hemed decor that transformed the Marble Hall, other than asking Natalie Easterly to take a bow for the unprecedented profusion of fresh flowers...I've never seen anything like it. But the piece de resistance was the stellar quintet of musicians who took their charge far beyond obligatory background and created a classy energy the room may have never felt before. Richmond treasure John Winn gathered the cream of Richmond's crop of seasoned players for the gig...Curtis Fye on bass, Brian Jones on drums, Adam Larrabee on guitar and Daniel Clarke on the grand piano. What a treat to hear these young lions playing their butts off despite the fact that most of the crowd was immersed in party chatter. Those of us who were drawn in to their musical corner, and the numbers grew as the hour grew later, were afforded some of the finest ensemble playing anywhere. John's a serious double threat of course, for when he's not squeezing the most out of his tenor and soprano saxophones, he's singing like a young and hip Mel Torme...it was simply sublime stuff. Old School Freight Train's Jesse Harper even crashed the party in the guise of a "critic" to soak up the ample inspiration these guys were serving up and rendered a soulful lead vocal on Stevie Wonder's "Superstition." Jesse's long-awaited solo project is due out early in 08 by the way. As I write this, the aforementioned Mr. Clarke is probably seated at his keyboard as the sole accompanist for one k d lang at a private function in the City of Angels. The Atlee boy is flying high indeed. A grateful tip of the beret to Bon Secours' CEO Peter Bernard who knows how to do things right. Tres bien!The night before afforded us a much more intimate musical experience at In Your Ear's studio A as JAMinc welcomed Irish harmonica marvel Rick Epping back to town. With just his box of harps and accompanying himself on concertina, Rick cast his spell for the appreciative audience, skillfully weaving traditional jigs and reels together and sharing his softly evocative vocals. IYE partner Robbin Thompson joined Rick for a couple of numbers including one with Robbin playing his Chinese zhong ruan. If you don't know what that is, you should've been there. He even attracted veteran Richmond rocker and chief Offender Bruce Olsen to the show, who's recorded Rick in his northside studio in recent years. It's a real privilege to hear a musician of Rick's caliber in such a setting...JAMinc and IYE are working on a compilation CD so you can hear some of the remarkable performances we've witnessed over the past few years. And for a very well-written account of a singular life adventure, check out Robbin's Cambodia journal. Powerful and provocative.
A couple of strong entries ahead on Ashland Coffee & Tea's December calendar: incredible blues guitarist Kelly Joe Phelps on the 5th, Stacey Earle on the 8th and Adrienne Young on the 13th. All worthy of your ear and support of AC&T's continuing efforts to bring quality acoustic music to the area in a wonderful listening room setting. Not to nag, but if you want all this to continue, you just have to get out and go the the shows. There's no substitute for "live."
Enjoy your Sunday...and hats off the the Hokies!
TT
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