I had a great time performing at a late afternoon Christmas party with Judy Boehm and Brent Whiten yesterday. The shindig was held in the lobby 1100 Peachtree Street, or as the sign out front says: "Eleven Hundred". Easy to miss when you're driving in early rush hour traffic and trying to find the correct entrance. Enough said on that matter. Judy and Brent know of what I'm alluding to. The loading dock is on 12th Street. We used that entrance as well, later on in the night.
Judy keeps the pace fast and furious. There is no time to look for charts! We just kept it going. Santa came by and gave me a great photo op. Brent kinda stole the show. He's the drummer, and he also is the primary vocalist. Then, after his verse and chorus, he sets a brush down, reaches to his side, and picks up his trumpet. and blows a chorus or two, all while keeping the beat steady and solid. Then he puts the trumpet back down, picks up the brush, and sings the bridge to take us out. Can you say triple-scale?!!! That's what he should be getting on this one. I felt so inadequate, just playing the bass. Judy is a monster pianist, playing the full range and making everything glitter with pretty harmonies. She is a one-woman band on this instrument. As a bandleader, she is no nonsense, but a lot of fun and quite a pretty woman as well. There, I said it! I think Santa wanted a kiss from her - can't blame him! A very winning smile and just the right amount of sass. Anyways, we ate some delicious food and enjoyed our little break, and then we were back at it for more Christmas music. One great tune we played was the José Feliciano chestnut Feliz Navidad. A popular tune, easy, a bit repetitive, but we mashed it with Stevie's I Just Called To Say I Love You. A fun mix, and we nailed the cha-cha-cha ending without even having to cue it! A nice moment. Other tunes I prepared for were Carol of the Bells, which has that distinctive descending bass line and then that cool V chord run with major tonality yet a flat 6th & 7th. I practiced that and hit it with Judy, but then I realized that it's actually nicer to have those goose egg low B's holding out. People really enjoyed what this little combo brought to the party.
One thing I gotta put in here: don't forget to get that parking ticket validated!!! As luck would have it, neither Judy nor Brent parked in the parking deck. Well, we all left separately, with myself being the last to exit the premises. As I was driving to the exit, I realized that i would have to pay for parking after all. We were promised free parking, but that was all heresay as far as the attendants were concerned. I wisely put my car into reverse, hastily parked (in a valet spot) and ran back to the floor where I had spent the evening in search of any willing soul to help. I found a nice lady who I remembered chatting with Judy. She took me back to her office and presented me with a voucher that you slip into the machine after the ticket. I was so grateful, as the fee to park would have been a heft $15. Yeah, it's not that much, but it is to a a struggling musician who was only there to earn a few bucks anyways. It all works out in the end sometimes. Trust your instincts!
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