September at the Lake

Keith and Nanette, with Jim backing up on drums.

This past year started out with a bang. My little Nissan got t-boned by a truck that had parked illegally in the right hand lane of Beach Blvd., with its red flashers on. I'd been in that same lane, readying to turn into the Kaiser parking lot for a blood pressure check. I slowed to a stop behind the disabled vehicle and then signaled left and slowly proceeded around the truck and made my right hand turn. Turns out that wasn't a disabled vehicle after all.

Apparently the driver had pulled over to scout out possible billboards for the company he worked for, then got busy texting and started up the car to proceed without looking up to see I had made a turn into the parking lot entrance that he had nearly blocked.

That started a long series of mishaps, involving both me and some of the people closest to me. In May, my little recently-repaired Nissan was totaled in another collision as I as on my way to the Orange County courthouse where I'd been serving on the Grand Jury.

Finally late this summer I realized I had to run away from home (my apartment complex just has been sold out from under me, so hardly feels like "home" anymore). I didn't head for the

Lake Swanzey, NH

hills...instead I booked a flight to Logan Airport, rented a car and proceeded to wend my way across Massachusetts up into New Hampshire's Lake Swanzey's Pilgrim Pines and a restorative Road Scholar jazz seminar, "Birth of Cool Jazz: Jazz Steps into a New Groove."

This particular week focused on small jazz groups, rather than the Big Band sound. Nonetheless, we had plenty of time to examine the role of the Tin Pan Alley composers, from Gershwin and Berlin, yes, that Berlin, who besides the treacly "Easter Parade," also gave us such classic jazz tunes as "Be Careful, It's My Heart."

My favorite segment of the week? The Wednesday evening concert that featured vocalist Nanette Perrote, her pianist, Keith Kirkpatrick and one of our own Road Scholars who had brought his drums, Jim Davey.

Take a peek at the playlist and you'll see these great jazz standards, with exception of a couple of Joni Mitchell songs, all came from the Great American Songbook:

"Satin Doll," "Paper Moon," "Stars Fell on Alabama," "A Case of You," "Killing Me Softly," "Skylark," "Lullaby of Birdland," "Let's Fall in Love," "What is This Thing Called Love," "Miss Otis Regrets," "Amelia," "Don't Get Around Much Anymore," "Take the A Train," "Beginning to See the Light," "Route 66," "Straighten Up and Fly Right." And the encore...."Georgia on My Mind."

This Thursday I'm celebrating George Gershwin's birthday, September 26, 1898, at our own Orange County's Bower Museum. https://www.bowers.org/index.php/education-programs/event/2018-timeless-melodies-george-gershwin

George Gershwin

Of all the film clips and videos we saw featuring the great jazz musicians of the last half century, this one will stick with me the longest...and I can recall today, the vernal equinox, when I fell in love with this tune, standing outside the old Balboa ballroom in 1952. Take a listen to George Shearing, with the incredible Margie Hayams on vibes, "September in the Rain." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fucUpCizpes

Happy jazz autumn, everyone!