Jazz for a Summer Evening

I know these guys...drank beers with these guys many a Friday night at 3 A.M. after the last patrons left and we locked the front door. These guys are work-a-day jazz musicians. They pay the bills sleeping through covers of "Sweet Caroline" in wedding bands and at Bar Mitzvahs. They can mail in a sweet riff during "We Are Family" at a Country Club dance and then show up at the Club and sit in for the last set and blow your doors off with a solo that emanates from deep in their artistic soul. You can talk Eagles all day with Byron, and Bootsy ran the streets with Bill Cosby and will tell you stories.Larry knows the classic American song book like no one and can talk about the early versions and the history. Sid Simmons has passed away(see earlier post) but was a gracious and soft spoken man who is still one of my favorite Jazz piano players of all time. Sid would sip a Remy and smoke a long skinny black cigar and laugh at your raunchy jokes.

Find this CD on-line or at a local store, mix a nice gin and tonic with Gordon's and store-bought ice and Schweppes tonic and a healthy slice of lime, settle back in a cushioned wicker chair on your porch or patio or deck...hit play. Sip deeply from your drink....let the Philly style Jazz flow over you.
It is about 4 weeks until dove season opens so there is nothing better to do...and why would you even think about it anyway when Swana has his trumpet to his lips, Byron is on the drums, Boosty and Larry are trading solos and Mike and Sid are holding down the fort.