John Henry Faulk's Christmas Story

I enjoy listening to John Henry Faulk's "Christmas Story" on Christmas Eve. It is ten minutes well spent each year.

Click here to hear the story.

Meeting Santa & Mrs. Claus At The Gig

Dad and I played a fun Christmas party gig last night. It was great seeing Mr. and Mrs. Claus there.

I spent a good deal of time with Santa making sure he accurately understood everything on my wish list. He explained that I will get what's coming to me.

Replicas Of Christopher Columbus' Ships In Maysville

I worked a gig at Caproni's Restaurant on Thanksgiving Day. As I played, two ships making their way up the Ohio River became visible through the restaurant window. They looked to me like the type of ships early explorers might have sailed. It was an amazing spectacle.


Many people in the restaurant left their tables to go outside to take photographs and get a closer look. I too, had to check it out more closely. It turned out that we were looking at replicas of the Nina and Pinta, built to scale. The wooden replicas are owned by the nonprofit Columbus Foundation. The original ships were part of Columbus' fleet when he sailed to the West Indies in 1492.


The ships fired their cannons as the restaurant customers waved. The replicas served their purpose well, as many in the crowd wondered aloud what it must have been like in 1492 to be on the ships.

Transferring My LPs To iPod & Compact Disc Is Time Consuming, But Great Fun

I have a very large collection of lp records and have been slowly transferring many of them to compact disc and loading them in my iPod. In addition to the several thousand lps that I have purchased over the years, my collection keeps growing as several of my friends have recently given me their old lps when making room in their homes for other things (Thanks Bruce & Ora). It's just the opposite at my home, as I am getting rid of other things to make room for more lps!

The transfer to digital media is very time consuming. I first listen to the entire album and then decide if I want to burn a disc or load it into my iPod. If so, then I'll listen again as I am doing the transfer. The simple transfer of one lp to disc and then to iPod, including the audition play and labeling, will end up taking me almost two hours. Though the process takes a lot of time, it sure is a lot of fun and therefore time well spent. My goal is to transfer an album each day, though I generally end up completing only about four per week.


Today I'm burning "Don't Look Away Now!", a swinging recording on the Prestige label by jazz great James Moody. Vocalese master Eddie Jefferson sings on one cut too. I'll bet that I haven't listened to this lp in ten or fifteen years. It is excellent and I love it! If not for this transfer endeavor, no telling when I would have heard it again. I'll probably dig it for a third time today on the way to my gig, this time by conveniently popping the newly burned cd into the van cd player.

A Great Trip To Cleveland To Watch Our Bengals Defeat The Browns

Kim Harrod, Robert Howell, Matthew Hall, Zack Howell, Steve Garth and I had a great trip to Cleveland this past weekend. We left early Saturday morning in the Howell suv and headed north for some NFL football and fun.

Our first stop was at a northern Kentucky McDonalds restaurant to stretch and have a breakfast sandwich and coffee. Next on the agenda was a rest area stop in northern Ohio where we broke out my grill and let Chef Steve work his magic.


This Kabob Is Kim's...Stay Away!
My great friend Kim devoured kabobs prepared by Chef Steve Garth (of Giuseppe's fame). Matthew laughed at the large amount of barbeque sauce left on Kim's face caused by his aggressive eating style. He ate much like a protective dog unwilling to share a bone. Though Kim's eating style is relentless, I would have to give The Zackster the award for most food consumed. That guy can really put it away! He is an eating machine.

Upon arrival in Cleveland, we checked in to the Crowne Plaza Hotel. It was a good choice, as it was conveniently located within walking distance of Cleveland Browns Stadium, The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, Lake Erie, and several nice sports bars and restaurants.


The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Was Cool
We enjoyed a couple of hours in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. I checked out a couple of Selmer Mark VI saxophones and a Hammond B-3 organ that were on display. There is a lot of stuff at the H.O.F. and I'll probably go back again sometime to examine everything more thoroughly.

On Saturday night we walked downtown to find a restaurant. I enjoyed stopping in at The House of Blues for a few minutes, but we decided to have fish and chips at Flannery's. The food was just average, but the atmosphere was excellent. Several college football games were winding down and we were able to check them out on the televisions in the restaurant. We returned to the hotel in time to watch the Tennessee-Auburn and Miami-Oklahoma games on tv.


I Paid Cash For This Muffin
On Sunday morning we hit a fantastic breakfast buffet at the Hyatt Regency. Afterwards, Steve, Matt, Kim, and I each grabbed an apple and muffin to take with us while standing outside the restaurant at the buffet table waiting for the rest of our group. An employee saw us taking the food and quickly came over to us and disgustingly proclaimed, "This food is not free, you have to pay for it!" He scolded us pretty good. As Steve was letting him know that we had just spent about $150 at the restaurant for the breakfast, I went back to the buffet table and grabbed another apple or two.


It Was Tough To Get Steve To Leave The Tailgating Lot
One of the most fun things to do on our away game trips is to visit the opposing team's tailgating lot. We get called a lot of names, but we can handle it. The Browns fans were a little more subdued than usual this year, as their team had an 0-3 record going into the game.


Blues Traveler John Popper Performed The National Anthem
It was a treat hearing John Popper, vocalist and harp player for the band "Blues Traveler", perform the National Anthem on harmonica. It was a very bluesy version, to say the least.


A Great View Of The Game From Our Seats
Our seats were practically on the field. We were in the third row right beside the tunnel where the Bengals came out of the locker room. When the action was on our end of the field, we could hear the popping of the pads and see the expressions on players' faces.

The Bengals pulled out a thrilling 23-20 win in overtime. The trip couldn't have been any better. Click here to view a photo slideshow of our fun trip.

Fun Times In Maysville At The 2009 Rosemary Clooney Festival With Smokey Robinson

With Motown Legend Smokey Robinson
I had a wonderful time at my gig Saturday night in Maysville. The 2009 Rosemary Clooney Festival was a great success. King of Motown Smokey Robinson performed some of his biggest hits before the show was halted due to rain. He sang "Going To A Go-Go", "Ooh Baby, Baby", "My Girl", "I Second That Emotion", "Tears Of A Clown" and others to a large and enthusiastic crowd.

Nick and Nina Clooney, Rosemary Clooney's daughter Monsita Botwick, Speaker of the Kentucky House of Representative Greg Stumbo, State Senator Robin Webb, and Kentucky Speedway owner Jerry Carroll were part of the large crowd.

The party continued at Caproni's, where Smokey and many fans gathered for a fantastic time. I enjoyed playing sax for everyone and also had fun performing the dj duties for the event.


Smokey And Two Fans

David Hall Trio Has A Fun Gig At McCready Manor

We had a fun gig this past Sunday afternoon. As he does each year, Dad wowed the crowd at McCready Manor Grandparent's Celebration Day. He always gives it "a little extra" for this gig.

We were joined onstage by saxophonist Zack Howell. Zack and I prepared some special tunes specifically for this occasion. He sounded great, was comfortable on the bandstand, and was enjoyed by an enthusiastic and appreciative audience.


Check out Dad's clinched fist in the above photo. This action shot was taken during the last chorus of "New York, New York" as he prepared to really "take it home" by dropping to one knee for maximum audience response after the line leg kick.



Being the consummate entertainer, Dad likes to roam the crowd and sing songs specially chosen for members of the audience. Here (see the two photos above) he entertained lovely ladies by singing "When You're Smiling".


My wonderful wife Sharon and daughter Michelle came to the event and enjoyed seeing my father and participating in the festivities. They enjoyed the animal petting zoo and the antique car rides.


My friend Big Boy, from Frisch's, stopped by and brought plenty of pie. Son Matt, who was my official roadie for the gig, secured a Big Boy bank, and has requested that I fill it up for him. We are still in negotiations over the appropriate wage earned for his roadie efforts.


We enjoyed performing at McCready Manor and look forward to the next time we play for these fine folks. I plan to have some 8x10 glossies of Dad available for purchase by his many fans. I'm sure we could rake in the big bucks, as he is a hot ticket. I overheard several of the ladies using descriptive terms such as "dreamboat" and "doll baby" when referring to him. I am currently in serious negotiations with Dad over how the money from the sale of the photos will be distributed. He prefers a percentage of the sales, but I am urging him to accept a one time lump sum. More on this later...

Caproni's Restaurant Voted Best Romantic Restaurant

The results are in and Caproni's Restaurant & Bar was voted the "Best Romantic Restaurant" by the readers of The Ledger Independent in the 2009 Best Of The Best Readers Choice poll. I am proud of the award and always enjoy playing music at this fine establishment. The food, service, and atmosphere at Caproni's are fantastic.

Men of Note Are Bowing Out

A nice article in the Lexington Herald-Leader: Men of Note are bowing out

I'll always remember the fun times I had playing with The Men of Note. My first gig with them was in 1976. Phil Collier was the lead alto sax player and we were both members of the University of Kentucky Jazz Ensemble. He recommended me to the band to play the 2nd tenor sax book. I enjoyed many gigs with them over the years. I remember that first gig in Frankfort like it was yesterday. That gig payed $30.

Football Season Is Here

Anticipation of another season of football enjoyment is exciting. Matthew is playing for the B. Michael Caudill Middle School Spartans. They played the new school's first annual Red/White game this past Sunday. Grandpa Hall & Grandma Kay, Papaw & Mamaw Lucas, Sharon, Michelle & I, and many proud parents and friends of the players were in attendance.


Matthew (#4) played quarterback on offense and linebacker on defense for the red team. They won the game in convincing fashion. Click here to see a slideshow of football photos. Luckily, there were no serious injuries during the game.

Playing Music In The Arlington Country Club Dining Room

I enjoyed playing this past Tuesday evening in the main dining room at Richmond's Arlington Country Club. This was the first in a series of August gigs there for me.


The facility is gorgeous and Arlington is known for the excellent food they serve. The pasta dish I had after the gig was very tasty. I am hoping for continued good crowds for these Tuesday night dinner gigs, as I had a lot of fun playing and would like for my engagement at Arlington to be extended.

My Bengal Buggy Is A Casualty Of The Cash For Clunkers Program

I loved my 95 Chevy Astro Van, aka The Bengal Buggy. I drove her 278,441 miles. She was always there for me.

The air conditioner wasn't working.

She took my family and friends to many Cincinnati Bengals games, even some road games. Her interior was decorated with "everything Bengals".

The cd changer wasn't working.

She took us on vacations, to all kinds of sporting events, concerts, shopping, numerous music gigs, and many other places. She pulled our bass boat to many lakes and creeks. Her sound system entertained us with the best jazz in the world. I had her outfitted with a cool Kenwood ham radio.

The power windows weren't working.

Her engine was still strong. I know she would have run for another 100,000 miles.


The brakes needed to be replaced.

The Cash For Clunkers Program was too tempting. A brand new car for less than $10,000...I just couldn't pass it up. Though I loved The Bengal Buggy, I sold her out by accepting the $4500 offered by the government program. Even after all she had done for my family and me over the past 14 years, I allowed them to take her to be destroyed. I am now in a grieving state of mind.

The battery needed to be replaced.

Oh well, we do have a new car. It gets 32 mpg. It will never be The Bengal Buggy, just a Nissan Versa, but it should get my oldest daughter through college and law school and still have plenty of miles left to drive by the time I get it back.

I have assigned our 1987 Chevy Nova (37 mpg) the duties formerly handled by The Bengal Buggy, though the Nova will never be referred to as "The Bengal Buggy". I have some Bengals interior decorating to do. Perhaps that will take my mind off of The Bengal Buggy's upcoming appointment at Baker Iron & Metal.

Patio Fun August 2009 At Franky & Annette's At The Signature Club Of Lansdowne

I found this advertisement on the internet today. I'm certainly looking forward to "patio fun" and hope there will be good crowds on these Sunday evenings at Franky & Annette's at The Signature Club of Lansdowne.

Jazz Presentation At Clark County Public Library

A couple weeks ago I had a great time at the Clark County Public Library playing and sharing musical experiences with old and new friends. I enjoyed seeing John Maruskin, Jeff Sames, Michelle Sames, Kyle Fugate, and others.



John, my college "Creative Writing" teacher, invited me to present a program of music and stories. He emailed the day of the performance to check on any last minute items that I might need. With tongue firmly in cheek, I replied to him, writing that when I perform, it is necessary that the employer provide me with a deli tray, M & M's (no red ones), Snapple Diet Peach Tea, and a Balinese massage. Below is a photo of what John had waiting for me at the gig.

Meeting Twilight's Michael Welch At The Signature Club

I had a fun gig tonight at Franky & Annette's in Lexington's famous Signature Club. We had a good and enthusiastic crowd. Later in the evening the cast of the upcoming movie "Unrequited" came to the club.


Michael Welch & Me
It was a pleasure meeting "Twilight" star Michael Welch, who is a leading actor in the new movie "Unrequited". Everyone enjoyed Franky & Annette's great food and I had a lot of fun playing music for the event.

Smokey Robinson Set To Play 2009 Rosemary Clooney Festival In Maysville, KY

I always look forward to playing in Maysville on Rosemary Clooney Festival weekend. Past festival concerts have featured Michael Bolton, The Pointer Sisters, Neil Sedaka, Roberto Flack, and others. This year will be extra special, as the legendary Smokey Robinson will be the featured performer. Some of the hits he has been a part of are Bad Girl (1959), Way Over There (1960), Who's Loving You (1960), You've Really Got a Hold on Me (1962), What's So Good About Goodbye (1962), I'll Try Something New (1962), Mickey's Monkey (1963), I Gotta Dance to Keep From Crying (1963) I Like It Like That (1964), Ooo Baby Baby (1965), The Tracks of My Tears (1965), Going to a Go-Go (1965), My Girl Has Gone (1965), (Come Round Here) I'm The One You Need (1966), More Love (1967), Just A Mirage (1967), I Second That Emotion (1967), Special Occasion (1968), If You Can Want (1968}, Baby, Baby Don't Cry (1969), The Tears of a Clown (1970), I Don't Blame You At All (1971).

It will be fun to meet him and to enjoy what promises be a great concert. The concert will be Saturday evening, September 26, 2009, in downtown Maysville. Click here for ticket information.

Saxmandavid Twitter Posts

I am giving this Twitter thing a try. I will post some one or two sentence entries at various times each day. I have included a feed of those entries in this blog. These entries are shown in the right hand column of this blog, beneath "My Music", for friends who would like to see the posts, but don't particularily want to join Twitter at this time.

A Different Fourth Of July In Downtown Lexington

In a way it's kind of sad. This year there will not be music in downtown Lexington performed on the street corners by members of the American Federation of Musicians. I have played in various musical groups in downtown Lexington on every Independence Day since I became a professional musician in the early 70's. Dad has played the downtown festivities for about fifty consecutive years. This year the musicians have been told by the city that there is not enough funding available to pay the union musicians.


I remember some years having to carry multiple instruments for a variety of gigs. Several times I would have to carry a baritone sax, tenor sax, alto sax, and clarinet. Sometimes it would be raining and sometimes the temperature would reach 95 or 100 degrees. It was hard work carrying those horns all over town. I worked gigs with Ed Minor's Big Band, Men of Note, Swingmasters, Polytones, David & Dad Duo, Courtney Bonner Big Band, Lexington German Band, Jazz Arts Foundation Band, and various others.


The Men of Note, Downtown Lexington Independence Day, Circa 1990
The pay for these gigs is very low, in fact, they only pay the minimum union scale. I would think to myself each year that it was not worth playing the jobs due to the low pay, tough parking, the lugging of the horns, and the uncomfortable weather. Each Independence Day I would vow not to work the gigs the following year. Of course I always ended up playing them, as I didn't want to break tradition.

Instead of working these gigs today, I am sitting here in front of my computer on 7/4 at 9:00am writing this blog entry. Man, I should be playing at the bus depot right now with the Lexington German Band. When that is over, I'm supposed to be playing with the Lexington Concert Band. After that comes the parade and playing on the float, and then the big band & jazz gigs begin. Now that they are gone I'm thinking that it really wasn't that bad lugging all those horns in the heat of the day all over downtown Lexington. I wish I was there today vowing to never play the gigs again.

Clark County Public Library Gig Set For 7/6/09

I'm looking forward to playing sax and clarinet at the Clark County Public Library in Winchester, Kentucky, on Monday, July 6, 2009. They have asked that I play some tunes and share several stories of experiences encountered while working as a professional musician.


I'm not sure yet of the tunes or the stories I will choose to include in my presentation. Since the event will be held in a library, I'll certainly play very softly and keep my voice to a whisper. I can still remember hearing Mrs. Smart's "Shhhhhhhhhhh's" in the Woodford County High School Library.

Video Of Dining Experience At Caproni's Restaurant

The food, the river, the music, the train, the service...all of these are reasons why Caproni's Restaurant is a Kentucky favorite. During my first music set last night, I used my iPhone to make a short video when the first train went by. Click here to view the video.

It was great seeing so many friends later in the evening at the restaurant. I look forward to every gig at Caproni's.

Fun Gig At Caproni's Restaurant

I'm having a good time at my gig tonight. Patrons are enjoying dinner
and my music. As a bonus, two trains have passed by already. I took this photo on my new iPhone and am mobile uploading this blog entry while on my break. Technology...wow!

Colonel's Choice Concert In The Park

Michelle was playing softball tonight at Irvine McDowell Park. From my seat at the ball field, I heard the sweet sound of Dad's trombone. Though I couldn't see the band and didn't know he was gigging tonight, I knew immediately that it was Dad playing. I walked up the hill to check out the band and saw that it was Colonel's Choice. Dad blew trombone, David "Hot Lips" Hummel was on trumpet, Big Bill McGinnis played clarinet and sax, Mean Gene Witt handled keys, Bob Hackett was on bass, and Rockin' Ron Salmon laid down the beat on drums.

I had my new iPhone with me and decided to try out the video recorder that is included on the phone. I uploaded the two videos from the park and they were on You Tube by the time I arrived home. How neat is that?

Here are the links to view:

Video #1 - Dixieland

Video #2 - Tuxedo Junction

I made it back to the game in the second inning and enjoyed watching Michelle play. Her team faced one of the best pitchers in the league tonight. Michelle did a great job hitting each time she came to the plate.

Remembering Mike Pugh

My friend Mike Pugh passed away last week at age 56. I'll miss him greatly.

I first met Mike on a gig years ago with The Sensations. He subbed for our regular keyboard player and instantly became one of my favorite people. He was a fine musician, businessman, and a very funny and clever individual.

On that first night we met, he told me about his passion for amateur radio (KA4MKG). The energy and excitement in his voice when telling me stories about the fun he experienced with amateur radio peaked my interest in the subject. I called him a few days later to find out how I could become a ham. He supplied me with support and the information needed to study and pass the Federal Communications Commission exam for amateur radio licensing.

I took my exam about a month later in Northern Kentucky. It was graded immediately afterwards. I remember the thrill I experienced when learning that I had successfully passed the test. The first person I called with the good news was Mike. He congratulated me and offered to drive to R & L Electronics in Hamilton, Ohio, that weekend to help me pick out a radio.


Mike and I also played music together as a duo or in a trio setting. Though we did not play together as much as we would have liked (for years he played every weekend as part of the Kentucky Jamboree and I played my solo restaurant gigs), we surely enjoyed the times we were able to play together. One of the fun gigs we played was the annual Kentucky Derby breakfast at Shirley Cunningham's home in Georgetown, KY. Vocalist Kyle Fugate joined us that day to perform for a large crowd. Mike had heard Kyle sing at the Kentucky Jamboree during an open microphone night, liked her voice, and asked her to join us for the Derby gig. Former UK Coach Tubby Smith was in attendance and told us how much he enjoyed the music. I know that Mike appreciated the compliment as much as Kyle and I did.


One of the things Mike liked best was getting friends together. Many weekday mornings he would talk about lunch plans in his ham radio transmissions. There were times when five or ten hams would hear the conversation and show up at the restaurant mentioned. Though I wasn't able to join the lunch group as much as I would have liked, it sure was fun when I did. Mike had a great sense of humor, and decided to help form a club made up of the folks meeting for lunch. He named the club "Fayette Amateur Radio Transmitting Society", also known as "FARTS".

I joined with several of Mike's musician friends tonight and played at the memorial service. It was a beautiful service that allowed everyone to remember the exceptional life of Mike. People shared humorous and engaging stories about their experiences with him.

I'll miss talking with Mike on the radio. I'll miss playing music with him. I'll miss seeing him at lunch meetings. Mike was a great person and everyone who knew him was touched by his kindness and friendship. He is survived by his wonderful wife Jeanie (KB8QLC).

Fun At Franky & Annette's Resort Style Restaurant

The rain held off long enough so that everyone had a nice time at Franky & Annette's at The Lansdowne Club last night. It was fun playing for the nice crowd as they enjoyed dinner on the patio. Read more about the menu in Business Lexington.

I played a variety of music, including songs made popular by Stevie Wonder, Duke Ellington, Diana Krall, Patsy Cline, Chicago, Tony Bennett, Jimmy Buffett, and Spyro Gyra. The relaxed patio atmosphere also provides me an ideal opportunity for to play some music with beach and island flavor. I played some tunes on my EWI using sounds of the marimba and steel pan drums.

Upcoming Gigs At Franky & Annette's At The Signature Club Of Lansdowne

I'll be working some this summer, starting tonight, on the patio at Franky & Annette's at The Signature Club of Lansdowne. Tonight's show starts at 5:30. I am greatly looking forward to these gigs and will write more about them on future blog entries. I look forward to seeing lots of my friends at this beautiful venue. Many consider the patio to be the best in Lexington.

Playing For Cordia Jones' 100th Birthday

Dad & I played a fun gig yesterday at the beautiful Equestrian Woods Country Club in Nicholasville, Kentucky. The special event was held in celebration of Cordia Jones' 100th birthday. About 150 of her friends and family attended the gathering.


Ms. Jones looked great, told interesting stories, and sang along to much of the music of the afternoon. Dad and I played some good ol' good ones and tried our best to sound like the Guy Lombardo and Lawrence Welk orchestras. Dad sang sweet standards and some fun tunes such as "Ain't She Sweet", "When You're Smiling", and "Five Foot Two". We also played songs made popular by Glenn Miller, Frank Sinatra, Patsy Cline, Patti Page, Andy Williams and Eddie Cantor.


At the conclusion of the festivites, Dad sang a special medley of roaring twenties songs for Ms. Jones. I was impressed that she knew almost all of the lyrics!

A Cool Gig At The Howell Residence

I played a great gig at the Howell residence today. The event was held in celebration of Chris Howell's graduation from Lexington Catholic High School. He will begin his college studies this fall at Wake Forest.


The Howells are fine people and good friends. I look forward each Saturday to working with Zack, Chris' younger brother, at his saxophone lesson. We had a lot of fun today when he played his sax with me at the event. Zack did not appear to be nervous and played like a seasoned pro. I know that his parents Robert and Lisa are proud of him.


One of the highlights of the afternoon was watching Chris & Zack's sister Katie hula hoop to the music. She was fantastic and had a ball.


It was very cool to see Pastor Marty Frazer and his wife Cindy come to the celebration on their Harley Davidson bike. I'm proud to have a pastor who is as genuinely hip as Marty! Like sax great Cannonball Adderley said when describing hipness, "You don't just decide one day that you are going to be hip...it just happens that way." It happens for Marty.

Gigs are always fun, but it is special to play for friends. A good time was had by all and everyone knows that Chris will achieve tremendous success at Wake Forest and beyond.

Playing For The Dedication & Ribbon Cutting Of The Russell County Auditorium & Natatorium Complex

I had a great time playing for the dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony for the Russell County Auditorium and Natatorium Complex this afternoon. It was an honor to be the first musician to perform in the auditorium of this magnificent structure.


Fine acoustics and a truly exceptional house sound system make the auditorium a great venue for live music and theatrical performances. The facility is also ideal for art shows, business meetings, community gatherings, presentations, swim meets, and many other functions.

The people of Russell County should be very proud of this building. I believe that it will be enjoyed by many people and be a true asset to the community for many years to come.

Tower Of Power Rocks Norton Center For The Arts

Tower of Power brought their Oakland brand of soul to Danville last night and performed for an enthusiastic crowd at Centre College's Norton Center For The Arts. Friends in attendance included Kim & Jennifer Harrod, Miles Osland, Lisa Osland, Jerry & Angela Martin, Vince DiMartino, Bridge Bickel, Mr. & Mrs. David Cox, Kevin Dennison, Stevie DiMartino, Wayne & Shirley Miller, Robbie Wood, Robbie & Marti Reid, Frank & Lori Spragens, Carl Collins, Dr. & Mrs. Cody Birdwell, Keith & Arlene Rector, Hunt Butler, Robert Griffin, Bob Bryant, Jill Coffman, Robert Moser, Ben Lacy, Clyde & Patty Gilpin, David & Teresa Tope, Roddy "Paradiddle" Tate, Mr. & Mrs. Tom Binford, Rick Cook, Tom Senff, and many, many more. Everyone was excited about hearing some serious horn-driven East Bay soul.


Though I was spoiled several weeks ago hearing TOP in the accoustically impressive Orleans Showroom in Las Vegas, Norton Center's Newlin Hall was pretty decent. Of course the band was outstanding and burned all night, though I would have liked for the sound technician to have brought Iron Mike Bogart's lead trumpet level up somewhat. Other than that, the mix was pretty good. As long as I am able to hear saxman Tom Politzer's blazing altissimo register tenor solos and Doc Kupka's fat and funky baritone sax licks, I'm good to go. Soulful vocalist Larry Braggs was fighting a hoarse throat, but worked around it beautifully and was very impressive nevertheless. After the show, he told me that he had been trying to get over the problem for the past several days. He was looking forward to being off next week to fully recuperate before the tour continues in Japan. Emilio Castillo sang lead on "You Got To Funkifize, "Diggin' On James Brown", and "It's Not The Crime", which gave Larry a chance to rest his voice a little. "You're Still A Young Man" was the last song of the night and Larry brought everyone to their feet as he displayed his incredible chops on the vamp at the end of the song.

I had fun talking with all the guys after the concert. Great barbecue was catered in and everyone enjoyed it. I brought with me several nice photos of the band that my friend RC Smith and I had taken in Las Vegas a few weeks ago. The bandmembers each signed the photos as we tried to keep the barbeque sauce off of the 8x10's as best we could. They all commented on how much they liked them. RC is a fine photographer and had taken some truly outstanding shots. In fact, Larry Braggs, Tom Politzer, and trumpeter Adolfo Acosta liked them enough that they asked me to mail them each a copy.



Tom is a very aggressive and funky player. He sounds better every time I hear him. I met Tom several years ago at a TOP concert in Louisville and enjoy "talking saxophone" with him every chance I get. Last night he was telling me how much he loves his Yamaha tenor setup playing in this band. As well as being a phenomenal player, he is a really cool guy.


Having heard them four times over the past month, I guess I have satisfied my immediate craving for live TOP, though the need never goes away for long periods of time. I'm sure I'll be on the TOP website in a week or so checking their updated tour schedule and trying to plan my next soul vaccination.

Fun Times With "The Sensations"

I always enjoy playing in the Lexington showband "The Sensations". Due to my full solo gig schedule, I am not able to play much with them anymore. I'm reminded of the fun I've had playing with the band when watching this promo video or viewing this photo slideshow. The band works lots of nice events and always brings energy to the party.