I try to write a post every day and missed a couple deadlines this week. The first was from being so burned out I passed out on the couch. But last night, I found out a great jazz band I first heard last spring was playing at a pub only an hour's drive away. So I got the floors washed, the dishes done, Doc into bed, left the boys in Grammo's capable hands, and headed south on my own for a rare night out.
Miss Tess and The Bon Ton Parade. They're almost impossible to describe. Jazz, a bit honky-tonk, blues, and a tint of country rock, all mixed in some great arrangements of classic standards and her original songs. Tess writes and arranges in a genre defying style, works a sweet pair of hands on a vintage electric guitar, and sings like a blend of Ella, Sarah Vaughn, and Norah Jones. The piano player, James Rohr, whipped up a mix of stride and rag style with modern jazz harmonies in a frenzy of great solos. He was so much fun to watch that he didn't leave me any time to watch all the pretty girls on the dance floor. Along with great stand up bass work by Danny Weller, the whole quartet, including Matt Meyer on drums, was a treat to watch and a unique pleasure to hear.
Like I said, a great night out and long overdue. I go home around 2 am and then got up this morning to drive Tio an hour to the mall to meet Marcia. They're off shopping and I'm slurping mucho coffee.
If you get a chance to see Miss Tess, don't pass it up. She defies genre. I'm sure her CDs are online and at iTunes.
Miss Tess and The Bon Ton Parade. They're almost impossible to describe. Jazz, a bit honky-tonk, blues, and a tint of country rock, all mixed in some great arrangements of classic standards and her original songs. Tess writes and arranges in a genre defying style, works a sweet pair of hands on a vintage electric guitar, and sings like a blend of Ella, Sarah Vaughn, and Norah Jones. The piano player, James Rohr, whipped up a mix of stride and rag style with modern jazz harmonies in a frenzy of great solos. He was so much fun to watch that he didn't leave me any time to watch all the pretty girls on the dance floor. Along with great stand up bass work by Danny Weller, the whole quartet, including Matt Meyer on drums, was a treat to watch and a unique pleasure to hear.
Like I said, a great night out and long overdue. I go home around 2 am and then got up this morning to drive Tio an hour to the mall to meet Marcia. They're off shopping and I'm slurping mucho coffee.
If you get a chance to see Miss Tess, don't pass it up. She defies genre. I'm sure her CDs are online and at iTunes.