Pick one from column A - regardless of which you pick, you are always a winner w/ Al Kanovsky's recommendations

Submitted by Al Kanovsky 10/27/12

I actually feel good about certain dilemmas. Especially when it comes to choices of who am I going to listen to on a given night. Friday night proved tha JAZZ is alive and well in South Florida. Miami had the Nice/Miami JAZZ Festival and Boca Rotan had Melton Mustafa's CD release party at Art's Garage. Rick Katz opted for Miami, I chose Boca. 

If you like to hear your JAZZ undisturbed by idle chatter, then the Garage is a good choice. There is an admission charge, with your choice of seating. The audience is generally mixed as far as age is concerned but leaning somewhat to the mature(meaning as old as my  kids). They are also "hip", remaining silent while there is music, applauding at the appropriate times and appreciative of the JAZZ genres from Dixie to Boogie Woogie, swing, be-bop and as illustrated Friday night a bit of avant-garde.

Melton looked and sounded great, although a little unhappy about his choice of mouthpieces for this evening. He fronted a band that was diverse, when it comes to age, as it possibly could be, ranging from Dolf Castellano(piano) age???? to Sean Divito(tenor sax) 18. Chad Bernstein(trombone) late 20's(a guess), Leon Foster-Thomas, a famed steel pan artist but playing drums tonight---probably near 40, Curtis Lundy(bass) mid-30s and Melton(trumpet),ageless. His brother Jesse Jones Jr. helped out a bit on alto and scat vocals. I don't know which is the eldest and won't ask because I'll never get the truth from either one.

The program consisted of mainly Melton's original compositions and charts. There were a couple of standards thrown in--ByeBye Blackbird, an impassioned avant-garde version of "Summertime" and also some popular be-bop riffs. My choice proved itself to be a good one. I was happy to see Melton looking (although a bit bushier) and sounding like Melton again.

Charlie Boyers party at BJB's Sunday afternoon 4-7 and most important MJC's Rent Party at the Stage Monday 8PM. As my kids would say---"Be there or be square"  Tappin' and Clappin' and missing her.