Bo Winiker and Phil Person trumpet, Ted Casher clarinet/tenor saxophone, Kenny Wenzel trombone, Bob Winter piano, Jimmy Mazzy banjo/vocals, Eli Newberger leader/tuba, Bob Tomagni drums, Elaine Woo vocals.

Eli and The Hot Six celebrated the Day After Valentine’s Day with romantic songs to a full house of appreciative fans at Primavera Ristorante.  Elaine Woo collected suggestions from fans last month, and the requests  were presented tonight in various musical styles and tempos.

This Band honors the New Orleans tradition of ensemble improvising while featuring the solo brilliance of its distinctive, contemporary musical personalities:

 

 

Berklee’s Bob Winter played a soaring melody with  a song written by Wright & Forest in 1944 for an operetta called Song of Norway – Strange Music.  

 

 

 

 

 

Bo Winiker evoked Louis Armstrong, singing and playing Hello Dolly.

(Double click photos to enlarge.)

 

 

 

 

Ted Casher played fluent and eloquent tenor sax with  At The Jazz Band Ball:  never get enough of his tenor sax!!

 

 

 

 

 

Ellaine brought her list of love songs depicting songs from beginning of love through it’s final result:  So Many Stars, Love Is a Simple Thing.
She even sang Jimmy Enright’s favorite Sleepy Lagoon, asking the band to play it in different dance styles.  Even though they were unfamiliar with the tune, they did it tastefully in 3/4 time waltz, fox trot, and Hot Swing.

 

 

 

 

Berklee’s Phil Person played a range of toning and shading on a mellow Mood Indigo.  Beautiful!

 

 

 

 

 

‘Regulars’ Bill and Despina had requested the Gershwins’ They Can’t Take That Away From Me.  With Elaine spellbinding the audience, the love songs continued – Ted’s tenor sax  backed her on I’ve Got a Crush On You  and  Dave Frishberg’s Our Love Goes On.

 

 

The instrumental on South Rampart St. Parade was a BARNBURNER, with Berklee’s Bob Tomagni showing off his craftsmanship.  It doesn’t get any better than this!!

You can’t go wrong with this front line:

Berklee’s Kenny Wenzel and Eli Newberger were featured in a fabulous Limehouse Blues.  (Kenny plays every Tuesday at Martini’s in Plymouth.)

Ted was asked to sing a love song in his ‘native language’.  He sang a popular Yiddish song composed by Jacob Jacobs and Sholom Secunda in 1932, made famous by the Andrew Sisters – Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen “To Me You’re Beautiful”.

 

 

The inimitable Jimmy Mazzy sang a song Eubie Blake wrote for his wife, Goodnight Angeline.

 

 

In closing, Nat Coolidge joined Elaine in singing Some Enchanted Evening, followed by an uptempo Lady Be Good.

We’ll be good, waiting patiently until next month, when Eli and The Hot Six return on March 15th, maybe with another Full House!!

 

(Our thanks to brother Bill Winiker for posting it on line in Milis.)