Submitted
by Al Kanovsky 06/14/15
...JAZZ and the club was retro. The band is ORIENTE w/ Eddy Balzola(guitar),
Dany Felix(bass) and Rey Monroig(drums). The club, Studio 619 on Ft. Lauderdale
beach. Hanging with me were Denise, Jimmy and Nancy.
We enjoyed some adult
beverages with fish and chips on the side. The music was straight ahead JAZZ
but you cannot take clave out of musicians whose backgrounds are Caribbean
Islands.Dony is from Haiti. Rey and Eddy are of Cuban heritage. The room is
straight ahead retro. Were you old enough to drink(legally) in 1957? Have you
ever heard of Sputnik? Studio 619 puts you in the 'tony' JAZZ clubs of the late
50's, early 60's. Comfortable seating, soft lights and good sight lines to the
band. The lighting fixtures are reminders of the first ventures in to space.
Holly Spillane was there with her and Eddy's grandson.
The first melody I heard
them play last night was "Softly". Hey. if you need a tune to put you
in easy mode, this is it. Beautifully done in a nice swing tempo. It was
followed by Spike Lee's "Mo Betta Blues". A little latin beat, like
lime in a Corona. If you are gonna play JAZZ you have to go to New Orleans once
in a while. The trio did it with "On Mardi Gras Day" that morphed
into a boppish "Exodus". They played Gil Scott Heron's tribute to
John Coltrane and Billie Holiday. Rey's drum solo was one of the reasons I am
so deeply in love with JAZZ. They closed the set with remembering B.B. King and
his "How Blue Can You Get". Opening the next set with
"Tenderly" it gave Dony a chance to show off and for me to dance with
Denise. Then, all alone on the stand, Eddy did "Higher Ground" the
rest joined in as it went to "Afro Blue" with Eddy doing some lyrics
in Uriban(I think). Can you perform in a club on a Florida beach and not do
"Sitting On The Dock"? Eddy made amends by playing a song I think was
titled "Anisona". Names don't count when the music is this good. Then
in full retro mode they played "You Go To My Head" followed by
"Someday My Prince Will Come". I think I danced with Ms. Denise
again. The short last set started with Stevie Wonder's "What's Going
On". Eddy, Dony and Rey took turns doing wonderful solos.
"Anacaona" is a song written by Cheo Feliciano(Jose) who
unfortunately died in an automobile accident a while back. He was an exceptional
musician and composer who added much to the world of music. Eddy did a 'lip'
trombone solo which did sound a lot like it was the brass instrument. Eddy and
Holly's grandson was fast asleep on a lounge. I remember him doing that on
another occasion.
I enjoyed the ambiance of the room, the company and most of
all the music. Thank you Eddy, Dony and Rey.
Hey guys and gals, I know I mess up some song titles and
musicians names so please forgive me. It is only in the last few days that I
have come to realize that I am not "perfect". I was informed of
that fact by my 'primary physician'.
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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