doublin' down...while doublin' up - Al does the math and comes out ahead, every time.

Submitted by Al Kanovsky 2/16/13

No green felt---not a playing card in sight, but I doubled down. I listened to two artists twice in the same week(see prior blogs). 

Paulette Dozier appeared at the MJC's "JAZZ in the Gables" Wednesday afternoon. Friday she was Ed Bells guest on his radio show at WLRN. She was backed by her trio of Mike Levine (piano), Kai Sanchez(bass) and James Cotman(drums).  Paulette's songs are filled with emotion and joy. She does the standards but all with distinct rhythmic patterns not generally associated with the tune. Mike Levine is the person responsible for these unusual arrangements. Mike is also a composer and co-writes tunes with Paulette. Ms. Dozier was dressed in very fashionable black from head to toe, including a stingy-brim fedora. Unfortunately the skimmer prevented your seeing her bright and very expressive eyes. Alas!! The sacrifices women make when suffering a bad hair day. Paulette will portray Billie Holiday on stage at the Byron Carlyle Theater in Miami Beach from 3/8-3/24. The one-woman show is titled "Lady Day at the Emerson Bar & Grill" and tells of Billie’s last year of life. Break a leg, Paulette.

The other half of the double-down is BLUES man, Albert Castiglia. Earlier this week at the Funky Biscuit in Boca, last night at the Big Easy in Hollywood. Albert had invited Graham Wood Drout to play bass and Bob Amsel on drums----wait a sec---this is #2 for Graham also---I saw him briefly as he was leaving the Mardi Gras Casino after his Fat Tuesday appearance. My friend Yale's friend, Isabel, had never seen or heard Albert and we agreed to go together. I don't care what they do, but, sooner or later Albert gets the ladies up, movin' their feet, shakin' their shoulders and contorting their booties. The first one up Friday night was a short person named Ella. She just recently turned sixteen------months. Albert knelt down on stage-looking directly into little Ella's face and had her dancin' away. Every one with anything that took pictures got a shot of that. I ordered the Crawfish Etouffe. If I didn't know better I would have guessed there were three hundred or so crawfish on that plate. I figured they had some leftover from the Fat Tuesday celebration. Isabel was thrilled like everyone else at Albert’s guitar playing and vocalizing of the BLUES. Sated and exhausted we left after a long first set. 

Saturday, the Riverwalk BLUES & Music Fest, at the Downtowner, is in Fort Lauderdale. I will triple-down by listening to Albert along with other BLUES stars this afternoon and night------(How do I do it????---I dunno---but I love it.) 

By the way, Sunday is JAZZ. And I mean JAZZ. At the South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center-"The Birdland Big Band". As they would say in "the day" Be there or be square!!!!!!  

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