Stan McDonald soprano sax, Phil Person trumpet, John Kafalas trombone, Gerry Gagnon tuba, Jack Soref guitar, Rich Malcolm drums.

The Blue Horizon Jazz Band played fine Classic Traditional Jazz at Primavera Ristorante on May 4^th.  Stan McDonald dug into his massive collection of Traditional Jazz and provided charts for the musicians, bringing us great tunes the band hasn’t played in a long time.

Stan McDonald and Gerry Gagnon

Stan McDonald led on soprano sax, Stan plays with the taste and inflection and inspiration of Bechet.  Gerry Gagnon’s  turbo-charged tuba played booming bass lines.  Gerry is the longest continuous band member, 23 years.  Initially he played tuba, later switched to trombone.  A master of both instruments, he plays tuba when bass player Stu Gunn is away and the band has a reunion with John Kafalas on trombone.

John Kafalas

John Kafalas’s trombone improvised counterpoint harmony lines to the sax and trumpet.  John remembered the intro to “Farewell to Storeyville” perfectly from when he was a full-time member of the band years ago.  It was good to hear that tune again!  The band was glad when John moved back to New England.

Two Videos of Blue Horizon Jazz Band with John Kafalas by the late George Borgman:
Featured in this video are band leader Stan McDonald, the leader switches between the soprano saxophone and the clarinet, longtime member Walter Miller on trumpet, Hans Brack on bass, John Kafalas on trombone & double-bell euphonium, John Rayworth on banjo, Stu Grover on drums and Phil Hower on the piano. – Recorded at the July Fourth “Jazz Picnic” 1989.

My Creole Belle

You Do Something To Me

Back to 2017………..

Phil Person

Phil Person’s purity of tone reinforced the melody and lifted the whole band.  He gave us a moving solo on “I Remember When.”

Rich Malcolm

Rich Malcolm’s drums maintained the Classic New Orleans Street Beat that is so essential to Traditional Jazz.  He played for the Sox at Fenway the night before!  He was well warmed up for tonight!

Jack Soref

Jack Soref played two solos.  First a Django inspired “It Had To Be You.”  Second a spellbinding “Dark Eyes.   Youngest member of the band, he appreciates Stan McDonald’s depth and knowledge about the musicians of the 20’s and 30’s.

A special request altered the second set.  “Marjorie” was celebrating her 89^th birthday in the dining room and kept peeking in on the music.  Finally she came into the music room with her daughter, son-in-law and 2 grandsons.  The band played a lively version of “Margie” as a birthday present.  The entire family danced energetically with Marjorie to everybody’s enjoyment

The whole band played a memorable, hard-driving  performance!  There are only a few bands still playing New Orleans Traditional Jazz;  Stan McDonald’s Blue Horizon Jazz Band perseveres at Primavera on the first Thursday of every month.  Please join us at 7pm on June 1^st  at 20 Pleasant St. Millis MA?

Tunes this evening were:  June Night, Four or Five Times, All of Me, I’ll Never Be The Same, Rosetta, Running Wild, My Gal Rocks Me, Some of  These Days, Blues in the Air, When I Leave the World Behind, Roaming,  Rose of the Rio Grande, I Remember When, After You’ve Gone, Farewell to Storyville, Margie.

Blue Horizon

Stan McDonald soprano sax, Phil Person trumpet, John Kafalas trombone, Jack Soref guitar and banjo, Stu Gunn double string bass, Rich Malcolm drums.

Stan McDonald’s Blue Horizon Jazz Band enthusiastically opened the 2017 Thursday Jazz Season raring to play Traditional Jazz after a two month hiatus.

Stan McDonald, leader
with Stu Gunn behind him

Stan kicked off many of the tunes on sax starting with Roses of Picardy.  Phil Person took the lead with Stan playing counterpoint on many tunes for an evening of fine Traditional Jazz.

Phil Person

Phil Person adds his own unique voice on trumpet with beautifully simple phrasing, understanding this Trad Jazz that isn’t often heard at Berklee, where he teaches all levels of Ear Training.  Listening is vital to improvising great jazz.

John Kafalas

Hot rhythm intro to Gee Baby, Ain’t I Good To You, Stan and Phil playing riffs on Kafalas’ trombone solo.

John Kafalas has been a member of the band in the past and fills in for the few times Gerry Gagnon is away.
(Check out his 1988 Jimmy Mazzy Podcasts on http://www.kafalas.net/jazzcast/)

When I Leave The World Behind was dedicated to my cousin, Donald Fleuette, who died at two o’clock that afternoon in a Providence Hospice.  Thank you!  It’s been a tough three months.

Blues in the Air started with a guitar intro, great solos by front line, ending with Stan soprano sax cadenza.  They played great ensemble on Memphis Blues.

Front Line, John Kafalas, Stan McDonald, Phil Person

Jack Soref was featured solo on a banjo/guitar with Sunny Side of The Street, backed by fine string bass and drum.  He says the banjo/guitar was Django Rheinhardt’s original instrument.  It’s a banjo with a guitar neck.   Swing That Music was WILD!  He also played Georgia Cabin on banjo.

Stu Gunn

Stu ensures they have the proper chords.  He’s always listening,  filling in any holes that might suddenly appear.  He played fine slap bass on Everybody Loves My Baby. 
He is first call on string bass and also plays symphonic classical music in several orchestras.  Knows his stuff!

Rich Malcolm uses many subtle tricks keeping the Trad Jazz Beat – you need to watch him carefully to catch them.   On Marchand de Poisson he turned the drum sticks around and played them with the backside giving it more emphasis.  Instead of rim-tapping or using a wood block, he taps on a couple of sticks wired between the drums.

Backward sticks

Tapping on sticks instead of rim

Dardanella started with a 4-bar rhythm vamp, Stan playing fine chorus on soprano sax, and ending with a band stinger!

They closed with Louis’s Sleepy Time Down South.

The Blue Horizon Jazz Band will be playing the first Thursday of every month at Primavera Ristorante.  Check out the Primavera Schedule.  Thank you, Ellen McDonald!