Do I dare state that "it looks like I'm beginning to work a little bit again" ?

[bloke]

I got this tune list (for a one-hour country club brunch gig, next Sunday) asking if I need them to bring me their "bass book".

I replied, "No. Those are fine...I'll see you there at noon with blue blazer, grey slacks, white shirt, red 'cotton bowl' tie, and black wingtips".
(the official band uniform for old-Memphis country club gigs...so that all "pick-up band" gigs appear as though "regularly-performing" bands)



AFTER YOU'VE GONE – Bb
AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’ – Bb
BASIN ST. BLUES - Bb & C
BOURBON STREET PARADE - Ab & Bb
DR. JAZZ - Bb
HELLO DOLLY - Bb
HONEYSUCKLE ROSE - F
HELLO DOLLY – Bb
HINDUSTAN - Bb
HONEYSUCKLE ROSE - F
I FOUND A NEW BABY - F
INDIANA – F
JUST A LITTLE WHILE TO STAY HERE - Ab
SHEIK – Bb
TIN ROOF BLUES - Bb



That tie clasp was given to my as a birth-day (not birthday, but really my BIRTH day) present...sixty-somethin' years ago...

[bloke]

whoops...(sorry )
' forgot my bell cover.

[Doc]

Looks like an easy enough list.

"Standard uniform" seems to be a thing in many places. Around here, if you wanted to play with a Czech band, some German stuff, or polka dance band, the standard uniform for decades was white dress shirt and black slacks and shoes. Some bands have their own vests for you to put on. Otherwise, if there was any variation to the standard uniform, they would let you know. Blazers, if worn at all, were usually saved for a Christmas dance or New Year's Eve. Certain high-fallutin' jobs (Houston Country Club, The Petroleum Club, Memorial Country Club, etc.) were black suit or tuxedo. Of course, if you also worked union jobs, plan on having coat and tie as a minimum requirement.

[Doc]

whoops...(sorry )
' forgot my bell cover.

Perfect fit on that EEb!

[bloke]

whoops...(sorry )
' forgot my bell cover.

Perfect fit on that EEb!

It's amazing how well things can be made to fit, when they only actually exist in ones and zeros...

As I recall, they have a very thick book (with many very nice/esoteric/jazz-festival-worthy tunes in it...
...so they would probably rather not tote along something larger/heavier than (as we older people knew them) a major city's phone book.

[Doc]

whoops...(sorry )
' forgot my bell cover.

Perfect fit on that EEb!

It's amazing how well things can be made to fit, when they only actually exist in ones and zeros...

[Three Valves]

I love swanky parties!!

[bloke]

I love swanky parties!!

I like THIS PARTICULAR club's smoked salmon...my gawd, it's GOOOOOOOD !!!!

[bloke]

A pretense at normalcy was nice.
The club couldn't afford to lay out their typical brunch buffet, but were only working from their menu.
Lunch was included with the gig, we we decided to make it easy on the kitchen and ordered Cobb salads.

The instrumentation was odd...piano, banjo, tuba...

...so ended up being the "melody" instrument...
It's a good thing that (though I almost never play them) I know the melodies to most all the songs to which I also know the chord changes.
(My own brain - how ever it functions/malfunctions - remembers the bass lines more off the melodies than from the chord progressions.)

...anyway...fun...and over too soon.
The other two guys are in their 80's, but still play as if they're in their 40's.
(I've told you about how the banjoist tours with Billy Dean...)

[Doc]

A pretense at normalcy was nice.
The club couldn't afford to lay out their typical brunch buffet, but were only working from their menu.
Lunch was included with the gig, we we decided to make it easy on the kitchen and ordered Cobb salads.

The instrumentation was odd...piano, banjo, tuba...

...so ended up being the "melody" instrument...
It's a good thing that (though I almost never play them) I know the melodies to most all the songs to which I also know the chord changes.
(My own brain - how ever it functions/malfunctions - remembers the bass lines more off the melodies than from the chord progressions.)

...anyway...fun...and over too soon.
The other two guys are in their 80's, but still play as if they're in their 40's.
(I've told you about how the banjoist tours with Billy Dean...)

We need more gigs that are enjoyable and that approach "normalcy."

[bloke]

We need more gigs that are enjoyable and that approach "normalcy."

yes.