgets — and the ultimate cost to taxpayers — as increases in state reimbursement rates are negotiated.
After the 17-hour Senate debate this week, four Democrats broke with their party to vote against the measure: the east metro's Bev Scalze of Little Canada, as well as Terri Bonoff of Minnetonka, Greg Clausen of Apple Valley and Melisa Franzen of Edina.
Those who care for the youngest and most vulnerable Minnesotans do important work in our state. They should continue to do so compassionately and effectively — without unions in their way.
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