[Dixielandjazz] The Pick Up Bands

[Steve barbone]

Brian Priebe, from Waverly MD, well known to PRJC members and trombonist
with Last Chance Jazz Band, came up to play a couple of gigs with Barbone
Street on June 25 and 26. He was subbing for Glenn Dodson who is on a
teaching sabbatical in Sweden.

First gig, Saturday evening near Reading PA. Private party at a completely
restored and very beautiful 19th century farmhouse on top of a hill in the
woods above the Schuykill River.

Trumpeter was a sub also. Al Harrison, just off the Delta Queen after a
month on the Mississippi. Al is an extraordinary jazz trumpeter well known
here in the Middle Atlantic States and one of the very best in the USA. He
currently works one month on, one off on the Mississippi Paddle boats.

Piano was sub Bill Whited. Kind of modern but then, he played with Jerry
Colonna and Ish Kibibble, as well as Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, Ray McKinley et al,
so he speaks the language also.

A great time was had by all, and the ultimate compliment paid to the band by
a very knowledgeable jazz fan in Reading was: "What a great sound, you guys
must have been playing together a long time." Well half the band was the
usual suspects, but the other half were 2 first timers and one who played
with us exactly 3 times prior. Pick up band? Sure, but if the band players
speak "jazz", it makes no difference whether they know each other or not.

Second gig Sunday afternoon at the Lutheran Home (retirement facility) in
Topton, again near Reading. We did a concert, this time with our regular
guitarist and so the only new guys were Brian, and cornetist Vinny Borselli,
who plays with Peter Nero and Philadelphia Pops when not recording as a
studio musician in NYC., or with Vince Giordano. A good time was had by all
and again, a jazz fan (who wants to book us in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton
area paid us a great compliment. "What a tight, swinging band. You must
rehearse a lot.

Just goes to show that unrehearsed bands, if they are made up of good jazz
musicians like Brian, Al, Vinny, Bill and our usual suspects, can easily
produce a phenomenal audience reaction. Heck, I don't even call the tunes
until we're about to play them. Just signal the key via fingers and then
call the tune and count off. What you get is everybody's attention and some
on the spot jazz improvisation.


Cheers,
Steve Barbone