Got our runnin’ shoes on. We got in line early at Montage to hear Golding, Stewart and Bernstein. The Towelers were headed there as well. Since we got in on the first batch of 25 we grabbed a table for 4 and they were able to join us. Great table, even had service. By the time we had drunk our drinks we decided it was time to move on. Couldn’t get into Max for Aaron Goldberg so we reversed course to Xerox Auditorium for Trio Globo with Howard Levy (long ‘e’). They would have blown my socks off had I been wearing any. Levy plays piano and harmonica, both supremely. How do you sustain a note while simultaneously playing chords up and down the scale on one small harmonica? The drummer did an extended solo on tambourine eliciting more sounds than I knew the instrument had and playing with several different rhythm styles. All the while the cello was a bowed instrument a plucked instrument and played guitar fashion at various times. He used a Bartok cello piece as the basis for a wonderful trip into another space. The hall was packed if not sold out and we stayed to the last note, buying a couple of cds on the way out.
Next we headed, still with the Towlers (how amazing is it for us to stick with another couple through three changes of venue?), for Lutheran Church where the Trio had morphed into a lady vocalist with piano – that would be Karlzon and Tolstoy (yes from that family). Unfortunately Mary Anna and I decided to head for Abilene and more Zydeco leaving Carol and Bill to catch up with us. We never made it into the venue. The sound in the line was painful, neither of us wanted to get any closer. We picked up our partners back at Lutheran and went our separate ways. Carol and I got some dinner, her at Ludwigs and me back to the cajun, blackened chicken. Then we got in line at Max for Aaron Goldberg Trio. It was a long wait, but it was worth it. Three masterful musicians communicating with the music seamlessly. We stayed to the end. Then we walked to our apartment for a refresher before heading out again to the State Street Bar and Grill Jam Session. The jazz continued to flow and when Bob Sneider declared a break at 1 AM we decided it was enough, I could barely keep my eyes open.
We are leaving the apartment at EARLY at 3:30ish to get in line for Ravi Coltrane at Kilbourn. I hope that isn’t too late. The buzz is fierce. We will most likely be standing in the rain along with many others. Our plans for the evening are a jumble. My planner shows Zoe Rahman, Howard Levy, Gamak and Carmen Souza. We may also get to Lutheran Church for whoever is actually playing there.
On to the street!