The Last Days of the ol' Monday Night Lefty Williams Open Jam at Bella's Pizzeria

I was summoned by Adrian for the opportunity to get there on the stage at Bella's for the 2nd-to-last "Lefty Hosted" Jam session.  He's been hosting for 3 long years and some change now - is that right?  It turned out to be another of his great theme nights, this one being the music of Steely Dan.  Yes, how could I refuse?  We had just played some of these songs recently, so the plan was to go with the same three choices: Do It Again, Peg, & Josie.  Robert played on Peg, letting me have the other two.  I honestly haven't played Do It Again very much.  Randy Chapman sings it in the key of Em, but very few attempt to sing it in the original key of Gm, with that high G to the A in the melody.  Walter Becker was the bassist on that album, Can't Buy A Thrill.  His playing is perfect (why wouldn't it be), and I especially like to note how he alternates playing the low G for 2 bars, then an octave up for 2 bars, then back down again in Do It Again.  It didn't make sense to me when I first listened to the bass track, but it's perfect for the part.  It was great to see so many other musicians and to reconnect somewhat with the scene.

I will try to update this posting with some names and other good stuff.  It's a big ordeal... check back in a few weeks, perhaps for that.

 

I played Robert Henson's cool new pawn shop prize: a Steve Harris Precision bass.  The seller had it labeled as a Steve Martin bass, so he got it for a steal of a deal.  It is a great bass with a "mirrored" pickguard and a nice, fat neck.  It feels a lot different than mine, that's for sure.  Nice sound  and a very cool blue finish.  Here are some really nice pics taken by some real photographers from the night.

Live at the St. Regis: Platinum Performs for the Atlanta Opera

It was good to be back at the St. Regis, a luxury hotel which so happens to lay claim to being the original home of the first Bloody Mary libation in New York.  I read it here.  Not that that has anything to do with our gig.  We played for members and supporters of the Atlanta Opera.  It was the second year they've brought us in entertain after the fundraising auction - silent and not-so-silent.  It's a nice gig where we end up waiting around to play, and then give a 2 hour performance.  They give us money to go eat out, and we do as we did last year: walk over to Seasons 52 and have a nice meal.  The we wait our turn.  It's a long wait that doesn't help my performance.  I took a few strange turns in the songs.  Ended well but it wasn't so sweet in between.  I still don't seem to be there all the way for My Funny Valentine, but as of this update on the day after Thanksgiving, I can honestly say I have the form memorized.  The tag at the end is what I still have a question about.  In the key of F (starting on Dm), the last few chords would be Gm7 - C7 - F, or a ii - V - I.  Easy and very standard.  I think our little tag, or extended ending, would be Gm7 - C7 - Am7(b5) - D7(b9) - Gm7 - C7 - F.  I will get to the bottom of my dilemma soon enough.  Things like Hold On I'm Coming are usually an autopilot performance.  Sometimes a mistake or two messes my mind up so much that the whole night is a series of train wrecks.  It takes some strength to pull it together and get back on track.  I felt good for that, at least.  Slipped and slid, but landed on my feet.