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 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.

Giuseppe's Risorante Italiano Celebrates 15th Year

Tonight at Giuseppe's was a blast...as usual. We celebrated the restaurant's 15th birthday in grand fashion. Free food and drinks were enjoyed by all the folks that came by to celebrate with us. Many regulars attended the grand soiree.

I have been blessed having the opportunity of playing music and meeting so many wonderful friends at this great restaurant. Here is a slideshow of photos I have taken at Giuseppe's over the years.

A Great Trip To Las Vegas

Sharon and I had a ball on our Vegas vacation. Our Richmond friends Bob and Rachel did too. Visiting the Grand Canyon, Red Rock Canyon, Hoover Dam, and the Las Vegas strip were all fun, but the highlight of the trip for me was attending Tower of Power concerts on three consecutive nights. They were incredible.

I was fortunate to be able to talk with many of the band members including Steve "Funky Doctor" Kupka (bari sax), Emilio Castillo (tenor sax),Francis Rocco Prestia (bass), Roger Smith (keys), Iron Mike Bogart (trumpet), Tom Politzer (tenor sax), Mark Harper (guitar), David Garibaldi (drums) and Larry Braggs (vocals). I also met former Supreme Mary Wilson at one of the concerts. Later, Sharon and I ran into Coach Pat Riley at the airport. He was "smooth with a capital s".

Sharon and I agree that this trip ranks up there as one of our all time favorites. I'm keeping a close eye on Tower of Power's schedule, as we may just have to do something like this again.

Grand Opening Gig For Ricardo's Grill & Pub

I enjoyed playing music at the grand opening of Ricardo's Grill & Pub in Versailles. I saw many old friends at the event and had a great time.

Tower Of Power Tickets Now Available For 4/17/09 Show In Danville

I am pumped up as I have secured tickets for the Tower of Power concert to be held 4/17/09 at Norton Center For The Arts on the campus of Centre College in Danville. This concert has not yet been announced on the Norton Center website and there is no link on that site to purchase tickets. Over the past month, I have been calling the Norton Center ticket office every day or so for ticket availability updates. Yesterday, they agreed to release tickets to me. I was able to pick any seats in the house, except for the first four rows which are reserved for sponsors of the concert. I will be sitting in the center of the fifth row. I have told some of my TOP friends and they, too, have secured prime seats already. The phone number for the ticket office is 859-236-4692.

Jazz Musicians Gerry Niewood & Coleman Mellett Die In Airplane Crash

Gerry Niewood & Me In 2007
I have listened to woodwind ace Gerry Niewood play on Chuck Mangione albums for many years and was thrilled to meet him on a 11/07/07 gig in Lexington. I found him to be a beautiful person and fantastic musician.

I was stunned and extremely saddened to learn that he and guitarist Coleman Mellett lost their lives in the Flight 3407 airplane crash last Thursday. They were on their way to perform a concert with Chuck Mangione.

From The New York Times, 2/15/09, by Nate Schweber, "For Two Jazzmen, Work Meant Life on the Road":

GLEN RIDGE, N.J. — From the day she was born, Elizabeth Niewood kept what she called a “daddy doll,” a cloth figure about 18 inches tall with a shock of ochre yarn for hair and eyes stitched with light blue thread.

The doll was made to look like her father, the saxophonist Gerry Niewood, and was a gift from a family friend intended to comfort Ms. Niewood whenever her father was out of town plying his trade. The doll now has greater poignancy for Ms. Niewood, who is 23: her father was on his way to perform at a concert when he was killed on Thursday night in the crash of Flight 3407 outside Buffalo.

“It was just another outing for dad,” Ms. Niewood said as she cradled the doll and fought back tears during an interview on Saturday on the porch of the beige, three-story home here that her father bought more than 30 years ago.

Mr. Niewood, 64, and Coleman Mellett, 33, were scheduled to perform with the jazz musician Chuck Mangione when their Continental Connection flight from Newark slammed into a house as it approached the Buffalo airport, killing all 49 aboard.

In the world of jazz, the two men were largely successful, able to carve out middle-class existences solely through their music and not needing to rely on day jobs to pay their bills. But their lives as musicians were hardly glamorous; flying in a cramped turboprop plane to play a show in Buffalo in February was not an unfamiliar routine.

Family and friends of both men said they accepted the rigors of life on the road as the sacrifice they had to make in order to create the music they were passionate about.

“Ever since Sept. 11, he said the travel has been harder on him,” said Bob Sneider, a jazz musician and a friend of Mr. Mellett’s who teaches at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y. “But music was his passion, and he loved to go and perform for people.” Mr. Niewood had also toured with Simon and Garfunkel and Liza Minnelli and had appeared on “Saturday Night Live.”

He had known Mr. Mangione since they were grade-school classmates in Rochester, N.Y., said Adam Niewood, Mr. Niewood’s son, who is also a musician even though his father had encouraged him to do something that offered more financial security.

“I marvel at the fact that my dad’s mother hardly went anywhere besides her hometown, and he set foot on almost every continent just by playing saxophone,” Adam Niewood, 31, said.

“He’d say, ‘A lot of people have to save up all year to take one vacation; I go on vacation 10 months out of the year and I don’t have to pay, I get paid.’ ”

Mr. Mellett grew up near Washington and studied music at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh before transferring to William Paterson University in Wayne, N.J., said his friend and former roommate Paul Wells, 35, who is also a jazz musician.

Mr. Mellett was married to Jeanie Bryson, 50, a jazz singer and the daughter of Dizzy Gillespie, with whom he would often perform. They lived in a ranch-style house in East Brunswick, N.J., a lifestyle that Mr. Mellett found ideal, far from the famed jazz clubs of Manhattan. Though he occasionally taught lessons to supplement his income, Mr. Mellett earned a steady salary from being part of Mr. Mangione’s ensemble. At Mr. Niewood’s prompting, Mr. Mellett also worked with the Radio City Music Hall orchestra during the “Christmas Spectacular” show.

“He loved his wife, he loved his home, he loved the town where they lived, and he loved the life they built up,” Mr. Wells said. “We both shared the common goal of being working New York City musicians. As we got older, we found it was more complicated than we thought when we were 20 years old.”

Saxophonist Hank Crawford Passes Away

I always enjoy hearing Hank Crawford play the saxophone. He was a very soulful player and I will miss him. The following was published 2/2/09 in The New York Times and written by Bruce Weber:

Hank Crawford, whose fluidly emotional saxophone solos as a sideman for Ray Charles led to a long career as a leader of jazz and soul bands and a lengthy discography for Atlantic, Kudu and Milestone Records, died Thursday at his home in Memphis. He was 74. The cause was complications of a stroke he had in 2000, his sister Delores said.

Beginning in the early 1960s, when Mr. Crawford was music director for Charles’s big band and also recorded on his own as a bandleader, he was best known as an alto saxophonist who melded a wailing blues style to the melodic and rhythmic exigencies of modern jazz, funk and soul. He proved an especially flexible musician over the decades as styles of popular music swiveled hither and yon.

A sampling of his recorded tracks from the ’60s and ’70s would encompass, say, “The Peeper,” a bluesy swing number reminiscent of the Duke Ellington tunes he first listened to at home as a child; “New York’s One Soulful City,” an example of the rhythmically funky if melodically saccharine sounds of some television themes of the ’70s; and “I Hear a Symphony,” a soulful disco cover of the 1965 Supremes hit.

But Mr. Crawford’s distinctively piercing sound remained constant, a forceful and urgent plaintiveness that was rooted in the blues and delivered with a preacher’s fervor. In addition to working with Charles, over the years he was an arranger, co-leader or sideman for blues masters of several different stripes, among them Eric Clapton, Etta James, B. B. King and Jimmy McGriff.

“He has a rich, throbbing tone and a way of phrasing like a blues singer,” Jon Pareles wrote in The New York Times in 1986. “Mr. Crawford’s solos are artfully shaped, but they convey a naked emotionality.”

Bennie Ross Crawford Jr. was born in Memphis on Dec. 21, 1934, into a large family and “a jazz and gospel household,” as Delores Crawford described it in a phone interview Monday. A pianist who played in church, he attended Manassas High School, an incubator of musical talent with alumni including Jimmie Lunceford and Isaac Hayes. Among Mr. Crawford’s own schoolmates were the future jazz notables George Coleman, Harold Mabern and Charles Lloyd.

Mr. Crawford’s father was a truck driver who badly wanted to play the saxophone but did not have the chops; still, he contributed to the history of music.

“He was a confused saxophone player,” Ms. Crawford said. “But he brought a saxophone home with him from the Army, and put it in Hank’s hands.”

Mr. Crawford was given his nickname as a teenager by some fellow musicians who thought he sounded like a local saxophonist named Hank. He attended Tennessee State University in Nashville and was just short of a degree when Ray Charles came to town and offered him a gig in his band playing baritone sax.

Mr. Crawford played baritone on several of Charles’s records, including “Ray Charles at Newport” and “What’d I Say.” During his years with Charles, the saxophone section also included David (Fathead) Newman, with whom he later collaborated frequently, and Leroy (Hog) Cooper. Both Mr. Newman and Mr. Cooper also died in January.

Mr. Crawford, whose first marriage ended in divorce, was a widower. In addition to Delores Crawford, he is survived by two brothers, Danny and Ceylon; three sisters, Shirley, Marva and Alma; a son, Michael; a daughter, Sherri; and a granddaughter. All live in Memphis.

Tower Of Power Coming To Danville KY

TOP's website shows a 4/17/09 upcoming show at Centre College in Danville at Norton Center For The Arts. The Norton Center website does not yet have any information yet, so I called the ticket office. They promised to call me as soon as tickets are available.