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enjoying a seat in the lesbian section in 200A, trailer park chess

Listening to:	Things We Do For Love, 10cc
Reading:	Magic Seeds
Weather:	25, gorgeously sunny

The weekend, sunshine, groovy stuff happening and getting ready to happen, all good.

Liv and I headed over to the brewpub after work yesterday to meet up with Fred Barley. Fredstock Octoberjest Fred was in town for work. He and his pal Doug were hanging out at the pub, playing a little guitar. Literally. Fred has a groovy little baby Taylor, so adorable, and fun to play. We shot the shit for a little while, then Liv was jonesing for Rio Grande, so off we go. Not to Texas, but to the great state of Sabraton for supper. That place was hopping, everybody enjoying a friday evening workweek's end with some ritas and beans, food of the gods.

And on to the CAC. My pal T-Bone Tracey Whorton had kindly given me the headsup that she was coming to town to see her pal and WVU music alum Allison Miller play some jazz with one of her jazz quartets. Excellent, opportunity to enjoy some fine tuneage and a little visitation with T-Bone. Lucky we got there early, that joint was quickly SRO. Oh, and BTW, they have spent a pile of cash making good old 200A into a swank little concert hall. OK, swank being relative, but still, it is stylishly groovy now and it was a scary hole when we played there in school. Can I get a "hell, yeah?" A'ight.

The show was just absolutely wonderful. I'm no drummer, but here's the way I heard it. The cool spikey-haired chiquita had squeaky clean fundamentals. Every single hit of stick or brush or hand to drum was clean and unhesitating. Her drums were extremely tonal, even the bass drum. She was amazingly creative, but rarely went so far out there that you lose the heartbeat. Very dynamic, and a true listener. She approached the rhythm not as the architecture of the tune, but as an integral part of the whole, which includes melody, harmony, arrangement, etc. In other words, I got the impression she was really singing the tune in her head while laying in the percussion. Like I said, I'm not a drummer, and maybe she doesn't see thing that way at all, but that's the impression I got as I watched and listened. She was quite kickass, and confidently enjoying the performance.

Her band was also stellar. The pianist was extremly fluid and creative, and also had his fundamentals well under hand, plenty of hours of Hanon in that cat's past. Lovely mix of out there and accessible. The melody guy was an alto sax player, also played some soprano. Very tasteful player, pleasant round tone. The bassman was just what you hope for in a jazz quartet. Great sounding upright with a Hartke cabinet, he played very tonefully and tastefully, hanging back and laying down the rhythm and harmonic foundation patiently, then going nuts all over that thing when the door opened for that.

To top it all off, there was an adorable and happy and mellow little baby girl right next to us, child of another music alum we knew. Just a delightful smiling listener, she was less than a year old I'd say, but endured the entire show quietly but actually seemed to be aware of the music and enjoying it. Totally cool. Though her mom bogarted her all night, never passing her to me! :) She was so content, who would want to let her go.

Today it's clear and beautiful out, and the plan is to meet Fred over where he's staying this weekend in motown and play some chess. I told him, if you're playing me you've got to forego your rooks and I still might lose. Let's just say I know how the pieces move, and leave it at that.

permalink posted by cat 9:32 AM

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