I have added a Facebook site for David Hall Musical Services. I will use this vechicle to post upcoming gigs and interesting music information that I run across.

My Old Reel-To-Reel Tapes

In the late 70's and early 80's, I recorded a lot of live music.  I dug out a tape this morning of Vince DiMartino and friends playing at Patchen Village on 9/20/80.

Vince, Dave Anderson, Chuck Adair, Larry Harris, Stewart Miller, and Bob Rummage sound great on this recording.  I can't believe that this tape is 31 years old.  It seems like only yesterday when Kim Harrod and I attended this concert.

Saxman David Hall To Play At Laurel County Public Library

I look forward each Christmas season to playing at the Laurel County Public Library. My performance will include some holiday, jazz, and pop tunes. It is a wonderful facility and is always well attended by lots of great folks. Lee and Jean Askew come out every year to this event. I look forward to seeing them again.

Wedding Reception Gig At Dale Hollow Lake State Park

Last night I played a wedding reception gig at Dale Hollow Lake State Park. Matthew came with me and helped with moving the musical equipment.

After he set everything up, we had about an hour of free time until the gig was to start. Because he had his newly issued driver's permit, we decided that it was time for his first driving lesson. As his instructor, we focused on the use of the brake pedal. I explained that the pressure needed to apply on the brake pedal is directly correlated to the volume of my voice when shouting "BRAKE NOW!!!"

Who Dey! Bengals Win Again!

Kim Harrod and I had a blast today at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals Beat the Colts to improve their record to 4-2.

Matthew Assumes Roadie Duties

Son Matthew is doing a nice job carrying out roadie duties. Tonight I played a wedding reception at The Limestone Center in Maysville. He met Democratic Secretary of State candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes at the event.

On the way home, we made a stop in Nicholas County at Ladobee's Steak House. Matthew enjoyed it and suggested that we do this again.

Bass Solo Talk

Playing The Steel Pan Drum - Tropical Sounds In Kentucky

Years ago I heard a steel pan band while vacationing with my parents, brother and sister in Myrtle Beach. I was just a kid and loved the sound from the first time I heard it. As I walked along the beach, I could hear the hypnotic sounds of calypso and reggae being played. I followed the sound to a nearby hotel where a steel band was playing poolside. I listened until they had finished playing that day and later came back every afternoon that week to hear more.

Recently the steel pan drum topic came up when I was talking to Jeff Bayerle, the assistant band director at Henry Clay High School. He told me that the school owned some quality pan drums and that he knew where to buy the good ones. I then talked with several percussionist friends of mine (David, Bryan, Teresa, and Andrew) and they all recommended the same instrument and dealer. Panyard, a company out of Akron, Ohio, imports the instruments from Trinidad, where master pan makers build the instruments to Panyard specifications. When finished, they are shipped to the Ohio factory for tuning and tweaking of the instrument. I ordered a pan made from a 55 gallon drum about a month ago and was excited to receive it this past Monday.

I took a week of vacation from Hurst Music so that I could get a good start on learning to play the instrument. I practiced along with background tracks all day long on Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday I played until I had to leave for my night gig at Giuseppe's. By Thursday I was getting around suffiently on the instrument and had put together a twenty minute playlist.


A Trial Run Gig In The Howell's Backyard
As a trial run for a gig, I took the instrument to the a neighbor's house and played in their backyard by the pool. Though I did okay, I was not confident enough to bring the instrument to my Thursday night gig at Giuseppe's. After the Thursday night gig, I practiced all night long and throughout the day Friday. On Friday night, I brought the instrument with me to Giuseppe's and played a couple of tunes each set. I had fun playing and the audience liked it. I practiced again on Saturday and took the drum with me to my gig at Caproni's Restaurant that evening. Again, it went over well.


Playing At Giuseppe's
As time goes by I will get better and more fluent in my playing. I look forward to the time when I can relax and play the tunes easily using muscle memory instead of having to think about everything and working so hard the way I currently do. I want to be able to make it look easy. I have some nice tropical shirts and a cool Panama Jack straw hat. I'll be ready when that time comes.

Playing The Opening Of The New UK Medical Center Pavilion

Sandra Chambers and I played for the opening and dedication of the new University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center Pavilion building yesterday. We played in the beautiful 305 seat auditorium of the magificent structure.

Celebrating Melody's UK Graduation

Twenty seven members of our family met at Sal's in Lexington to celebrate Melody's outstanding college performance and graduation. Everyone had a great time.



Joanna & Rachel



Joe & Keith



Mary Lou, Mom & Dad



I picked up the tab

Tower Of Power's 40th Anniversary DVD

TOP Live @ The Fillmore "I Got To Groove" from Tower of Power on Vimeo.

Tower of Power's 40th anniversary cd and dvd is coming soon. Here's a taste. I can't wait!

My Conversation With Jazz Vocalist Gail Wynters

With Gail Wynters
I was playing a gig at Giuseppe's Ristorante Italiano last night and noticed a blonde lady sitting at the bar, having coffee, and listening to me play. It was hard to see in the dimly lit room. She looked a lot like the fine jazz singer Gail Wynters, but I couldn't tell for sure. Fifteen or twenty years ago Ms. Wynters sat in with me on a gig, but we haven't played together since.

Because I wasn't positive that it was Ms. Wynters, I took a break and, through my sound system, played a Gail Wynters recording from my iPod and watched her closely to see her expression. I chose to play her version of "How Deep Is The Ocean", a cut from her "Boogie To Heaven" cd. I started the track, and within four beats, she lit up with a big smile, laughed, and said "I can't believe you are playing that! That's Dr. John playing the piano intro." It WAS Ms. Wynters!

We then had a wonderful conversation about music, musical venues, and musicians. She described some of her recording projects and talked a little about the time she spent singing in New York. Before I began my next set, she gave me a copy of her latest cd, one that has yet to be released. It is a fine recording featuring her, the fantastic pianist Roger Kellaway, and the great bassist Jay Leonhart. I sure enjoyed our conversation, the cd, and am hoping that we perform together onstage sometime soon. What a treat for me! She is great.

The Airmen Of Note "Cool Yule" CD

One of the great benefits available to those who teach music is the opportunity to receive great, free recordings from the service bands. They offer these cds as educational and recruiting material. Last month I received The United States Air Force Airmen of Note's "Cool Yule" cd. It is absolutely fantastic.

The musical arrangements played on the cd are witty, fun, and swinging! The album opens with "Jing, Jing, Jing", a combination of Benny Goodman's "Sing, Sing, Sing" and the traditional "Jingle Bells". Also included is "Santanooga Choo Choo" (Chatanoogo Choo Choo/Santa Claus Is Coming To Town), "Faithful In Paris" (April In Paris/O Come All Ye Faithful), and many more. My favorite is their version of "Up On The Housetop". It is done with Stan Kenton's "Peanut Vendor" in mind.

I have played this cd for my students, for friends at my gigs at Giuseppe's Ristorante Italiano and Caproni's Restaurant, and for the school band directors I visit each week. Everyone loves it.

Fun At The Kentucky Funeral Directors Convention

Trombonist Carroll Hall

Dad and I played four gigs at the Kentucky Funeral Directors Association annual convention this week. We always enjoy the great folks at the convention. It was nice hearing friend David Haldeman's trombone when he sit in on a few tunes. I particularily enjoyed hearing Dad and David trading fours on a blues shuffle we played.

Meeting A Future Musician

Last night at my gig I met a nice young man who aspires to be a musician. He stood next to me and listened for over an hour. I asked him if he wanted to become a sax player and he answered "No, I'm going to play guitar".

Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band Was Burning At Cincy's Princeton High School

The tightest and most powerful big band performing today has to be Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band. My pals Wayne Miller and Kim Harrod joined me for a road trip yesterday to Princeton High School in Cincinnati to hear the incredible band. It was nice seeing that friends Miles Osland, Rich Byrd, and Gregory Wing had also made the journey up I-75 to witness and enjoy the event.


Phat Band Sound Check
Arriving early, we made our way down the long hallway to the back of the stage hoping to meet some of the musicians before the show. We found the band onstage executing a sound check and having a short rehearsal. The three of us had fun looking on.


With Gordon Goodwin
It was cool meeting Gordon Goodwin. I told him that I have been enjoying following him and the band on Twitter and on the web. He has a great talent for marketing the band and is a phenomenal composer, arranger, and player. During the concert he primarily played piano, but he did blow a great solo on tenor sax as well.

The band played some of my favorite Big Phat Band charts including "Hit The Ground Running", "Watermelon Man", "That's How We Roll", "Backrow Politics", "The Jazz Police", and a great arrangement of Gershwin's "Rhapsody In Blue". They also played "Race To The Bridge", a chart that will be included on their upcoming album. Fine jazz solos were heard from Francisco Torres, Wayne Bergeron, Bob Summers, Brian Scanlon, Jay Mason, and many others. Drummer Bernie Dresel and bassist Rick Shaw cooked all night long. I particularily enjoyed a tune that featured the wonderful trombone section of John Allred, Charlie Morrilas, Francisco Torres, and Craig Ware.


Eric Marienthal Was Smokin' On His Alto Sax
Lead alto saxman Eric Marienthal, whose new cd "Just Around The Corner" made it to #1 on the R & R Smooth Jazz Charts, played several fiery solos during the concert. I enjoyed his feature on "Play That Funky Music". What a hot player he is!


With Trumpet Ace Wayne Bergeron
The only thing that could have been better is the pa system. The main house speakers clipped and crackled throughout the evening during many of the solos. The eq setting on the primary solo microphone in front of the bandstand needed serious adjustment. I was sitting in the front row, so it didn't bother me too much, as I could hear the natural sound of the instruments on most of the solos.

On the way home, Kim, Wayne, and I stopped at Shakey's Pub & Grub for some of their award winning fish. We talked about the concert. Wayne was impressed with the tightness of the ensemble. Kim liked the players' mastery of their instruments. We all liked the power, technique, great charts, high energy, and exciting solos the unit offered up. This is a big band on steroids! It's Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band.

Celebrating Our 25th Year Wedding Anniversary In Gatlinburg

January 19th marked our 25th year wedding anniversary. We decided to go to Gatlinburg for a few days during the kids' spring break in April. We dropped them off the other day at the farm to stay with Papaw & Mamaw Lucas and headed to the Smoky Mountains.


We stayed at Shakey Puddin', a cabin in the mountains between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. The Puddin' was well equipped with a game room featuring a pool table and Ms. Pacman. The cabin also offered a hot tub, jacuzzi, a nice deck, direct tv, and lots more. Sharon liked everything about the cabin, except for the name.


We ate at several fine restaurants. I think my favorite dinner was at Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. Louisiana cajun shrimp and rice...mmm, mmm, mighty nice. Sharon's favorite was a fantastic steak at Bear Creek Grill. We also liked the apple fritters at The Apple Barn in Pigeon Forge.


Hot Sauce Heaven At Pepper Palace
We visited some of the downtown stores. Sharon spent lots of time looking at the stupid stuff. I, on the other hand, spend quality shopping time in The Original Jerky Store and Pepper Palace. The Original Jerky Store offered all kinds of jerky. I found elk, venison, kangaroo, buffalo, alligator, and oh, so much more. Pepper Palace had shelves and shelves of sauces and dips. They also offered chips and taste samples of many flavors. I think I was in there over an hour.


The Original Jerky Store Offered So Much From Which To Choose
The entire getaway was fun. It was great that I didn't even have to miss any gigs. I was able to play my Sunday gig at Caproni's Restaurant in Maysville, make the Tennessee trip, and still get back in time for my Wednesday evening gig at Giuseppe's Ristorante Italiano in Lexington. Sharon and I agree that we will do this more often.

Good Time At Bristol

An Intense Barry Warfield

Barry and I had a great time yesterday at Bristol. Lee Greenwood sang "God Bless The USA" before the race and sounded great.

The grandstands hold 160,000 people, but this year the attendance was down. They announced that there were 140,000 people there, but I think that estimate was a tad generous. The Food City 500 races have been sold out for many years, but not for this year's race. Hopefully the economy will pick up soon.

Hearing Toots Thielemans & Kenny Werner Was A Treat

I remember the first time I heard a Toots Thielemans recording. I was visiting my friend Paul Weiler, who had broken his leg and was unable to get around for several months. He had a cassette playing in his boombox beside the bed. As it played, I heard the most unique musical sound I had ever experienced...a harmonica player burning up a bebop tune and playing stuff that Charlie "Bird" Parker might have played on alto sax. The next song on the tape featured the harmonica player playing a bluesy ballad that knocked my socks off. Of course, I was hearing Toots.

Toots and piano virtuoso Kenny Werner played today at the University of Louisville in the Margaret Comstock Concert Hall. It was the finale of the school's "Jazz Week 2010".


Jazz fan friends Zack, Kim, and Wayne made the trip with me. We arrived at the concert hall about an hour prior to the start time of the performance. In the back hall of the building, I saw Toots just outside the green room. He was heading to the stage for a sound check and short rehearsal. At age 87, he walked carefully and held the arm of his assistant as he made his way to the stage. I followed them in and decided to stay awhile, or at least until someone asked me to leave. Kenny was already sitting at the piano and playing a beautiful and lush ballad. Toots joined in playing with the most heartfelt and soulful sound one could imagine, and as the two jazz masters played, I marveled at the communication between the two as they prepared the concert. They were choosing the songs to be played, the keys they were going to play them in, and shaping a rough sketch of the form and interpretation of the tunes they were planning to use. No words were spoken, only eye contact, nodding, chuckling, winking, pointing, and the playing of song introductions, heads, and phrases on their instruments. They have played together many times before, so not a lot of time was needed. I stood about ten feet away from them and watched these masters work until they were satisfied that they were on the same page for the upcoming concert. It was an amazing twenty minutes.

The concert was fabulous and an absolute treat for everyone in the audience. Lexington Herald Leader music critic Walter Tunis was sitting next to me and enjoying the concert as he scribbled in his notebook. Jazz educator Jamey Aebersold was intense as he operated his video camera. U of L saxophone professor Mike Tracy listened carefully to each musical line offered by the musicians. My jazz buddies, all sitting within twenty feet of the duo, were grinning and shaking their heads in amazement.


They played many great tunes, including "Autumn Leaves", "Bluesette", "The Days of Wine and Roses", "The Dolphin", as well as a gorgeous and interesting medley of songs made popular by Frank Sinatra. Throughout the day, it was obvious that the two musicians enjoyed performing together. The standing ovations from the audience, both before and after the performance, made it obvious just how much everyone appreciated this treat.

This Will Be A Great Jazz Weekend At University of Louisville

Houston Person is one of my favorite tenor sax players. It bums me out that I can't make his concert tommorrow due to a scheduling conflict. The good news for me is that I should be able to make the Toots Thielemans concert on Sunday. Toots is an incredible musician and considered by many to be the finest hamonica player in the world.

Going Through Old Home Music Videos

I've been having a ball going through a box full of old home videos. Last night I ran across a video of "The Sensations" playing a gig at Masterson Station Park in 1989. My friend Jill Coffman was sounding great on vocals. The keyboard player in the band is Jeff Kazee, who went on to fame playing on the David Letterman Show as a sub for Paul Shaffer, and touring with Jeff Golub, Bon Jovi, Southside Johnny and many others. It was a good band that also included J.R. Hardin, Robert Moser, David Devore, George "Boogie Man" Burdette, Tim Tyler, and Anthony Key.



I also found a video that my daughter Melody recorded when I was playing a gig for President Bill Clinton. Melody met President Clinton, Governor John Y. Brown, Governor Martha Layne Collins, and many other political figures at the event.

Our ESPN GameDay Experience

Matthew and I had ordered tickets for the ESPN GameDay event at Rupp Arena held this past Saturday. When the tickets arrived, I saw that the seats were way up in the crow's nest, so I wasn't overly excited about going. Matthew, however, thinks Coach Calipari hung the moon and insisted that we attend.

As I drove down East Main Street toward Rupp Arena, Matthew shouted "Dad, Coach Cal is inside Dunkin' Donuts! I see him through the window. There's nobody else in there!" I immediately whipped our '87 Nova into a parking spot and we hurried into the shop. Coach was tweeting and talking on his phone, so we waited until he finished to approach him.


Matthew was thrilled to have his photo taken with Coach Calipari. Coach asked if we needed tickets to Gameday as he pulled some out of his pocket to give us. After letting him know that we already had tickets, I thought of the poor location of our seats and regretted not having taken him up on his offer. I would imagine he has access to some pretty good seats!


In addition to thanking him for the great job he has done coaching the team, I told Coach how much we enjoy watching his television show. We record the show on our dvr and watch it as soon as we arrive home from church each week.


When we made it back to our car, Matthew wished he had asked for an autograph. I gave him our tickets and an ink pen and sent him back to see Coach Calipari. Just as I had figured, Coach generously accomodated, much to Matthew's delight.


Rupp Arena was electric. Though our seats were crummy, the experience was fantastic. The 22,144 fans in attendance stood the entire time. Rece Davis, host of ESPN's College GameDay, said "We've never seen anything like this. This place is so special."


During the broadcast, ESPN reporter Erin Andrews, who has been voted "America's Sexiest Sportscaster" by readers of Playboy magazine, came up to the crow's nest to do an interview. What I had thought were bad seats ended up being the best seats in the house!

UK Wildcats Pregame Party Music By David & Dad Duo

Dad and I had a ball last night playing a pregame party at the Lexington Downtown Hotel & Conference Center. The private party was for members of the Kentucky Funeral Directors Association at their 2010 Mid-Winter Conference.

We played plenty of dixieland, big band, swing, blues, rock & roll, and of course, "On, On, U of K". One of the highlights of the evening was when Dad wowed the crowd with his stunning version of "Chantilly Lace".


At every gig I've played with Dad, he has commented on the food table selections. No matter what is served, he always says "They really don't have much in the way of crackers". Last night, for the first time in 35 years of playing gigs with him, he exclaimed "Nice selection of crackers!"

Super Bowl Fun

Matt and I watched the big game yesterday with Robert and Zack Howell. We had hot wings from Hooters, chips, dip, shrimp, pizza, pop, and more. Matt and Zack wore special helmets allowing for hands-free consumption of mass quantities. In addition to watching the game, we played some competitive ping pong. The boys also went head to head playing "Call of Duty" on the PS3.

We all had a great time. We also had some preliminary discussion regarding next year's Bengals road trip. We are leaning towards Atlanta.

Richmond KY Clarinet & Saxophone Teacher

I enjoy teaching young students to play the clarinet or saxophone. Students and I have lots of fun playing many styles of music together. Scale study, tone and technique development, sight reading, jazz reading, classical solo preparation, and jazz improvisation are offered in the lessons. Areas of focus are influenced by the student's musical interest. It is very rewarding to watch my students as they advance their playing skills and improve their self confidence along the way. I am designing two new websites to advertise my teaching service, http://www.learnsax.net for sax students and http://www.learnclarinet.net for clarinet students. These websites will be enhanced in the future.

Meeting The Great Joe Lovano

It was a treat for me to meet Joe Lovano today. He is one of the giants of the tenor saxophone.

I first heard him when he worked with Woody Herman & The Thundering Herd. I attended a concert they played in UK's Memorial Coliseum in the late '70's and remember how impressive he was then. He is now acknowledged as one of the greatest jazz improvisors in the world.

Mr. Lovano returned to Lexington today and conducted a master class. He shared stories about his life and musical journey and demonstrated his command of the horn. From my front row seat, I used my iPhone to record Mr. Lovano playing Thelonious Monk's "Work". He will be playing tonight at Natasha's and tomorrow at Singletary Center.


I brought my favorite Lovano cd, "I'm All For You", and had him autograph it for me. It was a fun day.

Hanging Out With Nick Clooney, Nina Clooney & The West Union Red Hat Society

I had another great gig last night at Caproni's Restaurant in Maysville, KY. Nick & Nina Clooney and I enjoyed our time spent with members of the West Union Ohio Red Hat Society. Nick, Nina and I are the ones pictured above without hats.

David Hall Musical Services, A Member Of The Berea Chamber Of Commerce

I am pleased to be a member of the Berea Chamber of Commerce. Known as "The Folk Arts and Crafts Capital of Kentucky", Berea is a wonderful and beautiful town.

I look forward to playing more music in this area. Also this year, I hope to enroll additional students from Richmond and Berea for private saxophone and clarinet music lessons.

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.