Danny Hull: Musically This Week Vol XV, No 26

Hello everyone.  This week...

Monday, 3/18 at the Iris Restaurant 7:30 - 9:00

Western New York Jazz Orchestra open rehearsal

Big band rehearsal, everyone's welcome...

Tuesday, 3/19 at Milkie's on Elmwood 6:30 - 9:30

Randy Stirtzinger, vibraphone     Warren Stirtzinger, guitar     John Werick, bass     your host, drum set

Milkie's on Elmwood is the perfect venue for a vibraphonist.  The acoustics are surprisingly good, and because you're up-close-and-personal to the bandstand, the visual aspect completes the performance.  You really get to see what you're hearing.  Two Tuesdays ago we were packed.  Last week - not so good, and Cindy Miller was ridiculous!  How so much swing and commitment can come out of that diminutive frame is startling.  One of the traits I see consistently with the mature jazz artist, no matter the venue nor the size of the audience, is that the seasoned musician comes to play.  No dialing it in, no auto-pilot...  We had a predictable drop-off last week from an audience standpoint, but Cindy sang every note like it were her last.  Amazing.  This week we present the Brothers Stirtzinger - no strangers to a Buffalo audience.  The vibraphone is a sensual instrument, and in an intimate setting, every musical nuance is revealed.  Can you join us?  The truth is we're still feeling this out.  If we can draw, we'll have a home.  But remember, business is business.  Nobody wants to see our concept come to an untimely conclusion, but jazz is not on the pop culture radar anymore.  If we're to stay relevant and leave the next generation of improvisors a legacy to continue on their own, we need places to play.  Help me spread the word?  And maybe consider a meal and a beverage some Tuesday?  Mike has an agreement with the bank across the street from the club, so parking isn't an issue.  Food for thought...  Milkie's on Elmwood is at the intersection of West Utica & Elmwood Avenue.  882-5881

Friday, 3/22 at Wegman's Niagara Falls Blvd     5:00 - 7:00

Dave Scott, guitar

Dave Scott Trio

Dave Scott, guitar     Buddy Fadale, bass     your correspondent, drum set

Thanks to Dave Scott for the trio gig this week.  The Niagara Falls Blvd store (near E. Robinson) has an earlier start time.

next Tuesday, 3/26 at Milkie's Elmwood 6:30 - 9:30

Joe Rozler - piano, guitar & vocals     Bruce Johnstone - baritone saxophone     Wayne Moose, bass     your host, drum set

Upcoming at Milkie's Elmwood...

Tuesday, 4/2 Rick Strauss

Tuesday, 4/23 trioPAYAZZO Ainse que Deux

Tuesday, 4/30 Clay Jenkins

Tuesday, 5/14 Laurie Bordonaro

Tuesday, 6/18 Western New York Jazz Orchestra

Tuesday, 10/15 Patty Flaherty & Craig Kastelnik

links...

www.BuffaloLiveJazz.com

An Irish Blessing...

Cheer up, the worst is yet to come!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eteWVqVPcTQ&sns=em

Health,

Hope,

Dialogue,

Respect,

Tolerance,

Friendships,

And may the road rise up to meet you.

dan

Dave Brubeck Tribute - George Caldwell Quintet

Danny Hull: Musically This Week Vol XV, No 25

Hello everyone.  How do I thank you?  Last week's support for our continuing jazz experiment, now at Milkie's on Elmwood, was more than I could have asked for.  I'd name names were it not for fear of leaving someone out.  But you know who you are.  You drove up from Bradford.  From Jamestown.  You made the effort after a tiring work day.  Even your commute from East Aurora is 40 minutes.  So thank you.  We'll keep doing what we do, in the interest of our art form, and in the interest of the sharing and the camaraderie.  Milkie's isn't a cavernous space.  Mike seems to have (this time) put the stage in the right spot.  So whether you grab a table or a seat at the bar, you're in close enough to share in the energy, and send some back to the stand.  Here's what's up this week...

Monday, 3/11 at the Iris Restaurant 7:30 - 9:00

Western New York Jazz Orchestra open rehearsal

Dave Kayne's big band is in the early stages of development, only a few rehearsals in.  But his arrangements are complete pieces of musical art, and you're invited to stop into the Iris and hear how Dave puts it all together.  No cover, just a good hang.

Tuesday, 3/12 at Milkie's on Elmwood 7:00 - 10:00

Cindy Miller, Vocalist

Cindy Miller, vocals     Pat Georger, piano     Wayne Moose, bass     your host, drum set

Did you feel the energy in the room last week?  Dave Schiavone played like a man possessed.  Bobby Jones was Bobby Jones - the most inspired rhythmic accompanist this side of Chick Corea.  And Cameron Kayne played time like he was angry.  But even with all of that musical testosterone competing for the listener's attention, it took Barbara Jean to bring the room to utter silence when she joined us during our second set.  People love singers.  And this week?  Yikes.  We have a singer.  And she can't wait.  Cindy Miller is a well-traveled pro.  Her bread & butter is her show work, which has her crisscrossing the country.  (She's had more frequent flyer miles expire than most of us will ever earn.)  And with a so demanding a schedule, her opportunities to sing in a quartet setting are few-and-far-between.  So she is psyched.  And needless to say, so are we.  At Milkie's on Elmwood you can catch Cindy up close and personal.  The stage is small, but at least it's in the same county as the bar.  So join us if you can?  We're only in our second week at our new venue, and we do need you.  We hit early, so you can come hungry, grab a bite, catch a set, relax and live your life, (you've earned it), and get home at a reasonable hour for someone your age ;)  Milkie's on Elmwood is at the intersection of West Utica & Elmwood Avenue.  882-5881

next Tuesday, 3/19 at Milkie's Elmwood 6:30 - 9:30

Randy Stirtzinger, vibraphone     Warren Stirtzinger, guitar     John Werick, bass     your host, drum set

Upcoming at Milkie's Elmwood...

Tuesday, 3/26 Joe Rozler & Bruce Johnstone

Tuesday, 4/2 Rick Strauss

Tuesday, 4/23 trioPAYAZZO Ainse que Deux

Tuesday, 4/30 Clay Jenkins

Tuesday, 5/14 Laurie Bordonaro

Tuesday, 6/18 Western New York Jazz Orchestra

Tuesday, 10/15 Patty Flaherty & Craig Kastelnik

links...

www.BuffaloLiveJazz.com

http://www.cindymiller.biz/index.html

http://www.myspace.com/patgeorger

www.hamburgmusic.com/

It is Daylight Saving time...

Baseball player: "What time is it?"

Yogi Berra:

"You mean now?"

Health,

Hope,

Dialogue,

Respect,

Tolerance,

and Friendships.

dan

George Caldwell Quintet plays Dave Brubeck Tribute

Facebook Event
https://www.facebook.com/events/481255618603548/permalink/481256195270157/?notif_t=like

• • 

    Wednesday, April 3, 2013
  • 

    7:00pm until 9:00pm

• The George Caldwell Quintet will feature the music of Dave Brubeck with none other than the late great jazz artist’s touring saxophonist and flutist since 1983, Bobby Militello. Also playing this special evening of jazz will be heavy – hitters Tim Clarke (Trumpet), Cameron Kayne (Contrabass) and Darryl Washington (Drums) led by pianist George Caldwell. The band will play the iconic Brubeck tunes "Blue Rondo à la Turk,” “In Your Own Sweet Way,” and, of course, “Take Five" by Paul Desmond, among other popular favorites. Caldwell will also include his own originals and interpretations of standards in the mix . Only $5.00

Sportsmans Tavern

326 Amherst St, Buffalo, New York 14207

View Map · Get Directions

Danny Hull: Musically This Week Vol XV, No 24

Hello everyone.

Tuesday, 3/5 at Milkie's on Elmwood     6:30 - 9:30

Dave Schiavone, saxophones & flute.

Dave Schiavone, saxophones & flute     Bobby Jones, piano     Cameron Kayne, bass     your humbled host, drum set

Not much to tell you, other than we're going to give it a try this week at Milkie's Elmwood Lounge.  Note the early start time.  The idea is to maybe draw in some of the people who work downtown who may want to have a bite before heading home for the evening.  My thanks to those of you who wrote last week to offer your support for the next phase of our continuing jazz experiment.  We'll only know by trying.  Hope to see you...  Milkie's is on the corner of West Utica & Elmwood Avenue.  882-5881

Wednesday, 3/6 at the Iris Restaurant 7:30 - 9:30

Buffalo Brass open rehearsal

The Tuesday thing at the Iris is done, but the big band rehearsals are ongoing.  You're welcome to stop in.  And being as that it is a rehearsal and not a performance, the no-cover charge policy remains.

next Tuesday, 3/12 at Milkie's Elmwood (we think) 6:30 - 9:30

Cindy Miller, vocals     Pat Georger, piano     Wayne Moose, bass     your host, drum wet

And maybe?

Tuesday, 4/2 Rick Strauss

Tuesday, 4/23 trioPAYAZZO Ainse que Deux

Tuesday, 4/30 Clay Jenkins

Tuesday, 5/14 Laurie Bordonaro

Tuesday, 6/18 Western New York Jazz Orchestra

links...

www.BuffaloLiveJazz.com

Besides, who'd listen?

Don’t complain; just work harder.

 - Randy Pausch

Health,

Hope,

Dialogue,

Respect,

Tolerance,

and Friendships.

dan

Danny Hull: Musically This Week Vol XV, No 23

Hello everyone.  I should probably re-title this week's treatise "No Musically This Week".  It seems that we're done at the Iris Restaurant.  Damn.  I'm going to miss that piano.  But I hope not to miss all of you...

OK, why?  Well, if you've been there, you know why.  Since the beginning of this year, you didn't exactly have to fight for a spot at the bar.  Business is business.  And when there's no such business, the inevitable laws of macro-economics take over.  Vinnie Lesh at the Iris asked me to explain that they are going in another direction.  (Isn't that what they say when a coach gets fired?)  And there is some truth to that.  He doubled the size of the club by removing a wall.  And he brought in a sound system with speakers the size of the Mars lander.  He wants to bring in national acts, and appeal to a larger audience.  (That being the kind of audience that likes their music loud...)  And I think another factor was the intimacy we lost when that big stage was constructed in a zip code different from the bar...

But if we're going to be honest with ourselves, even given the new direction the club is taking, we know the truth.  Vinnie would have continued our Tuesday jazz experiment if it had at least paid for itself.  So we're on to other things...

By way of an experiment - and that's exactly what this is - we're going back to where we started, only different.  On March 5th we're taking our Tuesday thing to Milkie's on Elmwood.  We're going to try an early start time to see if we can draw a downtown audience for dinner, drinks, and music before people go home from work.  And we have to face the daunting economic reality of trying to offer live music while keeping the club viable: we have to ask for a $5.00 cover charge.  I hate to do it, in that I almost feel like we're penalizing the very people who have kept us going for almost 15 years.  But if we are not generating enough sales to cover the little bit that we're paying the artists, there will be no gig.  We'll see what happens.

If it doesn't fly at Milkie's, there are other venues.  We can adapt.  Maybe it doesn't have to be a Tuesday.  We'll see where this takes us, and whether the jazz community wants us to keep our effort alive.

My thanks to the good people at Hamburg Music for the generous use of their grand piano.  Phil Georger is a prince of a human being.  Gentle, honest, salt of the earth...  And Pat, now president of Hamburg Music, besides being on the short list of first call pianists in Buffalo, is one and the same.  Easy going, direct, straight and honest...  The comfort I take from doing business with people like Phil & Pat Georger is that you know you are being dealt with honestly.  They're not out to gouge you or retire on your sale alone.  They know what they have to charge for their services in order to stay in business for the long haul, but they will be as fair to you as they are to their own responsibilities.

So we'll be off this Tuesday, 2/26.  My apologies to the Brothers Stirtzinger and John Werick for the cancellation.  If it flies at Milkie's, or elsewhere, we'll reschedule.  So for now...

Tuesday, 3/5 at Milkie's on Elmwood     6:30 - 9:30

Dave Schiavone, saxophones & flute     Bobby Jones, piano     Cameron Kayne, bass     your humbled host, drum set

And maybe?

Tuesday, 3/12 Cindy Miller

Tuesday, 4/2 Rick Strauss

Tuesday, 4/23 trioPAYAZZO Ainse que Deux

Tuesday, 4/30 Clay Jenkins

Tuesday, 5/14 Laurie Bordonaro

Tuesday, 6/18 Western New York Jazz Orchestra

links...

www.hamburgmusic.com/

www.BuffaloLiveJazz.com

We'll keep trying...

The capacity to change is indispensable.  Equally indispensable is the capacity to hold fast to that which is good.

 - John Foster Dulles

Health,

Hope,

Dialogue,

Respect,

Tolerance,

and Friendships.

dan

Janice Mitchell & Jim Beishline - Wed. Feb. 27th

Janice Mitchell

https://www.facebook.com/events/533219810052057/

• • 

    Wednesday
  • 

    7:00pm until 10:00pm

• Cecelia's Ristorante & Martini Bar 716 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo, NY 14222

• Please come out and join Jim Beishline and me for some bluesy jazz and some jazzy blues straight from the heart. It won't be any fun unless YOU're there! Wednesday, Feb 27th 7-10 pm