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February 26, 2006
Whooooooooshhhh!
And that's pretty much all I can say.
That, and Whuff.
I have one VIP still in town, but aside from that, Jazz Festival is over for another year, except for the cleanup. I had a wonderful time. Our lecturers were great people; warm, friendly, knowledgeable. It was lovely meeting them and getting a chance to talk with them. And because I was doing the job I was doing, I had backstage access, and I got to be back there with some of the best musicians I have ever seen.
Hank Jones plays the piano with a touch so light, you can't figure out how he's getting it to make sound.
Benny Green, on the other hand, is a madman at the keyboard, and so much fun to watch.
I don't know whether I prefer listening to or watching John Clayton play bass.
And Russell Malone on guitar, mmmmMMMMMM.
Then there's Jeff Hamilton, who showed me how creative a drummer can be. Everything he touches becomes a percussion instrument, and he uses it all for the sake of the music.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, was the HOUSE BAND this week. (Well, Hank Jones was a featured headliner, who played every night. But still, EVERY NIGHT.)
Plus, I got to hear James Moody (though I came in on the very end of his set because one of my receptions ended as the show started and I had to stay for cleanup). I got to hear him play saxophone and I got to hear him scat. THAT was cool, a lesson in itself. I also got to hear him rap. Yes. James Moody rapped. It was awesome, and reminded me of the roots of a musical form that I used to enjoy and don't really like all that much as it has evolved.
Oh yes, and I got to see Roy Hargrove play trumpet. Which is astounding. It's like the man is made of music. (He laughed at one of my jokes, too, just so you know.)
Plus countless other musicians. It was glorious. So much talent in that room every night, and I got to be there for most of it.
Also, it was exhausting. And now my throat is sore. I tried so hard to take care of myself, but there's only so much you can do when you're running from 8am to 11:30pm or so. I didn't get to any of the after hours parties. I was afraid I'd not be able to function the next day if I did. That was disappointing, because it sounds like they were really hopping. Our Russian musicians played a lot, just because they love to play.
I cannot begin to express how fortunate I feel to have been a part of this past week. Or how tired. But I can't seem to get back to sleep. I'm afraid the Breakfast Club will be crazy this morning, but if I can't sleep, bacon and eggs sounds like a tasty substitute. (Sleep or eat was a choice I had to make frequently this week. I think I lost five pounds.)
Okay. I must be tired. I'm babbling. I'll stop now, post this and get myself some breakfast.
I hope your week was as good as mine.
Posted by sally at February 26, 2006 08:20 AM
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