Sept 8 - The Southside Shuffle, Port Credit. This is the fifth year for this festival - the first year I've performed in it and, as it turns out, this was the year I didn't see anything of the event except my own gig. Isn't that the way it is when you're a busy artist on the festival circuit - ha ha). I heard a little bit of soull music across the street (and Purple rain - was Prince in the house?) and then on a break I took a walk over this picturesque bridge and heard some great guitar playing. In oft-seen guitar fashion, from a distance *all* I could hear was the guitar. Even when he went into a solo, I wondered if he was just playing without any accompanyment - which would have been weird...but then i heard a bit of drums and I knew it was a band. never figured out who they were. The club I played (solo) had a very loud streo system and house music was pumping out, even though nobody in the place was that young - including the owner/DJ who obviously took great pride in his selection of music. You really had to shout over the music. Some people actually left because it was so loud ) then again, I think some people may have left because I wasn't loiud enough). When I asked him to lower it a bit towards the end of the evening (because , in fact, I had used up all my loud, hi-energy numbers and wanted to get a bit more laid back. As it turns out, it got very laid back as a singer songwriter came up a did a couple of tunes with me - that's what festivals are for, right? Besides she said I was the best thing she heard on the whole damn street. Her name is Mary Lynn Wren and she did a dynamite version of Ode to Billie Joe (Last time I played that tune (and the first first time I ever played it) was with Tracy K at one of my Tranzac Thursdays - reminds me, I've got to contact the club about the month of October - I made arrangements for guests while I was away but I didn't make any for when I get back).
I think I better crash now so that I get at least a little sleep before the early call tomorrow - 11am showtime at the North Entrance to the Woodbine Racetrack (by the slots). I'll be playing with Jerome Godboo and Terry Wilkins. We'll have a great time. Terry left me with a musical "tip" so let me pass it along: It's about how jazz has a standard pattern much the same way that blues has the 12-bar form. The atypical jazz form is called "the Rhythm" Change and everybody knows it because it's the changes to the song "I've Got Rhythm". If you can figure out that song, you've tapped into the holy grail of jazz. He says after that, 'Round Midnight will make sense. I'm going to try it!