Blue Horizon Jazz Band opens Primavera’s 2016 Thursday Jazz

5-pc Trad Jazz Band, no drum

Blue Horizon Jazz Band at Primavera Ristorante, January 7, 2016

Stan McDonald leader/soprano sax, Phil Person trumpet, John Kefalas trombone, Jack Soref guitar, and Gerry Gagnon tuba.

Stan sitting back, relaxed, playing soprano sax

Stan McDonald anxious to play!

 

 

 

Stan McDonald was raring to go after a two-month hiatus from Jazz, and immediately led the band into a dynamic Rosetta.  What Is This Thing Called Love, It Had To Be You.  He sang My Gal Sal with passion.

 

 

A vital sparkplug, Gerry Gagnon’s booming tuba keeps the band in time, reinforced by Jack Soref’s guitar.

Wild Man Blues was a hot tune!  Trumpet leading, sax taking the breaks, guitarist Jack Soref in a dazzling gypsy-flavored solo with tuba backup.  Phil Person’s muted trumpet played from the heart, followed by Stan’s formidable sax.  Embellishing the tune was Gerry’s roaring tuba solo.

Gerry with huge tuba

Gerry Gagnon on monster tuba

 

 

 

Gerry Gagnon doesn’t get the recognition he deserves.  With constant motion, he keeps the band in time, and softly backs solos.

They followed with a soft, sublime melody, Roaming, nice soprano sax.

 

 

John with soaring trombone

John Kafalas

 

 

 

John Kafalas’ mellow trombone tugs at your heart strings, playing warm melodic lines.

 

 

 

 

An unusual guitar/tuba intro to Running Wild really energized the audience, followed by an equally captivating Tijuana.  Moving to inspiring ensemble, Stan was pleased with Soref’s guitar on Blues My Naughty Sweety Gives To Me.

Stan turns towards Soref, playing soprano sax

Stan McDonald joins Jack Soref on Sweet Sue

Jack plays the same gently arched Selmer guitar as Django Rheinhardt.

Jack plays the same gently arched Selmer guitar as Django Rheinhardt.

 

Jack  was featured with a roaring takeoff solo on Sweet Sue backed by tuba.

He will present a Gypsy Jazz Trio for the first time at Primavera on February 25 and March 17.  For anyone who hasn’t heard this yet, it will be an initiation to Django Rheinhardt!

Phil on trumpet

Phil Person, marvelous musician

 

 

 

Phil Person’s trumpet, so beautiful and moving, resonated on Rose Of The Rio Grande, inducing tuba and guitar into a fiery rhythms.

 

 

 

Irving Berlin’s Blues In The Night – a twelve bar blues, announced the approaching end of the evening.  The Band closed with Bechet’s Marchand de Poisson, beginning and ending with a feisty Habanera.

The Blue Horizon Jazz Band will return to Primavera on February 4th with another presentation of early 20’s and 30’s Hot Jazz.  Hope to see you here!

(My apologies for the poor quality of the photos.  
My main Nikon camera has been sent back to the
company for three weeks for repairs. Marce)

Tunes played tonight:
Rosetta
What Is This Thing Called Love
It Had To Be You
My Gal Sal
Tijuana
Wild Man Blues
Roamin’
Running Wild
Blues My Naughty Sweety Gives To Me
My Gal Rocks Me (With one Steady Roll)
Sweet Sue
Rose of The Rio Grande
Black and Blue
When I Leave The World Behind
Blues In The Night
Marchand de Poisson

Bourbon Street Paraders on Hy-Line’s Cape Cod Canal Jazz Boat

Tuba, banjo, and clarinet players under the Bourne Bridge

Bourbon Street Paraders on the Cape Cod Jazz Boat.  Rick MacWilliams, Michel Lavigniac, Paul Nossiter.

by Marce

September 1, 2013, Final Bourbon Street Paraders Jazz Cruise for this year

It was a cloudy day – Hy-Line’s Jazz Boat was docked at Onset Harbor waiting for the Jazz Fans.  Last week they were sold out.  This was Labor Day Weekend, there should have been more of a crowd – but the weathermen put a damper on it threatening thunder showers and lightening,

The Viking left late – 1:45pm, waiting for stragglers.   Jazz can’t begin until the boat has left the harbor – neighbors don’t appreciate our music.  Finally the Viking pulled away from the dock, and The Bourbon Street Paraders started their final cruise of the 33rd season with Bourbon Street Parade, of course.

The Trio took a joyous romp through Hello Central, Give Me Dr. Jazz.  If I Had You, tuba playing sweet melody – Rick plays the melody on the tuba on almost every song.  The sounds he gets out of that monstrous instrument, with only 4 keys, are amazing.

Michel's 4-string Gold Star Banjo

Michel’s 4-string Gold Star Banjo

 

The Flying Frenchman, Michel Lavigniac leads the Trio and keeps impeccable time on 4-string  banjo.  It was a 5-string Gold Star banjo, but he removed one of the strings.

 

 

Paul Nossiter has taken over reeds from the late Lee Childs.  Paul took the intro to My Gal Sal, upbeat, lilting clarinet, folks up front dancing.  Fats Waller’s Ain’t Misbehaving.  Passing the Military Academy they played a Fats Waller-Louis Armstrong 1929 big hit, Black & Blue, banjo playing the verse – Michel makes every note count, no hysterics up and down the strings.

Railroad Bridge over the Cape Cod Canal

Railroad Bridge over the Cape Cod Canal

Passing under the Cape Cod Canal’s Railroad bridge,  Found a New Baby, clarinet trading 4s with banjo.

Nossiter was singing Baby Won’t You Please Come Home as the boat sailed under the Bourne Bridge, and went wild on clarinet with Running Wild.

The Viking turned around at the Herring Run, with Michel featured on Avalon, and then they played a barn-burning  Indiana.  Ernie and his son Joey have been sitting in the front seat every week for 6 years.  Ernie plays piano and has a nice voice, so Paul gave him the mic for I’m Going To Sit right down and Write Myself a Letter, fabulous banjo, backed by soft tuba.

They played a medley of Blues My Sweetie Gives to Me, and Everybody Loves My Baby.   Reminiscent of New Orleans funerals they featured Closer Walk and Didn’t He Ramble, then moved to When I Grow Too Old To Dream.  (Never happen!)  At my request – Lime House Blues, complete with verse.

In honor of the last cruise of the season, Bye Bye Blues, and Bye Bye Blackbird.  Passing the Maritime Academy we could see their ship, The Kennedy, docked at pier and the tug boat Independence.

Band and Military Academy

passing the Maritime Militry Adademy

Maritime Academy's Ship, The Kennedy

Maritime Academy’s Ship, The Kennedy

Another nostalgic blues, Basin St. Blues, clarinet playing warm, melodic lines, ending  in a clarinet coda.   They took off on Pee Wee’s Blues, written by clarinetist Pee Wee Russell.  (He was called Pee Wee because he was so tall!)

Closing in on the dock, When You’re Smiling Paul in low register clarinet for first chorus, slipped in a bit of Swanee RiverFarewell Blues.  Banjo intro to When The Blue of the Night Meets the Gold of the Day.  Only two people knew who Bing Crosby was.

They always finish with When The Saints Go Marching In, as the Viking pulls into the Harbor.  Everyone on the boat joins in.  That’s Joey’s cue to get up and dance for the last few minutes left of the Sunday Cape Cod Jazz Cruise.   A lady in the front row joined him.

No thunderstorms, no rain, great Jazz!  We’ll all be back next year, on the last week of June, 2014, for another cruise up and down the Cape Cod Canal with the Bourbon Street Paraders.  Hope to see you there!!