This was such a fun evening for us, and we had a great audience at the Suite Bistro in Cheyenne last Saturday night! We were so sad that some could not get a seat, but grateful to the Suite Bistro for hosting us and to those who came, stayed, and had a great time.
Ken Johnson, a spectacular tenor who sings with me in the Cheyenne Chamber Singers, made his jazz debut, singing a little Ellington with me.
It was a joy to have Ted Larocca and Isaac Swim for sitting in on trumpet and bass. Issac still lives in Cheyenne, but Ted now lives in New Orleans and was here for visit. He and Isaac have not played together for some time but were able to do a few tunes on our break and Ted stayed on for our second set. We played some of our favorites from the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s–“Puttin’ on the Ritz,” “Darktown Strutters’ Ball,” Bei Mir Bist du Schoen,” and my favorite, “Cow Cow Boogie”–a tune made famous by Ella Mae Morris in 1942. “Summertime” with Ted was just magical.
It has been wonderful getting to know and working with Mike Reid, our new keyboard player, and Dennis Griffing, our bass player. It is exciting and challenging to me to be able to play with such fine musicians. Dennis also plays with the Cheyenne Symphony and composes.
I had got the following feedback from some folks who stopped in for their anniversary.
