Almost a whole week and I have not posted and it seems like a month.

   Well, it has not been for a lack of trying that I have been missing either the motivation or the time and opportunity to write some blues or other cathartic news.

   My weeknight travels brought me to Lefty's and Brightwaters Inn again and they were typically good nights of music.

   Lefty's has been getting busy with a funk and soul collaboration of players. Hosting last week was Papa G and Tim Dorsey along with Tommy Pizza. Joining them was a fine harp player, drummer Henning Stumm and also the rest of the men from O'Zone making it a fine mix of jammers. I'm enjoying having that one to bounce in and out of for some close-to-home variety.

   Brightwaters Inn is still bringing a fun mix every week too and a great night of music. There are horns and always good guitars, keys, drums and harps.  I am grateful that the jam nights have become so popular and the players seem to be enjoying it as much as we patrons and fans. In fact the weeknight events (including the line-ups at Mirelle's) have become as good as the weekend nights of music.

   Last night for instance, a holiday weekend Saturday night, I got out about 10 and I felt like I was looking a cheap apartment in Manhattan. I know there were shows earlier in Freeport and Patchogue but for a Saturday night I expected more stuff later on. It ended up being a few stops at some non blues events and then winding up at Brightwaters Inn listening to the splendor of Wally's iPod. The man knows his blues and he has the best iPod in the east and there were some fun people there but it ain't live music.

   Thank God for my friends and for an afternoon party on Labor Day weekend.  Ms. Coolness (Audrey C) had her 3rd annual backyard bash and it was the highlight of my otherwise mundane weekend so far.

   If you would like to host an event I think my tall dark and cool friend has it down to an art. Being a caterer she offered an orgy of food and drink and being a blues fan like myself she had as good a collection of players one can ask for. Josh Allen, Ralph Santiago and Paul on bass were lead men with all kinds of chaps joining in like Jim Kolman, Arty Panico, Papa G, Bruce Dickson, Johnny Anderson, Johnny Cola, Steve Scalfani, Charlie (guitar) and the funky and amazing Chrispy Chicken on sax. Yikes does he make music or whathefu..?! Once again he exuded magical happiness with his chrispy sax. Is there a CD I can get of that guy?

   Another fun aspect of an Audrey C party is the cool people one meets. I always enjoy the company of the friends of music, Elaine, Nancy, Kathy B, Lori, Dawn, etc and I also had the honor of meeting James and Leah of MIEVO (The Fan Network. See the link here.). If you have not checked out the network they created of musicians and artists you MUST. It's amazing! They happened to be really nice folks and I'm pretty sure they have created a monster network Go, see, join, create.

   So the weekend ain't over and I'm going to take one more shot. There are some good events on the calendar so it is up to me to get there. I suggest you do the same.

   Thanks for checking in and go support some live music. Please.

bill

    It was Saturday night. I had been at a daytime party, a good one, and I had time afterwards for a little nap which I needed. My vunderchild was taken care of and I was good to go again around 10:30.

    I have been jonesing for something to touch my soul for a while now. Life has been stressful, money has been a hard story, family issues get even harder.

   The perception from media and conventional chit chat is that everything is always well with people and no one really struggles with anything. Well I do and I like to tear myself away as often as possible and find ways to say "ahhh" and to get back to feeling like I have something in common with people. I get that from music. Artists share that stuff in their music and I am there to hear it. I get the better feeling that I am not alone.

   I had a few local choices. Blue Stone was at Mustang Sally's which is real close and there was a funk group at Da Funky Phish, Nappyhead who has not been around in a long time and I remember them being good.

   So first I caught a set at Mustang Sally's. The place is large and as usual not full...at least for the sporadic music events they have hosted there of late. Blue Stone has some good pieces, a good keyboard player, the guitar had some good moments and the rhythm section was able. It was standard fare though at least for the set of songs I heard. They played a pretty good mix with Steely Dan and some traditional blues tunes but I didn't get the feeling I was looking for. I guess I was more needy than them that night. Other times I can enjoy just a couple of well done tunes.

   I got the call that my buddy was at Da Phish so off I went looking for my fix. Nappyhead was putting on their show. It is a George Clinton type show with a big cast of funk players (the Nappyhead army) and it is a driving beat and multi-voice, gutteral vocal. They wear whimsical and seemingly absurd costumes with big fuzzy hats, paisley robes, boas and even men in diapers but they are props and serve a purpose. It is a trip on the mothership and a high altitude experience. It offers escape and an intoxicating beat and often a cloud of smoke although that was missing in this case. It might have been the only thing missing. Nappyhead brings the real experience and while I may not have found my soulful connection that night I did find a musical escape and I was reminded that I can appreciate the soul in the funk and how it is deeper then may appear with all the animation. I had some fun and that was a different way of getting what I needed out of music.

   I heard it was just a reunion gig for Nappyhead. It seemed to go well. I hope they book again soon. I will be sure to keep you posted if they do.

   Thanks for hanging this time. I will be back in a day or so with a new calendar so ya'll come back.

bill

  

   I know life gets busy for everyone at times especially here on Long Island where the cost of living is beyond the means of many middle class suburbanites but can we get more moments of peace and reflection?

   I had only my Wednesday night to de-stress this week as even Friday night was occupied with non-blues affairs and even the usually mellow, often psychadelic Wednesday night had it's irksome moments.

   What is supposed to be a night of listening to music took on a more frantic feel as the crowd was sort of large (that's a good thing), the mix was eclectic(also good) and there were faces not seen in a while at the Brightwaters Inn jam. All that made for a lot of personal stuff and drama and not enough time to listen to music. I am glad everyone had fun and they seem to, but chit chat and smoke breaks ( I quit cigs  8 years ago and I still get dragged outside. Okay there's a little more to that story) are distracting when I need my decompression! Nothing personal. It is nice to be with friends but I am torn sometimes between wanting music and enjoying friends.

   Thank god there was some memorable music. Pete Tursi belted out some trumpet riffs in a Stormy Monday jam (along with Sweet Suzi on some soulful notes) and Pete T and Grace of the same last name did a couple of nice horn duets. There was also Johnny Anderson making some beautiful music on guitar and Arty the Professor Panico lighting up some tunes also on guitar of course.  Ray Ray Wade has been expressing himself more forcefully of late. It is getting good there at the ole' BI. There was so much other stuff going on and I missed much of it. That was just the stuff I caught.

   There was a good night at DJ Riders on Thursday I heard. That jam had Chrispy Chicken with his sax and it may go on for a few more Thursdays like that I hear. I am trying to figure out how I can make another night possible with all the busy-ness going on right now. The more I need the escape the harder it is to get. That is one of those ironies in life. It seems cruel.

   Anyway, the weekend is still here and I'm going out for something tonight. I suggest you do the same and we'll all meet here tomorrow and compare notes. Okay? Great.

   Thanks for stopping by... always.

bill

     My very long weekend started Friday night at Giacomo Jacks with O'Zone.

   The week passed and I never mentioned my Wednesday night adventures. I am suffering from a post vacation mind lag. Coffee just isn't enough to get me going... and I missed posting about my fun midweek adventures.

 

      Very infrequently do I get to wear a tasteless shirt, sleep late and do nothing all day for anyone besides my family and myself. That was my three day summer trip and I dug it. Thanks to my friends (thanks Raymondo)who have one of those idyllic houses on a lake in the mountains. The weather sucked for the most part but the boat did make runs on the lake, twice, the kids did get to jump off a small cliff into running water and I hunted in the woods (and elsewhere) for wild life.

 

     I feel wary when I don't get out for music often enough. I feel in danger of losing my connections to music, my remedy.

    I had a weekend of "firsts" and it was a diverse set of experiences.

    After missing some good moments at the new Brightwaters jam in recent weeks I figured I'd finally get there for the first act.

   I arrived a little after ten, got me a dirty vodka, sat down and realized it was only a little after ten. I had a long way to go.

   Normally I wander off to another jam first like Lefty's or St. James or Patchogue or Reflections and I land at the Brightwaters Inn or someplace close for one one more set or two. I have only a crawl to go home from there so I can top off my attitude in a safe and responsible manner... of course.

   The BI jam again featured some horns early on. Mr. Pete Tursi handled the trumpet quite well and belted out a few numbers followed by Joe Behar with some more brass and then some Grace Tursi sax which had some sweetness. The addition of brass lends drama to the music. Always welcome.

   There were some moments later on with the Blue Matter boys in their extended family mode (w/ Charlie Labs on keys, and Wally on harp) when I would have loved some ass kickin horn but that was too late for horns. After midnight they seem to disappear. Pumpkin horns.

   Anyway, there were some good moments. Arty Panico made some magic with Haynes' Soulshine. He did a sort of treble riff that lit up a little. It was a cool finger dance and a well done song.

   There weren't any of the dramatic vocalists this week but it was a pretty good turnout and a fine Wednesday night's entertainment. Mr. Phil, BBopDlux was on hand to take in some jamin. That was a nice surprise. That Bluesbrat, Ms. Kathy, sure knows a lot of folks. 

   I read and hear lots of people out there but with my limited time I don't get to meet as many as I'd like. Phil moderates the Yahoo Group, Ventilations. It's an interesting conversation he carries on. It was fun to have a little chat with Mr. BBop. He's a frank man and, like his group-talk, substantive. That's so appreciated. Interesting guy!

   So the blues carries on and there's some news. Sweet Suzi is getting play in XM Radio. Pam Betti has a song in a new movie soundtrack, Betti's Blues in The Dysfunctional Book Club, opening this week. C&B have a hot CD coming out and the party is this weekend. Sam Taylor has an autobiography coming out. The LI blues competition is coming up (Aug. 17 @ Brickhouse).

  Check out these hard working and talented people and thanks for checking in here.

bill