I finally got rid of my cold and felt itchy to go play, so I headed out to Andy’s Jam in Reigelsville tonight. I was there early so I hung out with Nadine, the lady who works with Andy to sign folks up and run the jam smoothly. She had half of a Reuben which she graciously shared with me. So fine. I told her I had a special dedication coming up in my set.
I led off with Cockburn’s Mamma Wants to Barrelhouse All Night Long, with Andy on backup. I knew he really didn’t know the tune off hand but would pick it up. I love the fact I can play a strong rhythm and vocal, and true pros like Andy figure it out when it comes time for a lead. And Andy did a fine one. Then the surprise. I had talked to Jimmie Supra, a fine blues harp player, beforehand and asked him to do the second lead, but to do it from somewhere in the room and not on mike. (He initially said, “Should I use the remote mike?” and I said no.) I told him that something magical happens when the instrument comes out of the room acoustically.
So Jimmy ‘walked’ the room for his solo and the electricity was palpable in the room, and we all could feel it. Afterwards, he thanked me for the opportunity and the experience. Hopefully he can use it in his band, which tends to be full tilt rock/blues music, and isvery much plugged in. I’m glad I could bend his head with something I’ve tried before in other situations.
Mitch came up on bass for Heard It Through the Grapevine, and I knew that there were three sax players in the audience who were pros. I thought this tune is one they could get on board with. Again, I’ve been playing this one recently at farmers’ markets and it holds its own as a solo acoustic piece that I can play strong. It has a few quirks rhythmically, as well. It has a strong groove.
Anyway we started it as a trio, a rasta dude had a conga and I invited him to play from his seat in the room and then the sax guys stood up and started to get comfortable. So,sure enough we settled in for a fine jam with leads all around.
I had one more song in the set and I had decided early to bring out Chuck Berry’s Nadine, in honor of my new friend Nadine, Andy’s right hand lady. I said it was her valentine and we launched into the groove, and she immediately got it. (Later, she said no one had ever played that song for her.) And when we hit the chorus, “Nadine, why can’t you be true?”, the horns came in, in three part harmony, just like the pros that they were. I simply couldn’t believe it, and I think the room, including myself, was blown away. Andy did a lead and the three players each did one on their own. I brought it back for the final verse and we did a slow fade while I talked with Nadine across the room. The fade was perfect. A performance killer.
It was a great set (yes, I get to say that…) that created a band out of the ether: Andy, Mitch, Jimmie and myself, plus four other players I had never met before. Music is a language that transcends social norms and structures, and we communicated with each other and passed it on the room full of people.
This is powerful stuff, and a great way to celebrate the departure of my cold.