[Dixielandjazz] Steve DiBonnaventura Got Married

[Stephen Barbone]

Many of the banjo pickers on the DJML know banjo virtuoso Steve
DiBonnaventura from Media PA, near Philadelphia. He got married
yesterday to a lovely gal named Tracy, in their new (old) home in Media.
And what a wedding party it was.

Barbone Street  (Steve gigs with us occasionally) provided the music,
for the ceremony and the reception. The ceremony included a coloratura
soprano who sang Ave Maria, a song from Cinema Paridiso and a number by
Puccini. She and guitarist Sonny Troy quickly wrote the chords on the
music sheets so Sonny and Ace (bass) would be able to accurately back
her. Worked out beautifully, as if they had been doing this together for
years. All three of them are "great" musicians.

At the reception the music was a hoot. We did a lot of requests, Sinatra
stuff like "Summer Wind", "Fly Me To The Moon", Show Tunes from Guy's
and Dolls, Bells Are Ringing, " If I Were A Bell" etc and Gershwin,
Kern, McHugh standards much to the delight of the audience which
included some off broadway performers of these shows. We got them
involved in mini sketches from the various show books and everybody
loved it.
And when the black hats, along with a few white hats, appeared, we did
the theme from "The Godfather". Talk about audience participation . . .
. . .

Then, we got some of the guests and Steve to sit in for some rousing
Dixieland. We had a large rhythm section of 3 banjos, (including Steve),
and tubist Gil Corella (best man) added to our guitar, bass and drums.
Songs included "Struttin With Some Barbecue", "St Louis Blues" "Do You
Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans" on which Gill played the lead on
Tuba. Much fun. And then of course, "Dueling Banjos" by the 3 pickers
and the tubist. Marvellous.

Congratulations Stephen DiBonnaventura. best wishes to you and Tracy for
a long, happy, musical life together.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone