Submitted by Al Kanovsky 7/5/13
...in the land of the "Magic City" a man named Al and a gal named Flo discovered the real 'magic' of the city. Four places where live JAZZ and BLUES could be heard. Closest by was O'Hara's with 2 locations(both now gone), Next was ArtServe on Sunrise, where once a month youngsters came to jam. 3d was Mrs. Murphy's on Commercial where the had live JAZZ(Jazzberry Patch) on weekends with lots of pro Jazzmen showing up to join in,(that program is out of existence). Farthest away was The Fish House in Kendall, where Papa Joe held forth with a BLUES jam on Wednesday nights. The Fish House continues it's live programs with a JAZZ jam on Wed., a BLUES program Thurs. and Motel Mel pleasing audiences on weekends. It was at The Fish House, that Flo and I first heard a 'kid' blowing alto. The kid was Ben Stocker and he was just about to turn 13 years old. Years have gone by. Flo is in the Lords hands and I am here to continue in encouraging and supporting live JAZZ and BLUES especially in the coming generations.
Ben Stocker's parents, Mike and Susan invited me to a July 4th celebration at their home. I was happy to accept. I squished up a thousand avocados added my secret ingredients for some fantastic(not only my own opinion)guacamole. Still in a chopping mode I also made a batch of pico de gallo. If you think that was the treat of the day, you guessed wrong. There were hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, cole slaw, mac n' cheese, puddings, pies, not to mention liberal servings of beer, wine, mojitos and soft drinks. If you thought that was enough you are wrong again. The treat of the day was the Jamming of a bunch of students from Dillard School for the Performing Arts, where Chris Dorsey is the Director. Some of you say----"Ahhhh, they're only kids". You are right. They are kids, but man, can they BLOW!!!
They were in no particular order: Anthony Burrell(tenor), Chris Mills(bass), Zachary McKinney(drums), Charlie Steiner(drums), Ms. Sydney Henry(drums), Zack Auslander(guitar), Christian Cummings(alto), Max Boiko(trumpet), Ben Stocker(tenor), Isaac Bartick(bass), Ulysses McClover(piano), Sam Gruershen(trombone), Joel Perez(trombone), Eric German(trumpet) and a recent graduate David Moran on guitar. The 'kids' played 'em all. From Billie's Bounce to C-Jam Blues--old school and progressive---shouts and "head" arrangements by Anthony along the way . Many of the players parents were there and I spoke with Zach McKinney's mom, Karen. To say she was proud of her son's accomplishments would be an understatement. She told me he also played bas, piano and guitar. He would play 12 hours a day if he could but generally does at least 6 hours of practice. It shows. Charlie Steiner took a stint at the piano. He played mostly the chords and changes but considering he has never had a lesson he didn't do a bad job. Many of their friends were there including recent graduate Jonell Seguira a classical pianist. Her favorite melody is Chopin's Nocturne in G Minor. Sydney's mom told me that she hasn't decided between Marine Biology and Music. I strongly suggest she does both, since I love Scuba diving and JAZZ. Mari Bell and her husband were there as well. Mari is a staunch JAZZophile and is part of an organization, SLAM, an acronym for Supports Language Arts & Music.
Mari also plays JAZZ piano. In the "Solo you wish you played" department these are some of the answers: Christian Cummings "Cannonball Adderly on Grand Central".--Eric German "Miles Davis on So What"--Anthony Burell "John Coltrane on Blue Train"--Zachary Martin "Papa Joe Jones on Caravan and Miles Davis on When the Lights Are Low", recorded in 1957. Another of the guests was a teacher in the film department at University of Miami, Jim Virga, who is also an afficionado of JAZZ and knows lots of the history. I spoke with a man who was introduced as Tom. He is turning 50 soon and was wondering what to do with the rest of his life. I am turning 82 and have been asking myself the same question for 32 years. Another of the interesting guests was Ben Stocker's cousin who he calls "Auntie", Lisa Remeny. She is an artist who does many JAZZ themed paintings. Lisa has a showing at Books and Books in Coral Gables coming up soon. Tito's daughter, Sam, asked me if I was going to watch the fireworks later that night. I said that fireworks were in my top 5 of favorites. Her, "Okay name the 5". Me, " Sex, JAZZ, BLUES, women in general and fireworks". Be assured that was not the end of the conversation.
Night fell and I headed to Gulfstream for the fireworks. To my utter dismay there were no fireworks to be seen at the track. Fortunately, from a trackside position, you could see the shows from Aventura and Hollywood. Both great shows with thundering finales. Had a great day, hope you did too.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY,
AMERICA!!!!
Al's Disclaimer:
A short note: The reason I write this is because I love music and words. I do not book acts. I do not promote acts. I do not accept invitations to review artists. I go to venues of my own choice. When and where is not influenced by anything other than who I would like to hear that night or day. If I don't like what I hear, I won't write about it. When I like it I let you all know. I never mention a name without asking permission. "Pardon me, Miss. Would you like to dance?"
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