More Free Music..Well Almost...

In Brooklyn, at Prospect Park, they have a concert series called Celebrate Brooklyn which has been around for years. It is free, but they suggest you give at least $3...more if you want..at the gate to keep it great as they say. Still dirt cheap, and they have all kinds of events. This past Friday, they had 2 piano trios, Jason Moran's Bamdwagon and The Bad Plus. It was a battle of the bands, so we all thought one would play, then the other etc. They played simultaneously and it was fantastic. The headliner was The Roy Hargrove Quintet. He was most excellent. Those guys were just phenominal musicians.
Next show I go to this Wednesday, won't be so cheap, but it should be fantastic.
Stay tuned.....

Free Music

Man I haven't kept up with this here blog, but here is something of interest. New York has a free music festival in the summer called River To River, where they have venues in lower Manhattan that have free music. Tonight was one of them. It was in the World Financial Center Atrium and it was a tribute to the old great club in Greenwich Village, The Bottom Line, which closed in 2004. The songs were all about New York, and some impressive people were there. Marshall Crenshaw, Loudon Wainright IIIm Rosanne Cash, Dar Williams, Willie Nile among others. It was great..and it was FREE!!!!

Good Tuneage

As I wrote yesterday, I went to see John Mayall at B.B. Kings Blues Club in New York.
For a 77 year old man, he still can rock it out. Just a phenominal show.

An Icon

Just about to head out B.B. Kings Club in NYC to see John Mayall. He is 80 and still going strong. Should be excellent!

Playin With The Band

I know it's been a while since I posted anything here, but this is a good thing to mention. As a musician, I play with my friends on Friday's, but we really don't play live since we have no bass player for the last 2 years...he was tossed for being an asshole...although I get to sit in with a friends band in Port Washington as I have mentioned at times here. There was a belly dancing show with Beatle music put on by a friend of the drummers wife who also puts on belly dancing shows. We were to be the live entertainment before the show and at intermission. And it was great. We got paid more than we were supposed to since the place was packed, the restaurant fed us afterwards, and for the rest of the afternoon, we had to watch scantilly clad women dance around to Beatle tunes. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.
Here are the tunes:

Things We Said Today
You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away
I Need You
Don’t Let Me Down
I’ll Cry Instead
You Can’t Do That
One After 909
Can’t Buy Me Love

Besame Mucho
Rocky Racoon
Don’t Bother Me
A Day In The Life
Yer Blues
I Want To Tell You
And Your Bird Can Sing
All Together Now

My how time flies...

Well now. It has been 40 years to the day, that I attended my very first Grateful Dead concert at the Fillmore East in 1971. Since I already wrote about this momentous occasion on the 39th anniversary....why I didn't wait till now is anyone's guess...you can read about it in my blog entry for 4-29-10. Still hard to believe all those years passed, but a good memory to be sure.

Music for a change

I have used the subject matter more than a few times, but what the heck. Last night I saw Acoustic Hot Tuna in this small venue in the Chelsea section of Manhattan, called The Hiro Ballroom. If it had 200 people, it was a lot. Real nice place and the acoustics were excellent. I never get tired of seeing these guys acoustic or electric. Just phenominal. Below is the setlist for those who may want to see.

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2011-04-23
Hiro Ballroom, New York, NY

What Are They Doing In Heaven Today?
Mama Let Me Lay It On You
Second Chances
I See The Light
Hesitation Blues
Death Don’t Have No Mercy
Barbecue King
I Know You Rider
Things That Might Have Been
99 Year Blues
Come Back Baby
That'll Never Happen No More
Been So Long
Candy Man
Freight Train tease
How Long Blues
Keep On Truckin'
Uncle Sam Blues
I Am The Light Of This World
Nine Pound Hammer


Encore:
Embryonic Journey



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Lineup:
Jorma Kaukonen - guitar, vox
Jack Casady - bass