Christmas Song Thread?

[ragman1]

Here I am pounding away at this square peg….

:-)

It's not that easy a song, to be honest.

[Mick-7]

Here I am pounding away at this square peg….

Haven't heard that in ages (i.e., Kenny Burrells recording of My Favorite Things), brings back memories. It's one of the first - maybe the first - recordings by him I ever heard, I became an instant fan.

[Danny W.]

My big band did a holiday show at the Peoria, AZ, Center For The Performing Arts last week. I don’t have video from that yet, so I’ll post clips from the substantially different holiday show we did there in 2023. Our drummer and bass player were missing because we had booked this gig late in the season and they had already committed to a church chorale they support and felt it was too late to sub it out. The sub bass and drummer were players I’ve worked with previously. We also had subs for the 1st & 3rd ‘bones who had planned holiday travel. Just before the sound check our piano player had still not arrived when in walked a young woman with our piano books and started adjusting the bench. She told me our regular was down with flu/Covid/RSV symptoms. So, a gig with subs for the whole section except for me. What could go wrong? Well, nothing really—it was a fine concert The piano player was outstanding and the bass & drums were fine too. This gig was the last one with our leader of 14 years, retiring at only 88 years old after leading big bands for 71 years, so it was a bittersweet night.

Some non-seasonal tunes:

Danny W.

[ragman1]

That's a good band! Really nice arrangements, relaxed, competent and experienced, great. My guess is it starts with the leader. At 88 he still looks hot.

I do hope your next leader is as good. Best of luck with it!

[ragman1]

Final contribution. Ironically, it's very warm today, not white at all :-)

[MarkRhodes]

Herb Ellis with Redd Foxx

[Danny W.]

That's a good band! Really nice arrangements, relaxed, competent and experienced, great. My guess is it starts with the leader. At 88 he still looks hot.

I do hope your next leader is as good. Best of luck with it!

Thank you, RM. Our Director Emeritus had a lot to do with making us as good as we are, as did picking up a number of great players during the past dozen years. We actually started in 2001. Since then we've had five leaders, four names, drummers, bassists, keys, and innumerable horn players. We had a major reorganization in 2010 when we became the AZ Swing Kings. I'm the only current member from the original lineup either time. I frequently find myself wondering what I did to deserve being on a stage with so many amazing musicians.

The new leader is twenty years younger than the last one and is still learning how to lead a big band. He's getting lots of advice, not only from the former one but also from the half dozen band members who either lead or have led their own big bands! We have lots of fun.

Danny W.

[Danny W.]

Our holiday concert at the Peoria Center For The Performing Arts has apparently become an annual event, since we did our third one last week. As usual for these concerts we had a bunch o' subs--3/4 of our brass had committed to a different event, three trumpets and three 'bones. As usual, our subs are pros and we breezed through the concert. There's no official video but an audience member was nice enough to post one from her phone:

In the past when we've played here for holiday shows or otherwise the bass and I were on our own soundwise, but this year they have a new sound system and couple of good techs, so we were both DI'd in.

Happy Chanukah, merry Christmas and a most happy new year to all of you!

Danny W.