Category: Big Band

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A Silver Anniversary

I’m writing this in the car…please excuse the typos!

The Big Band celebrated its silver anniversary last night. 25 years is quite a milestone for the longevity of anything, especially a band. Mr. C was a founding member, and since we’ve moved away he has managed to attend a few rehearsals on trips back, and has played in four gigs! He’ll play a fifth gig with them next week when the band plays its annual lunchtime concert in LePage Park. I think that means he’s still a member of the band, lol!

Anyway, in honour of 25 years, the band hosted a dance and invited all the past members to sit in. People were there that I hadn’t seen in years, it was amazing! A few folks even flew into town for the reunion. How great is that. 

It was an emotional evening for me. I found myself, part way through the evening suddenly awash in tears. I couldn’t stop,them. They just flowed out of my eyes like one of those fountains where the water just flows down a rock wall, a trickle that dampens the and ferns and mosses. Except my face was far from being rock. 
My tears were of tears of the joy I feel when I’m playing that music that I love so much, tears of playing the bari, following the lead player in the sax line, tears of love of the instrument with its big metal Berg Larson mouthpiece, doing what it’s supposed to do, which is snorting around on the bottom end of the sax line with George on bass in my right ear and the bass bone in my left; tears having a new role in the band (guest); tears of pride to be an alumnus; tears of revisiting what used to be a very big part of my life, looking down the line and there’s Kelly where he always used to sit, Leith beside him on tenor, Rebecca on vocals, up for the anniversary from Maple Ridge, BC, Mark on drums like the old days, Fawn on keys where she always used to be…and I realized that it doesn’t get any better than this. Happy and sad, pensive and elated. Emotion isn’t just joy or sadness, it’s much, much more than that. And it’s all coursing through me right now. I think a few cups of tea with old friends and a few more tears are in store for me yet today. 

  

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Brought to you by the letter Z for Jazz, baby!

Zap! …I really can’t believe the month is over and this is the last A-Z challenge post! No more daily Nita in your inbox!

I love the letter Z. There are a lot of great things I could have written about that actually start with a z, but I found out just a few minutes ago that today, April 30th, is actually International Jazz Day!

Jazz hands, everyone!  Yeah!
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Today I’m going to show you a couple of original fusion pieces I choreographed for the dancers to perform to LIVE Big Band music back in 2011. Bellydance meets Big Band!

OMG it’s the most amazing feeling to be on the big stage with a full 18-piece big band behind you. Amazing! I wish every dancer could experience it.

First, here is a new one that hasn’t hit my website yet (because I only uploaded it to YouTube about 10 minutes ago). Orange Colored Sky!

And here they are again, dancing to another great big band standard: Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps.

And last but not least…and entirely appropriate for the very last post of the A-Z in April challenge: our Rockin’ the Casbah FINALE done to New York, New York.

Phew! Can’t believe it’s over.  It’s over, baby!

I hope you had as much fun this month as I did!

I’d love to hear from you…which post was your favourite?

ZI’m participating in the Blogging From A-Z challenge.  One blog post for each letter of the alphabet, each day of April (except Sunday).

…but don’t go away! I’ll still be blogging, just not every day, regular as clockwork!

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I Got Rhythm

This is my friend Colleen McCarthy on the trombone in I Got Rhythm with The Big Band in Whitehorse, Yukon. 

She really rocks this number. Enjoy!

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 I’m participating in the Blogging From A-Z challenge.  One blog post for each letter of the alphabet, each day of April (except Sunday). 




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a De-lovely Dream!

It’s delightful, it’s delicious, it’s delectable, it’s delirious, it’s dilemma, it’s de limit, it’s deluxe, it’s de-lovely! Am I dreaming?

Today’s post is brought to you by the letter D!

Here are Colin Donnell and Laura Osnes singing “Its De-Lovely” from the 2011 revival of the Cole Porter musical, “Anything Goes,” which made its Broadway debut in 1934.  Cole Porter wrote both the music and the lyrics for the musical.

From the liner notes:

IT’S DE-LOVELY was born when Cole Porter was taking a cruise. While watching the sun rise over Rio, from the ships deck, Cole remarked ….”It’s Delightful” ; his wife, Linda, responded with….”It’s Delicious” and their friend, actor, Monty Woolley threw in ….”It’s De-Lovely” . Porter used all three comments in the song.

And if you love Big Band music the way I do, here’s the 1936 version done by Eddy Duchin & his Orchestra with Jerry Cooper on vocals (vocals start after the one minute mark).

Another great Cole Porter song is Dream Dancing, originally recorded by the great Ella Fitzgerald in 1978.  Here it is performed by Gabrielle Stravelli at the Metropolitan Room July 31, 2014. Wish I had been there!

D is also for Dance, right? Here is Saba Middle Eastern Dance Ensemble performing to Dream a Little Dream of Me, which was written by  Fabian Andre, Wilbur Schwandt and gus Kahn in 1931. This dance is the dream sequence from the opening of act II, Rockin’ the Casbah, April 2011 in Whitehorse, Yukon. Fawn Fritzen on vocals.

DI’m participating in the Blogging From A-Z challenge.  One blog post for each letter of the alphabet, each day of April (except Sunday).

 

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Brought to you by the Letter B

For your listening pleasure, I present to you a whole lot of letter Bs! 

The venue is the fabulous Yukon Arts Center, Whitehorse Yukon, part of the last show I produced there. Rockin’ the Casbah, March 19, 2011. Some of my favourite people played in that band. Mr. C was director & I was the bari sax player, but you’ll see my horn is on its stand for this tune. I was backstage getting changed for a dance number! 

Here you go…enjoy!

Gareth Howells on trumpet with The Big Band in Bye Bye Blackbird.


I’m participating in the Blogging From A-Z challenge.  One blog post for each letter of the alphabet, each day of April (except Sunday).  Come back tomorrow for the letter C!