by Marce

Jeff Hughes cornet, Ron Petot piano, Dan Weiner guitar, Peter Tillotson string bass, Dave Didriksen drums, Debby Larkin vocals

This evening featured many of our favorite composers.  Jeff began nice and easy on flugelhorn with Benny Carter’s best-known tune, When Lights Are Low, and then did an abrupt turn-around with Duke Ellington’s It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing, with muted cornet, Ross Petot’s fingers running the keyboard.  They ran a  broad spectrum of Early Jazz and Swing.

With his cornet, flugelhorn, many mutes, and attitude, Jeff is a complete front line.  This gentle man is so filled with music, it just pours out of him, it refuses to be contained.  Louis, Bix, Joe “King” Oliver, Bunny, Al Hirt, Harry James – take your pick. 

Joined by vivacious Debby Larkin on vocals – talented and versatile, she can swing as well as sing.  The evening just flew by!

From Jerome Kern’s Showboat in the 20’s, the sweet ballad Can’t Help Loving That Man of Mine was a swinger! 

Cole Porter’s You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To.  Jerome Kern’s A Fine Romance.

Cole Porter’s Let’s Do It – powerful vocal, with all it’s politically incorrect lyrics. 

In the 20’s and 30’s, all the songs had double entendres.  Have you watched TV lately? Who are we kidding?

Jeff was in New Orleans for the first time last month, on St Patrick’s Day.  He found out that  New Orleans is insane – all year – not just for Mardi Gras.  He brought back a souvenir,  Basin St. Blues,  that drove couples to the shiny wood dance floor. 

Cottontail, written for Ben Webster, featured cornet, piano, and guitar taking turns skillfully trading 4’s with Dave Didriksen on drums – before he let loose with a wild drum solo!

Ross was featured with the Rhythm Boys.  He always plays something unique and special, this time Billy Strayhorn’s Midriff,  quoting bits of Stumbling.

He played a dramatic intro to Harold Arlen’s Get Happy, Jeff back on cornet, as hot and powerful as any trumpet.   He continued with passionate flugelhorn solo on Victor Young’s Love Letters, .

A little bit of Blues – I Sent For You Yesterday, (but here you are today!)  Jeff and Debby working well together, Debby singing the verse, Jeff playing riffs with muted plunger cornet. 

Especially for an ardent fan of the band, Lynn Sickle, they dedicated All Of Me.

The piano started with the verse on a tune that Hoagie wrote for Bix Beiderbecke that they had never played before.  It doesn’t get played often, even though it’s a peppy, party tune, Jubilee.   Hoagie Carmichael was a good friend of Bix’s during his short life – he died at 28.  What an impact he had on the music scene!

Break time.

Jeff called upon a wonderful friend and supporter to fill in the break, “Brother” Myron Idelson.  Memories of Myron Cohen.  He has a million of  ’em.

Myron proceeded to roast Jeff royally, even had Ross breaking up!  He never repeats a joke, and they can be told in mixed company.  “I’m going to get rich – invented a dog biscuit that tastes just like a mailman’s leg.” 

With down-home openheartedness, he concluded with a request  “…to  have more love and thankfulness in this world.”

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Deb came back swinging with a Benny Goodman favorite, Don’t Be That Way.  Nice touch, Jeff Hughes cornet trading 4’s with guitarist Dan Weiner.

Dan was featured on My One And Only Love.  In his late teens in Vermont, Dan started playing solo blues guitar in the styles of Mississippi John Hurt and Reverend Gary Davis.  An innovative guitarist, his playing speaks to your soul.

Deb returned with a song made famous by Count Basie, appropriate for this month, April in Paris.

The band continued with Jonathan D. Kramer’s About Face. Jonathan was a self-conscious art-music composer, but soon “embraced the music that most Americans know and love.”    That’s our jazz!

Late Late Show was WILD, Jeff playing both melody and riffs on muted cornet.  This tune literally had everyone jumping up and down!   Slower tempo – Deb returned with Skylark, Jeff sounding like Bix would on  flugelhorn.  

The Finale was a beautiful ballad, A Sailboat in the Moonlight and You, with Debby on vocal, nice string bass and cornet duet with the band in stop time.  Pete Tillotson has as full and rich a tone as you can find on any string bass.

Jeff ended this wonderful evening with his closing theme song and the same smooth flugelhorn with which he started, We’ll Be Together Again.  We’re counting on it!