Thursday, November 22, 2007

The Young(ish) Woman and the Sea - Part the Second

Well, folks - I made it back from the Jazz Cruise and none the worse for wear. I am marlin-free and still a little woozy from the boat, but had a great time. Check out my LAJazz.com entry, "How Deep Is The Ocean?", for some cruise commentary.

My nattering wouldn't be complete, however, if I didn't play favorites and list some of the musical standout moments from my vantage point:

---Lewis Nash Quartet, consistently throwing down night after night. I overheard this comment about pianist Renee Rosnes by a 75 year old male passenger: "I didn't expect someone so pretty to be able to play so well!" C'mon now, it’s 2007.


---The all-star jam session including an all-bass performance led by Christoph Luty. There's something really powerful about seeing and hearing a bunch of double basses on stage, despite Christoph's bad joke comparing them to lifeboats...

---Jeff Hamilton Trio's cover of "Here, There and Everywhere." Until then, I thought "Yesterday" was my favorite Beatles song. The trio's treatment was quite possibly the sweetest thing I've ever heard and I may perish if it doesn't make it on their next recording.

---Gilbert Castellanos and Wycliffe Gordon dueling mutes on "Gee Baby Ain't I Good To You?" My jazz fanaticism centers on the trumpet, so you can imagine my glee when trumpeter Gilbert took on trombonist Wycliffe in a sultry, growly tete-a-tete. Mmmmm. *waves hankie*

And the trip wouldn't be complete without a shout-out to my roommate and new friend Bunny, who endured my rambly commentary and a late-night charley horse episode.... Thanks, Bunny!!

Switching gears... The December jazz calendars aren't all populated yet so I won't have picks for a week or so, but in the meantime, MARK YOUR CALENDAR for Saturday, December 15 at 2:00 p.m. for the 2nd annual "Tramp House Jazz Tasting"!! It's time for me to start collecting RSVPs so that I can confirm the location - so PLEASE EMAIL ME AS SOON AS POSSIBLE and let me know if you are planning to attend. I have some fun ideas in mind so if you're free, you won't want to miss it!!!

Thanks for listening, enjoy the music, and happy Thanksgiving!