Phil Person trumpet, Stan McDonald soprano sax and clarinet, John Kafalas trombone, Gerry Gagnon tuba, Jack Soref guitar, Steve Taddeo drums

Stan began on soprano sax with I Can’t Believe That You’re In Love With Me, guitar intro to What Is This Thing Called Love; an old chestnut rarely done, It Had To  Be You. 

Stan moved to clarinet for My Gal Sal, taking the vocal.
Tijuana was HOT!

 

 

Baby, Ain’t I Good To You.. Taddeo was playing like Baby Dodds, varying his drum patterns with accents and flourishes; keeping the beat with the bass drum while playing buzz rolls on the snare.

 

 

 

 

 

Rose of Rio Grande, melody was established by Phil’s marvelous trumpet.  We’re fortunate to have him.  He is friendly and easygoing, humorous, a straight ahead trumpeter.

He’s played with the Artie Shaw Orchestra, White Heat Swing Orchestra, Swing Legacy, and Duke Belaire Jazz Orchestra. Phil teaches ear training at Berklee.

 

 

 

An upbeat Lover Come Back To Me, with Phil starting on muted trumpet was incredible, with Gerry Gagnon playing that monstrous tuba in double time!

John Kafalas played trombone with feeling and skill making this truly a tour de force.

 

 

 

 

 

Our favorite Gypsy Jazz guitarist, Jack Soref, provided an expert rhythm beat along with drum and tuba.

At breaktime, Jack played Django Rheinhardt’s Nuage, softly backed by tuba, then joined by Stan McDonald on soprano sax.  Beautiful!

 

 

 

 

 

Leader Stan McDonald’s forte has always been Sidney Bechet.  He played a genuinely heartfelt Si Tu Vois Ma Mere with warm melodic lines.

 

 

 

They wrapped the evening up with a fascinating Dardanella, at one point with the tuba backed only by guitar, and ended it with a joyous romp.

These musicians are a treasure; we hope they’ll all return with The Blue Horizon Jazz Band in 2016.  Many thanks to Ellen McDonald, who has provided us with fantastic jazz every week for the last 20 years!