In Concert

The world has been topsy turvey since last blog. Been a long time:

1. More fishing
2. Trip to the mountains - a week too early for the Aspen Change
3. Got an official notice and will retire on October 31st of 2008
4. Attended a jazz concert (subject of this blog)
5. Went golfing - actually played 18 whole holes.. NPI (No Pun Intended)

The subject of this edition is the concert. My son-in-law, Drew Morell, is a jazz musician. And I must say a darn good one - he may be an even better stage commedian - he surely has great timing. I think practically the whole clan was it this last concert which included duets, quartets, and octets -- with an eclectic combination of instruments.

Music has such healing power and brings a depth of joy that is almost indescribable. The feelings music evokes can be very private and very public at the same time. Watching a 10 month old rocking with head bobs and arms raised in rythm tells us that it is truly a wonderful thing - yet can also be very reflective and spiritual.

The concert, held at the King Center at metro included the following songs:

How About You? (Freed/Lane) - it was a vibrant rendition and arrangement.

Beatrice (Sam Rivers) - really a nifty combination of bass clarinet and piccolo - something I had not heard before. I loved it.

Cherokee (Ray Noble) - they claimed it to be a tough piece with lots of time changes, I only counted 5 but there were probably many more. Is there a 7/8 and a 5/8 in there? If I closed my eyes I could see the native dancing - a wonderful earthy undertone.

Old Man Rebop (Leonard Feather) Excellent bass and Piano - very playful.

Something Borrowed Something Blue (Tommy Flanagan) - nice change of pace - Drew was able to share his guitar skills, hitting the harmonics nicely. One could actually hear the title words in the piano and the guitar. It was an excellent duet - maybe a wee bit too long - but nice.

Once I Loved (Antonio Carlos Jobim) I loved the soprano sax... it has such a neat sound - made for romance.

Dreams of a Sleeping Turtle (Drew Morell) - remember and picture if you can the bobble head turtles - you could hear the slow plodding turtle and just picture in the high notes his dream of being light footed and speedy, yet accepting his patience and methodical nature. I gotta find one of those turtles.

New Breed Leader (Ron Miles) - sorry, I just didn't get it. Except well the new breed of leaders tends to be, in my humble opinion, chaotic in nature. There was a neat juxtaposition of tromone and clarinet. I would rather have heard Dreams of Sleeping Turtle and put this song somewhere else in the mix.

Long standing ovation - Drew has such a great following and is so talented. We love him. His choice of instrumentation and jazz musicians was fantastic. I truly believe this was far and above the best of his concerts (that I have attended) at the King Center. His arrangements were thoughtful and interesting.

What is a G-Trumpet -- nifty looking instrument.

Great job - we'll be back next year!