Jeff Barnhart led the Festival All Stars, starting out with four people on Friday night, including indefatigable Noel Kaletsky, who never stopped playing until the last note on Sunday!  Tom Palinko was on drums, Lou Bocciarelli on string bass.  Jeff said they were “happy to take requests, to keep the band riled up.”   As the festival progressed, more All Stars sat in.

 

 

 

Back Home Again in Indiana, Noel plays soprano sax and clarinet with a passionate intensity.

 

 

 

 

Jeff said “This is an ironic name for a JRM tune in a tempo that Jelly Roll Morton called: Tempo Disturb the Neighbors.” Sleep.
Barnhart, Palinko, Bocciarelli, and indefatigable Noel in complete control on wild clarinet
Sleep.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiKdRIWGbNA

Winin’ Boy Blues accidentally started as Buddy Bolden Blues – Stop! Rewind!  They decided on Winin’ Boy, Jeff proving that less is more on piano, leaving silent pauses – silence can be more  important than sound to put over a tune; (Who said that?)  Noel Kaletsky soared through the stratosphere on clarinet.

Al Bernard arrived from Rockport, MA, wrapped in sousaphone.  Lou and Al took turns pushing the basses on Swing That Music.  Jeff Barnhart gave us a lesson in Jazz History, explaining the difference between the music of the 20’s and 30’s.  He played one chorus of the 20’s Sousa-feel with Al on sousaphone, and a second chorus with the 30’s two-beat Swing feeling with Lou walking the bass and Noel on swinging soprano sax.

China Boy (PC: East Indian Child) was a barn burner, Jeff tore into the piano, fabulous bass, they let Palinko loose on drums.   JRM’s Ain’t Misbehaving.

 

What does one do with two basses?  They  experimented with having both a sousaphone and bass on the same band, taking alternate choruses.  Never gets dull!
Bob Barta sang a poignant  My Gal Sal with the 8-pc All Star Band:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JjfHEiUbMY

Eric Devine presents an excellent split-screen view of Barnhart/Barta scatting on:
Sweet Sue

More musicians appeared over time, Kaletsky on alto sax, Steve Taddeo drums, John Clark soprano sax, Fred Vigorito cornet, Lou Bocciarelli string bass, Ben Griffin trombone, Al Bernard sousaphone, Jamil Jorge, fresh out of Connecticut College, on trombone.

On Avalon, Jeff Hughes trumpet, Craig Ball sharing reeds with Noel, Bob Barta banjo, Jamil Jorge on trombone; two basses trading 4s.
Avalon   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJXQF-3luB4

Jeff plays The Entertainer:

“1910 Shine, when there was nobody around except Noel Kaletsky; dedicated to me.” Jeff B.  Barnhart’s hands blur playing stride, Kaletsky & Craig Ball reeds, Hughes, Barta, Jamil, Bocciarelli, Palinko WOW!
Shine

We caught the Festival Band again on Sunday, with Fred Vigorito on cornet, Albie Bernard sousaphone, Jeff Hughes trumpet, Ben Griffin Trombone, and Jamil Jorge on trombone for a barn-burning  That’s a Plenty, with Noel, Fred, and Ben, both basses – complete insanity!

 

Dans Les Rues D’Antibes – Steve Taddeo (Swing Senders) joined Palinko on drums, two basses, John Clark AND Noel Kaletsky on soprano sax.  It just got wilder.  Who made that request?  Thank you!

John Clark and Noel Kaletsky are an orchestra unto themselves, mixing and matching all those reeds.

 

 

 

 

 

Moving from all reeds to all brass, Jeff Hughes trumpet, Freddy Vigorito cornet, two trombones, Someday Sweetheart.  Griffin plays a really sweet trombone!

 

 
Jeff Hughes’ golden horn led with Barnhart on vocal, Kaletsky & Craig Ball reed duet, Barta & Bocciarelli trading 4s on If I Had You.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhKrOBq7GFw

Everybody was wired for the Finale, High Society, everyone taking a shot at Alphonse Picou’s soliloquy, even Albie on sousaphone.  Albie & Lou shared bass lines.  Palinko and Taddeo shared drums.  It was a wild ending to a fabulous weekend!

Thank you Shirley Bombaci and Crew for persevering and giving us another weekend of great Traditional and Dixieland Jazz.    There will be more great bands next year – we’re looking for an appropriate date when they will all be available.  We hope more volunteers will step up.  How about it??