Jazz 'n Blues at the City Club

Last Wednesday I joined up with Sweetwater Junction for what amounted to cocktail jazz background muzak at the posh City Club of Buckhead, located on the toppermost floor of the Atlanta Financial Center near Lenox Square.  We were in the foyer between the long dining room and the bar area.  This was certainly the most appropriate spot to have us, as we played for the cocktail hour (+) and then we played as the crowd walked past us to get to their seats at the dinner tables.  We then also played some very light dinner music as well, before taking a nice long break.  We played again at the end of the program.  I played upright the whole night, which turned out to be the right choice, I would say.  Those guys don't really comment much on what I do, other than to tell me to turn down, which I did.  I set up next to Walt, and unfortunately my rig is almost always pointed directly at his ear.  Wish there was another way to do this.  I would love to be on the other side of the stage from Walt.  Then I could have better eye contact and have more isolation sound wise.  I tried hard to focus on intonation.  My pedalboard was a bit screwy but it worked out great.  I ended up keeping the tuner engaged so that I had control over the volume pedal.  It didn't make sense but that's what I did.  Nice to have the tuner on for the upright, even if it meant that I probably stared at it more than I normally would.  Every note on the upright is out of tune!  What's up with that?  I can see how it is not desirable!  My tone was great and it was nice for us to play at such a low level.  We could all hear everything.
We did the usual mix of easy standards and some blues.  Sadly, no Chevrolet this time.  We did reprise Beg, Steal or Borrow since I had made that chart and sent it out to the fellows.  Check it out:

Simple chord chart, as I like to make.  Makes it very easy to fake your way through the song as long as somebody is singing it just like the record.  One thing we don't do like the record is hold the C chord in bars 7 & 8 and similarly later in the song.  We just repeat the vamp.  Other tunes: Bye Bye Blackbird, St. Thomas, Norwegian Wood, & Karma Police (jazzy Radiohead).  We got in a decent Stella by Starlight.  Funny how many bands end up playing that song.  I remember taking jazz guitar lessons from the legendary Paul Bollenback in the D.C. area back around 1987.  Paul had me learn that song, and to this day it's one of the few jazz standards I can honestly say I know the melody and harmony to extremely well.  Sad but true.  I actually shot Paul an email last year and he replied almost right away.  Very nice that he remembered me.  Of course he would, but it had been a few years!  I still have the old guitar case he gave me for my 335.  I can remember him transcribing a Keith Jarrett solo one day when I was arriving for a lesson.  It was so above my head back then, hey, it still is!  At least I listen to that trio nowadays...

We were allowed to graze from the cheese station and the server brought us salads.  Very nice treatment.  They genuinely liked us and said they would have us back next time.  Gotta love gigs like this one.  We were done by 10:15 but it took a while before we could pack up.

Mark did not want to bring his hand down - can't explain.

A server was kind enough to snap some of us.

Sunset in Buckhead.

The Precision with bridge pickup installed - finally.

Detail of bridge pickup.