So much that happens in jazz depends on audience response and the general feel of the arena and the occasion. There are nights when the stars are in alignment and the good spirits of our jazz ancestors are in the area. Music Magic happens.
We had everything going for us in the last Jazz Under the Stars concert of this season. Dennis Green, General Manager at KCCK, got us away from the summer heat wave by moving this Jazz Under the Stars concert inside–to the Olympic South Side Theater. Thanks to him and to the Olympic folks for sharing their space. And we had a wonderful crowd–some from as far away as Kansas and the Dakotas–ready and enthusiastic for the music.
Nexus Brass, an all woman brass quintet from Iowa City, started the evening with a rousing version of Sing, Sing, Sing and continued with a lively mix of jazz and pop.
The Eddie Piccard Quartet–Eddie Piccard (piano, vocals), Craig Dove (bass), Tim Crumley (drums), Rich Martin (vibes)–then took the stage and invited people on a swinging musical trip from Monterey to Harlem (A Train) and back to Avalon.
Where next? New Orleans, of course. The Quartet was joined by the Busch Brothers–Larry, Luke, and Marty–and it was time for what Louis Armstrong called some “good old good ones.”
As the pictures show, it is hard to say who was having the best time. Everybody was part of the whole.
