I have been relaxing this past week, a great feeling. They call it ski week, a week of no school somehow that has extended "Dead Presidents' Day" to new lengths. It will not happen next year.
As I relaxed at the computer in my basement nook, I heard Donna come in the door. "Didn't you hear the phone ring?" she said. "No," I answered. "I was listening to the radio." It would have make no difference for I had no transportation except foot to meet her. She had taken Joey to a gig fundraiser for Haiti Relief. Jesse had enlisted the help of several of his friends to play for a "Fat Tuesday" fundraiser. "They need a guitar player." She said. "All the friends of Jesse flaked out."
I grabbed my guitar, amps, charts and new "electro mando" and we headed for Santa Rosa. Two boys sat there waiting for the rest of the band. I set up and we started with "When the Saints...", then "Saint James Infirmary". when Huck showed up to play piano, then Autumn Leaves and on to standards. For 16 years old Jesse plays a awesome sax. Joey is always right on with the drumming. Huck has a great style on the keyboard, but a little on the slow side for my Django heart.
Huck and Jess played everything in different keys than I did. Alas, my brain worked overtime to get most of the right chords in there. I used some of my own charts and did some mental gyrations to transpose most of the tunes. Strangely the band sounded tight- at least this is what we heard from the enthusiastically grateful audience. Despite my diminishing "laryngitis voice" I attempted to sing Sentimental Journey. Miracle of all, it was a very fun gig for a good cause. I posited that we only played five songs, but Donna said that we were up there for an hour and a half.
We helped raise ( I don't know how much) for Haiti, but the organizer seemed pleased. Also I wss happy to play a gig with my little boy.
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