12/21/07

I took over from Breanna at 2.00am.  I always like to have something a little "different" in my bag.  I especially like opening with something like that, if it fits.

So... Danielle (clarinet), Jason (trombone), and I (tenor) had been practicing jamming out to the Jaemey Aebersold play-along, "Summertime".  We snuck our horns into the back room, and since the song right before I took over was a volunteer jam, we ran back, got the horns warmed up by breathing through them, and then right as the song ended, snuck back out to the DJ booth, horns held low and behind the counter.  I was expecting some people to laugh, and some to dance, and some to think it was kinda cool, in that "Oh, it's Dan" kind of way.

"Hey, give it up for Breanna, and for all the volunteers!" I said.  "Now, I'm going to open with something that's a little unusual, but I hope y'all like it..."  I hit PLAY, and Jaemey kicked us off with "one, two, one two three four", I pulled the horn from behind the counter and up to my lips, and we tore into the opening of Summertime.  And the crowd... went NUTS!

I completely forgot to play for a moment as the cheering washed over us.  Danielle and Jason were both on top of things, since they know what they're doing and all.  But it was awesome.  A huge chunk of people started dancing, and the ones who weren't dancing came up to watch; most of them seemed really into it.  The notable exception was someone I've got a long-standing friendly rivalry with, and even he eventually uncovered his ears and nodded, as if to say "hey, not bad!".  We ran through the head, took some solos, then played in between each other, New Orleans-style, while the song vamped at the end.  It took a while for the applause to die down, which was friggin' cool.  I think this may bear repeating in the future...

Jaemey Aebersold, "Summertime"

Kermit Ruffins, "Wake Up, Neesie" (edit)

Gene Harris, "This Little Light of Mine" (edit)

Jazz Dazzlers, "De Makebam"

Charlie Barnet, "Afternoon of a Moax"

Cab Calloway, "Are You Hep to the Jive?"

Joe Williams, "Jump for Joy"

Ray Brown, "Night Train"

Aretha Franklin, "Trouble in Mind"

Johnnie Johnson, "Slow Train"

Sonny Boy Williamson, "Close to Me"

Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong, "Frim Fram Sauce"

Duke Ellington, "Kentucky Avenue"

Buddy Johnson, "Stop Pretending"

Peppermint Harris, "All For You"

Sam Cooke, "That's It, I Quit"

Jack McDuff, "Tobacco Road"

Sy Oliver, "Yes, Indeed"

Ray Charles, "Hallelujah, I Just Love Her So"

Harry James, "Two O'Clock Jump"

Fats Waller, "Yacht Club Swing"

Tommy Dorsey, "Every Time I Feel The Spirit"

Little Willie John, "Fever"

Ernestine Anderson, "I Love Being Here With You"

Dizzy Gillespie, "Sunny Side of the Street"

George "Wild Child" Butler, "Rent Money Gone Again"

Lou Rawls, "Fine Brown Frame"

Count Basie, "Hayburner"

Carlos Libedinsky, "Dos"