Submitted by Al Kanovsky 05/17/14
...play saxophone like Joe (Yussel
to me) Donato. I wish I could play piano like Brian (2 Brain) Murphy and Jim (the
genius) Gasior. I wish I could play drums like Carlmagn (ific)o Araya, entertain
like Daniel McCloud and sing like the songbirds Wendy Pedersen and Maria Rivas.
Last night at FIU's North Campus they held the first, of which hopefully will be
a monthly series of JAZZ performances. All of the aforementioned were on stage
for the event. In addition to his musical acumen Mr. Donato added a bit of
Socrates. He philosophized saying that the theme for the evening would be
'gratitude' and the thing we should be most grateful for is LIFE itself. Amen!.
Joe said the opening song would be dedicated to and about my and his good friend
Dr. Jules Oaklander. That's another thing I wish I could be. A patron of all the
Arts like Dr. Jules is. Wotta guy.
The opened with a Harry Warren composition
"There Will Never Be Another You". After Joe's solo which included a quote from
"Joshua 'Fit the Battle, Brian playing piano and Jim keyboard did their thing.
Then they all traded 8's and 4's with Carlo. That portion was followed by a very
tasty conga (Daniel) and drum
duo. Continuing in his role as Confucius, Joe said "JAZZ is the savior of
salvation" Huh?? He salvaged the moment by quoting Dizzy "No BLUES, No JAZZ"
and talking about Bessie Smith and her lifestyle. The band played Coletrane's
"Bessie's Blues". Joe opted to sing the first few lines. I refuse to comment. He
picked up the alto and got down to business. Jim did his bit on the organ and
then Daniel did his part by singing the BLUES. Part of the lyric said "BLUES
will always be a part of me". Never a truer word. Joe was honoring many of the
JAZZ artists of the past and so they played Sidney Bechet's "Petite Fleur". He
chose his tiny sax (it has a name that I should but don't recall) and the tone
was perfect. They did it in rhumba rhythm and Brians flowery solo matched the
mood. The song was concluded with one of Joe's inimitable cadenzas. The next
artist of the past was Jelly Roll Morton, now to a calypso beat they do "I Left
My Little Gal in Kingston Town." Joe closed the tune with a piccolo solo. It was
Wendy's turn and she chose her "I'm In The Mood " medley which includes "You
Took Advantage Of Me". There is only one Wendy Pedersen and only she can do what
she does with a melody. Wendy takes advantage of every nuance of melodic and
rhythmic lines. Her interpretations are strictly her own. An absolute delight to
listen to. Mr. McCloud gets a chance at the mic and sings "Somebody Loves Me" in
that wonderful BLUES voice of his. Joe invites Maria Rivas to the stand. She is
in attendance with her very handsome son, Jeremy. Maria takes the stage to sing
the JAZZ standard "Route 66". Joe accompanies on the teeny sax. Later that night
I will tell Maria that it is St. loooeee, not St. llloooisss, so that it will
rhyme with misssoreee. Not many people have heard "Night In Tunisia" in espanol.
Maria did it last night. Each of the musicians got their solo turn and then
Maria captivated the audience with her scat chops. Man o' man! Joe chooses Les
Brown's "Sentimental Journey" to play both his horns simultaneously. That is no easy feat. The audience responds in kind. Joe
has everyone on stage for the finale, Charlie Parker's "Billie's Bounce." It was a
classic example of what a "Jam" is all about. Solos round and round. Wendy and
Maria scatting to save their lives and all of them 'having a natural ball.
My only other wish was
that Flo was still here to have enjoyed this night with
me.
As it says in my
disclaimer, I do not promote. But I would be remiss to my JAZZ ophile friends if
I didn't mention that Maria is scheduled for BJB's this coming Wednesday. For
me, tonight, Arts Garage, I hope.
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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