Hot Summer Shows - I Snooze, You Lose

The past several weeks have been filled with delicious jazz, and due to my nutso schedule I've been remiss in updating you all so that you could join me. In order to catch up I'll give you some quick and dirty highlights and lowlights. Those of you who are familiar with and not too fond of my typical wordiness will no doubt rejoice in my newfound brevity. Don't get used to it though; I've been using my Franklin Covey Compass System religiously and now have time for everything in life. Or, close to it anyway...

August 24: Roy McCurdy Trio at Spazio, Studio City.

HIGHLIGHT: The ever-elusive Larry Fuller, scheduled to play, dazzled us with his keyboard skills. Despite the fact that I forgot to have him pose for a photo, we had a long enough conversation that I can now finish the "Dear Larry Fuller" chapter in my book.

LOWLIGHT: You know, ever since the whole back room incident in May it pains me to go to shows at Spazio, even though Derek the bartender is a joy.

August 29: Jeff Hamilton, Houston Person and Atsuko Hashimoto at Crowne Plaza, LAX

HIGHLIGHT: I do not exaggerate when I say this is one of the finest performances I have ever seen in life. Granted, I was in a particularly good mood because Dad and Esther were in town and joined me, but Atsuko Hashimoto's Hammond B3 organ skills were unlike anything I've ever heard. Esther said it best: "She is a soul brother reincarnated!". I'll keep you all posted when the album comes out!!

LOWLIGHT: I can't even think of one, so I'll list another highlight: Dad made friends with everyone in the room, including Barbara Morrison, who will be in Atlanta soon so their paths will cross again.

L-R: Esther, Pam and Curtis Howell

September 2-3: West Coast Jazz Party

HIGHLIGHT: I met some amazing performers, including Dena DeRose, a phenomenally talented pianist / vocalist, and David Ashkenazy, a local drummer who got the seal of approval from none other than Flip Manne. Additionally, I got a chance to brush the dust off of some my old swing dance moves thanks to Houston Person's swinging saxophone, and spent a leisurely Sunday afternoon on a jazz cruise with the LA Jazz Society folks! Musical high point though was Tamir Hendelman's solo on "Too Close For Comfort." I think the stage is still on fire.

LOWLIGHT: As much as I love live jazz, I felt a little isolated since the event isn't particularly popular with my contemporaries. I'm still planning to go to the next big jazz party in February though!

September 6: James Brown at The Hollywood Bowl

HIGHLIGHT: Mr. Brown still has the moves and Louie Bellson was a featured drummer for many of the tunes. It was clearly a legendary evening.

LOWLIGHT: Probably just my own personal bias, but the fact that James Brown had a jazz album in 1969 seemed like a weak link to the finale of the jazz series at the Bowl.

September 7: Chuck Berghofer & Midnight Jazz Band at Charlie O's, Valley Glen

HIGHLIGHT: This band is always top notch, and given the new stage setup at Charlie O's they really did shine. This show simply underscored my "must see" opinion of this group. Plus, the fact that I got to hang out one-on-one with Flip was the icing on the cake.

LOWLIGHT: Low energy on my part meant I couldn't stick around for the midnight set, and given the band's name you know it was smokin'.

September 9: Ravi Coltrane at The Vault 350, Long Beach

HIGHLIGHT: This was a surprisingly beautiful venue for a dance club, and this son of a legend did not disappoint. Very fluid, contemporary horn lines backed up by an outstanding rhythm section - the drummer was particularly solid and shame on me, I didn't get his name.... *pout*

LOWLIGHT: The tunes were long so we only got to hear 4 of them for the $20 / 2 drink min. set. Worth it though.