welcome to another round of Jazz with Olympus

from my notes on a scrap piece of paper, at a jazz club

Holy cow. That first growl of the 1st trumpet sent of choke of excitement up my throat.
That sax looks like it was just unearthed, it's so caked-over-looking! Those seem to be the most throaty ones ... their lead sax just gave the cutoff! Haha ... and they just introduced their headliner sax soloist as "an interesting combination of saxophone and person." A Thad Jones piece next. Their bassist JUST USED A BOW. Their pianist is wearing a newsboy-Uffish hat. This band is so CHILL ... but with chops. The trumpets are playing way the heck in these upper registers, but quietly. By the way, I'm having catfish in a jazz club. Snap. This food is amazing, but I'm kinda annoyed by the distraction it provides, haha. Their pianist is RAD. "In a Sentimental Mood." Man! I love ballads. This sax - it's cliche - but it croons. But the cymbals with the tinkling - but actually not all that high - piano gives it the perfect background. I can't believe I'm here.

"Monkey Business" - Thelonius Monk - most of these are arranged by the same guy, who must have had some Kenton influences on his ballads - I know, everything comes back to Kenton with me. I told D I was most at home at this other thing we went to a couple weeks ago - a really thoughtful play - but that was until now.

The band is really warming up now. Um, my fries are cold. Dang this fabulous music. What the heck is this circus-sounding thing in the middle? Ha! Laughed out loud. They introduced the chart "Inside Out" by saying, "I'm not going to say anything, just gonna let it speak for itself." Lay off the freaking highest note on the keyboard, HA! I love it. Holy cow, man, work that slide, why don't you, mr. trombone soloist? Fastest, cleanest maneuvering I've ever seen. I love these bone mutes. D says they're probably straight mutes. And, there goes the first clarinet solo. I love anything Benny Goodman-esque. Next song, "Splankie," by Basie. I saw Basie's band in concert back in high school. mmm. This one is starting out with a really sparse sax solo (the throaty one) (tenor). It's really interesting, actually. Now, he's getting a lot busier and slowly climbing higher in pitch, too, while the band gets stronger. Ohh man.

Next song: "Remember This." The pianist can't find his music ... "why don't you just play it?"-band member "come on, just give him back his part."-lead sax. Um, he is, actually. Going to just play it. He's gonna do the whole thing by ear. I imagine they've played it enough times that if he can just get the key, he'll be all right. I wonder if he'll solo - my bet's yes. Their bone soloist right now looks kinda like a bigger version of a guy I used to work with. Also, I wonder if the two British guys at the table behind us came drunk? Um, yay for the piano, by the way. Check one for me - I was right - his solo was short and rad. Now the soprano and bari saxes are soloing together! We had dueling guitars in high school, but this!

Last song: "Battle Royale," by Ellington. This bari sax just pulled off the "obnoxious low blare." Sweet - that's talent. A lot of beginners attempt that because it's obnoxious, and therefore funny, but I guess once you've been around for more than a year or two it gets old and becomes the mark of an inexperienced soloist. However, somehow, this guy just did it, but with enough sensitivity, tact, and musicality - his choice of where to use it didn't sound like chance and because he was out of ideas, which is the reason most beginners use it - it was imposing, but only to the degree he wanted it to be. Way to be, man. That's really talent.

HOORAY for that clarinet! This throaty sax I LOVE - he just did this triple-tonguing thing on the same note - yay. And, the end.

Sorry for the disjointedness, there. When everything comes at you at once, what can you do? Man. I tell you what. Made me wish a little for the length of the Maynard Ferguson concert, even though it was so intensely long at the time. Tonight was quality stuff. Also, to be cheesy, let's dedicate this post to those who should have been there tonight.

-olympus