Don't be scared! We didn't play those songs. The Egyptian Ballroom was decked out on white drape. All around. The ceremony was held in the middle of the room, with the stage draped off to be revealed. They went all out to make this truly special. We didn't have to prepare any first dances. They requested New York, New York as the last dance. Since Dianna was to sing it, we play it in the Liza key of B so that she can sing it an octave higher (is that right, I think so, we did move it up at the end for the modulation). It was a great crowd that seemed to want to go all night long. They even brought out Chick-fil-A biscuits and cute lil' cans of coke with a fancy straw during the final hour. Also had hundreds of glow sticks and a bunch of big balloons bouncing around the crowd. My rig performed well and so did I. They took good care of us, with a real hot meal this time - not the boxed lunch of cold chicken from ATR that we always get here. Nice.
We were given parking passes for access to the Georgian Terrace deck. As I walked over to fetch my van, I sauntered past Churchill Grounds. I peeked in and then recalled that Russell Gunn's Blackhawk Quintet was playing this weekend. Russell gathers the finest players he can to perform music that Miles laid down on the In Person Friday & Saturday Night at the Blackhawk albums. The Blackhawk was a famous jazz club in San Francisco, and actually there are quite a few jazz recordings from that venue. Miles' band at the time had Hank Mobley on tenor saxophone, so I wonder if that has any weight to Russell's preference. Anyways, I caught 2 tunes, or 1 & 1/2, with the last being Straight No Chaser. Saw Craig Shaw laying it down as only he can. Kevin Bales was on piano, but another cat was sitting in on these tunes and I don't know his name. He had an incredible attack and wicked ideas. Hung out with Mac Isseks in the back, where I took this long distance shot. Even though it's grainy and unclear, I think it captures a vibe. Cool.
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