Other Music This Week

I went out several times and only have mentioned one so far. Now, time to mention the others. It may seem strange how often I go out. For me, live music of the kind I like brings me to a transcendent place and it is a place I like. I feel like it is my authentic self rather than the self that is proscribed by all the the conventions that are a part of getting along in the world. Since I don’t drink alcohol, it is a “high” that can go on for hours and even days.

Last Monday, I went to the Monday night at the Harbor House featuring the Milt Show. The base group is Milton Hale(dms), Phil Hale(keys) and Greg Cook(bass). This week, Chris Branch(sax) joined in for the first set. I was sitting with a couple of girlfriends. They are both listeners and do not do a lot of talking while the music is playing. It was a good evening of music. During the evening there were two sax players…..Chris Branch and Scott Reiter. Both of them are good musicians. And there were four trumpets…..Dwight Adams, Alan Denard, Mark Croft and David Greene. Dwight Adams plays with Stevie Wonder. He is one of my favorite trumpets. His notes are brain piercing clear. When he plays the trumpet, that is all there is. I am completely drawn into the music. These are all experienced musicians and play so well together.

During the second set, Misty Love sang. My table friends left and another girlfriend joined me. It was a good evening.

Dwight Adams on trumpet, Milt Hale on drums and Phil Hale on keys…

Last night is was Bert’s Jazz Room again and the John Douglas Quartet. The quartet this week was John Douglas(tpt), Mike Malis(keys), Ib Jones(bass) and Butter Hawkins(dms). I was there for the second set. When they did “Lazy Bird”, everyone in the place started cheering. Mike Malis was so hot that when another musician touched him you could almost see the steam rising from his body. There were other musicians as well : David Greene (tpt), Dan Rice(trbn), Mark Croft(tpt) and Roger Vincent(dms). It told Mike after the set hold much I thought he had improved in the last year. He said that meant a lot to him. He had seen me in the audience for a couple of years and knew I was a listener. It pleased me to hear that it meant something to him. I gave John a hug and left.

John Douglas in light shirt standing to the left, Mike Malis on keys, Ib Jones on bass, Butter Hawkins on drums and David Greene sitting on the stage at right.

I am glad to go back after an incident two weeks ago which made it so difficult to go back to Bert’s. I had to force myself and I’m glad I did.

The Michael Jellick Trio at the Nothtern Lights Lounge

Tonight I took my regular Wednesday night trip to the Northern Lights Lounge to hear the the Michael Jellick Trio. This has become more ritual than routine. For me, this is a musical adventure when Michael Jellick is in the house.

The first set is at 9:00 p.m.. And they start on time. For the servers, I am routine. Once a month there is a long table of people who work together and got there after work. This was the week. they are generally a noisy crowd. they also leave around the time the music starts. i finally saw a table near the front where i like to sit and went to a table. I saw one of my friends on the other side of the room. i decided to stay where i was because we are both intense listeners. The server brings me a club soda and lime as I walk in. She asked me if I wanted the usual, beef nachos. It is huge.

All the vegetables are fresh and I can take a lot home. The food came quickly. The music had already started. Some young women sat down at the table next to me. They started talking and got louder as the music got louder. If they wanted to talk, why didn’t they pick a table towards the back of the the room?

I was sitting close enough to the stage to hear Michael call “Caravan”. It is one of my favorite numbers and I especially like the way Michael Jellick changes it every time I hear it. It is so inspiring to be able to hear the same number done so many ways. Each one is an exciting audio adventure. It was followed by “Bye, Bye Blackbird”. The melody of blackbird started with the bass player and was again an innovative way of approaching the song.

Those picture above shows Michael Jellick at the keys and Eric Nachtraub on the bass. This is, for me, a place where one set is fully satisfying.

After the set, my friend and I talked for a bit and we were both blown away by “Caravan” and “Bye, Bye, Blackbird”. Michael came up and we both told him how much we liked the numbers. He told how he got the idea for the arrangement on “Bye, Bye Blackbird” and how he was going to use the idea on other numbers. Hearing how he creates stimulates my ideas for playing my hammered dulcimer. This is the best part of the Detroit music scene…the access to the musicians.

My Really Good Dinner

I am went out last night and will post that tomorrow. I have a tendonitis flare up and am doing less typing.

I did make a really good dinner. I had chicken piccata which had a tasty lemon-caper sauce. There were fried tomatoes, asparagus and cubed, curried butternut squash.

I Like This Breakfast

This is a great start to the day. I have a fresh bowl of raspberries. I follow with an omelet filled with one slice of crumbled crispy bacon, a scallion, half a tomato, a clove of garlic, a little green pepper and top with a little salsa

Les Élysées du Vernet, Paris 2006

In 2006, my daughter and I traveled to France on a short vacation in Paris, Normandy, Brittany and the château country. We went in May and my daughter had a special Mothers Day gift for me. She had booked dinner at Les Élysées du Vernet near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

I had no idea what to expect. She had verified the reservation and informed me that it was a Michelin two star restaurant. The taxi got us to the restaurant just in time for our reservation. The entrance to the hotel was not impressive. But, stepping through the door was like stepping into another world. It was an elegant and secluded escape from the world. Almost like stepping into another time. As soon as it was clear that we had reservations, we were accompanied to the door of the restaurant pictured above. Just taking in the room before me made me wonder and anticipate the kind of meal we were going to have.

We were ushered to the table and my daughter immediately got a flute of champagne as a greeting. She got the menu with the prices and said to order what I wanted. My menu had no prices. I am allergic to crustaceans and quickly eliminated any dishes with shrimp, crabs, lobster or prawns. After ordering, we had a little time to look around the room. I noticed there were many empty tables and Char had a hard time getting a reservation. I am always curious so I asked the waiter when he came back. There was only one seating per evening and the diners arrived at twenty minute intervals. The service was a smooth and well ordered operation.

My appetizer was carpaccio in a vinaigrette. The meat was tender and the vinaigrette was just the right acid counterpoint to the sweet saltness of the beef. My water glass was being refilled before I ever had a chance to empty it. Right after the plates were removed, a little glass of a celery drink arrived. We got an amuse bouche between each course. We had several people attending to our table.

The table next to us finally had their diners arrive. Two men walked in and one had a small Cairn terrier under his arm. I am fine with dogs in restaurants although it is not allowed in the United States. After the diners were seated, one of the waiters brought a silver bowl on a silver platter. When he arrived at the table next to us, he carefully lifted the bowl of water off the platter and served it to the thirsty dog. I just had to laugh.

My daughter had told me the ceiling of the restaurant had been designed by Eiffel. It was so gorgeous that my eyes were drawn to it time and time again.

I had ordered a pigeon dish for the main course. Many of the selections had a shellfish component. The waiter assured me that they were country pigeons and their feet had never touched concrete. It was served in a wine reduction with broccoli. And, it could not have been better. And another amuse bouche before the cheese board.

At this point, I left the restaurant to go to the restroom. When I returned to my table, i sat down with the assistance of the waiter. He removed my used napkin and replaced it with a fresh, warm napkin. Just another moment when I went, this is a new experience.

They had a cheese specialist, a fromager. The board must have had more than thirty cheeses. It was overwhelming. So many choices and so many cheeses I had never seen or heard of before. We made our selections. We had a variety of tastes from sweet to salty. Textures from hard to soft. Cheeses from cows, sheep and goats. It was amazing.

Although we were full, we decided to have a dessert, a baba au rhum. On the menu, it was listed as a dessert for two. How big could it be? It was huge. It was the size of a small watermelon. The sight of it made both of us laugh. I was good to be in a place where the waiters are not trying to rush you out to turn the table. So we waited a bit. And we ate a small part of the very big dessert.

This was an epic meal. It was the kind of meal where you don’t want to sully your mouth with food so the experience will stay with you. The experience has stayed for quite a few years and is still one of my best food experiences.

The Kurzadian Trio at Motor City Wine

On Friday June 7, 2013, I went out to Motor City Wine again and saw the quickly named Kurzadian Trio.

When I go out to hear music, it is not really about what I hear. It is about what I feel. So, what I am writing is not a review. It is more about the emotional impact it has on me. Some musicians always have the impact. Sometimes it is a musician in combination with a certain song. I have heard so many technically competent musicians that do not reach me. Went I started going out a few years ago, I went out to a a lot of events where I knew the music was “good” and it didn’t do a thing for me. I have slowly stopped going where ii know it has no impact. I even check about once a year to see if anything has changed. So, I am not pretending to write reviews although I won’t rule it out.

I walked in and the owner pulled the Sanpellegrino Sparkling Blood Orange Soda out of the refrigerator. I walked in between sets and had to wait for a bit for the music to start. So I talked to one of the musicians and another person I had seen around.

The first sone I took note of was “Our Longing” ….it is titled in Portuguese so the real title is “Nosso Anseio” ….. I think. This was composed by Damon Warmack. I liked this one because it has an interesting melody and harmony…both a little unexpected and haunting. It was a nice counterpoint to the ordinary.

Then, they called up an audience member who I had to seen before and was introduced as Ruben Santiago-Hudson. He is both a playwright and actor. He was the police captain on the TV Series Castle. He is in Detroit filming a new series which will be replacing Breaking Bad on AMC and is called Low Winter Sun. After checking online, Detroit is probably the perfect setting in the United States for this UK series. Ruben played a blues harmonica and was really good….he’d be welcome at most open macs in the city. They did “Carrot Cake” and it was great to hear the bluesy done that well and yes, I did feel it. It was heavy funk with harp.

The next number was “Sandman” followed by “A Lil Somethin’ Somethin'” written by Kris Kurzawa. All in all, it was a nice satisfying set and ended the evening.

I headed over to Bert’s but my timing was off. The had just finished. I decided to go home rather than wait.

Kris Kurzawa

Damon Warmack

Nat Winn

Ruben Santiago-Hudson

Grew Stepped Out Of A Dream: A Few Words on Mulgrew Miller

Really liked this blog…..

Nicholas Payton

I would like to say a few things about my big brother, Mulgrew. We all called him “Grew” for short, which is apropos because you couldn’t help but to grow being around this cat. I spent a lot of time with Grew over the years and you get to know someone on a lot of different levels when you interact with them often. As an artist, he is absolutely astounding. And though he has passed, I will refer to him in the present throughout this piece because that which has lived can never truly die . . .

Along with Herbie Hancock, Mulgrew is the Quintessential Pianist. What I mean by that is his repertoire and range of versatility allows him to play in any context with virtually anybody and he possesses the uncanny instinct to know just the right shit to play at any given moment. And even though…

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A Provincial Life in Detroit

First, let me say I have come to love Detroit with everything that comes with it. Blight, political corruption, wonderful architecture, a wonderful art museum, racial division, music and too much more to list.

When I moved to Detroit, MI from Berkeley, CA, I was moving from a small town to a big city. I learned soon that I may have had it backward. The first time I went grocery shopping, I could not find at least one third of my list in the store. I remember asking the grocery clerk for directions to the mushrooms. He pointed me to the canned mushrooms. The selection of fresh fish was pathetic. This was not California. And in the intervening years, I can say that Detroit grocery stores have caught up.

In California when you. met someone, they would ask where you came from. The assumption being that you were no native to California. In Michigan, they would ask where you went to high school. So the issue of Detroit being provincial has been one of those things, to use a computer analogy, running in the background for many years.

When I went back to work after my youngest was three years old, I found a similar attitude at my new workplace. At the time, I was hired as a telephone installer for Michigan Bell. With all the communication changes and deregulation, Michigan Bell was changed in the eighties. My coworkers asked me which relatives of mine worked for the company. I replied tht none of my relatives worked for the company. They could not understand how I got hired.

Over time and as I met more and more people, I met so many who had never been out of Michigan and some who had never left Detroit except for school trips. It was foreign to me. I had visited quite a few states and to Europe. I can remember one guy I met, a college graduate, who had never been out of Michigan. He wanted to take his kids to Disney World in Florida and was not sure he could manage a plane flight or spending time in Florida. The common denominator for those who had not been out of Michigan was that their entire family lived in Michigan row the renegade out- of-stater came back to visit. I traveled more because I had relatives in several states.

Over time, I thought Michigan would become more cosmopolitan and it has slowly. However, the is still the hard core Michiganders and Detroiters who think there is nothing the rest of the world has to offer. When I go out for music, I am sometimes told that all the best musicians are in Detroit. Maybe some, but not all. And further, Eastside musicians are better than others.

More are traveling. Recently, an acquaintance of mine and her husband went to France. She is proud of her new sophisticated traveler status and talks about her trip every where she goes.
So, it is changing.

There are places and people who give me great hope. More and more are letting the world in to their lives. It is especially evident at the Detroit Jazz Festival held the first weekend in September, Labor Day Weekend. People and musicians come from everywhere. Each year I see the impact of this wonderful music celebration on Detroiters and a time when Detroit shows its best face to the world.

Mike Jellick Trio at Northern Lights Lounge

Every Wednesday, the Northern Lights Lounge has an evening called Str8 Jazz, No Chaser. Northern Lights Lounge is in Midtown Detroit and each night is devoted to a different genre of music. On Wednesday, appetizers are half off and I order beef nachos. The ingredients are fresh and the plate is big enough for a small army so I take some home after thoroughly enjoying the food.

The group on Wednesday is the Mike Jellick Trio. The musicians in the group are so good and popular that frequently one or more has a sub. The musicians last night were Mike Jellick(keys), Eric Nachtrab(bass) and Jesse Kramer(dms). Eric was the sub last night but palyed as is he had been with the others for more than a bit of time. Mike Jellick is one of a kind. His improvisational skills are inspirational. He is the kind of musician that lifts all the players around him. He has a large repertoire and the only time he duplicates for week to week is when he is working on a number. Mike also encourages others to shine show there stuff and they just did it. I particularity like it when they play a standard like “Autumn Leaves” and shine a brand new light on it.

One of the best things about the Northern Lights Lounge is the great sound. They have a sound man who takes such care in balancing the sound. There is one side for the music and the other side is more the bar and small lounging area. This is one venue where the patrons listen to the music when they sit on the music side of the bar.

The Milton Show at Harbor House

On Monday, June 5, 2013, I went to the Harbor House in downtown Detroit for a bit of jazz. The Harbor House is really a restaurant specializing in seafood as you may have guessed by the name. I am allergic to crustaceans so the menu does not off me much. I have tried a couple of things and had the worst Reuben sandwich of my life and the best onion rings of my life. I have to feel really adventurous to order and tonight I was just not feeling it. I stood at the bar for a very long time waiting for the lone server to finish her conversation. I went late since the band starts at a different time each week. She finally came down and I ordered a club soda and lime. Others were having the same difficulty is getting her attention. I saw that she paid better attention when she was her own customer.

This evenings entertainment has been going on for a little over eight years in Detroit. For most of the time, it was located in a loft in Greektown. They recently moved due to renovations in their old building. They start the first set with a house band. The house band this week was Milton Hale(dms), Phillip Hale (keys), and Greg Cook(bass). I like the stuff the group plays, usually a wide range of jazz standards. After the first set, it is open mic time. Open mic can either raise level or lower level depending on who shows up. That night it was better than average. I think of the second and third set as belonging to the vocalists and there were three there: Chelly K, Sheila Hale and Kenny. Charlene Greene sat in on the keys and was a great addition to the mix. For the ending Chelly sang “Love for Sale” and it was the best song of the evening.
For the instrumentals, both Moanin’ and “Sugar” were great.

As usual, some of the denizens of the bar were running around telling all they knew about anybody to each other.