Monday, January 19, 2004

Loud Jazz Cafe (Weekend of Concerts, Part II)

Today was the gig at the Hard Rock Cafe with the RHS Jazz Band. It was definitely an experience. It's always interesting to play jazz in rock clubs because there's usually something out-of-place in there. Today it was the big SUPREME COURT OF ROCK 'N' ROLL sign on the ceiling; once before, I played at a club in Denton where there was a sign by the stage which read, "CAUTION: MOSH AT YOUR OWN RISK." The stage was way too small for a big band, which made for a tight squeeze, and the acoustics were really, really loud.

The one thing that surprised me was that the place was totally packed. I should have known that all the families and friends would make it out on a Sunday afternoon, and sure enough, there were practically people hanging from the rafters. I think that energized the band, because they sounded great. Micah was out there and his feature was excellent as always (he quoted "New York, New York" during his solo break, though I'm not sure too many people besides Fizban and myself recognized it and thus got the joke).

My feature went fine; the conditions were kinda weird, as I was crammed into a space just barely big enough to stand in. My music stand was almost below me at this funny angle, and if I'd backed up half a foot, I would've run into the assistant director who was conducting (from the side of the band) right behind me. It was also a bit hard to hear the rhythm section, which was on the opposite side of the stage. But everyone seemed to like it, and it was probably a bit more imaginative than the one on the video, so we'll call it a good day.

Afterwards, Fizban, Demon Matt and I made a stop by CD Source, the recorded music mecca for jazzers on a budget. It's a huge used CD store with the best jazz selection in the Metroplex, which also makes it a very dangerous place to the wallet. I try to only go there every few months or so, but I always come out with some great stuff. Today's haul:

Kurt Elling-Live in Chicago
Paquito D'Rivera and the United Nation Orchestra-Live at Manchester Craftsmen's Guild
Charlie Parker and "The Orchestra"-Washington Concerts (this is the one where he plays an entire concert on a plastic alto!)

Bowled over: I finally got to go to the Rowlett Bowl-a-Rama tonight, with Demon Matt and Dingus. It's really a nice place, even if the wait was a bit long (about half an hour longer than promised; they should take a cue from the restaurant business and be pessimistic rather than optimistic with their predictions). But it's new and clean and smoke-free (yay) and only ten minutes from home. According to Halfling, the lines are really long sometimes, but we got in on this holiday eve and were only fifth on the list, despite the eventual wait. In the meantime, Demon Matt and I demolished Dingus at air hockey, and I took two of three from Matt as well.

So should I be embarrassed that Dingus beat me in one game of bowling? I was a little off during the second game, and he had a strong finish to win by four pins. Ehh, all in fun. And a pseudo-holiday awaits tomorrow (not slamming the holiday; just saying I don't actually get much time off). Kev out.

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