Al Vega captivates the Sherborn Inn!
with Swing Times Five on November 4, 2010
| Al Vega was
delighted when friends told him in July that they were having a
birthday party in his honor at Sculler's Jazz Club, but he was
concerned that the theme was 'Farewell to the 80's'. He said
people would think he was 90. " It just means I'll have no more
birthdays in my 80s, that's all, but it sounds like I'm slowing
down, and I'm not. I'm only 89."
(Boston Herald - July
21, 2010). Al plays piano on Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and
Fridays all over Boston.
He made a trip to the suburbs on November
4th and joined Jeff Hughes and Swing Times Five at the
Sherborn Inn. He may be 89, but his fingers are only 20,
coaxing a great deal of music out of that baby grand piano
Swing Times Five are Jeff Hughes cornet/flugelhorn, Craig Ball
clarinet, Jimmy Mazzy banjo/vocals, Justin Meyer string bass, Steve Taddeo
drums. They played popular ballads and standards.
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"I took the job
at the Oak Bar at the Copley Plaza because I like sitting at a real
piano." Vega said.
He was featured here on a high-powered rendition of Coleman Hawkins'
Body & Soul
- we have never heard it played
like this! Fingers sprightly dancing over the keys, high fingers, low fingers, sideways fingers,
ending with a BANG with his right elbow!.
Al was featured on an inventive and imaginative Green
Dolphin Street, cleverly interpolating
a medley of tunes throughout the piece.
Ingenious!
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Jeff played a sensitive flugelhorn (usually a classical instrument)
on The Very Thought of You, and For All We Know included a
fantastic clarinet solo by Craig Ball. Craig Ball was definitely
inspired by Vega because he played his heart out all evening. He was featured on
a passionate
I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance With You. He took out his
tenor sax for a blazing and blistering Dinah,
with Al rippling up and down the piano.
Jim and Jeff played a touching duet on Lucky
Old Sun, with Jeff on flugelhorn, they are intuitively in sync,
practically mind-reading. They have played together for many years, in the
Paramount Jazz Band and many other bands.
Jimmy's only scatting tonight was on Sweet Georgia Brown,
backed only by Al Vega, after which Al surprisingly changed tempos into a dazzling
boogie-woogie piece.
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Jimmy Mazzy is one of a kind on banjo, and
inimitable on vocals, caressing a lovely ballad. Accompanied
solely by Al Vega's supple fingering on piano, he sang More Than You Know and Sand in my Shoes,
in his own poignant style.
It don't get no better'n
that! The two should consider making a CD together so the whole
world can hear
them! |
Steve Taddio's thundering drums introduced I Can't Believe That You're in Love
With Me - setting the tone for the rest of the band, and they
went spastic!! WILD!There's no doubt that Al Vega influences
each and every musician that plays with him. We have many talented
musicians in New England that the world never gets to hear; Al has been
influential in ensuring that they all be heard.
Sundays Al
plays 'Sinatra Sunday' at Lucky's Lounge, 355 Congress St.
Boston MA (617) 357-LUCK; Tuesdays and Wednesdays he's
on the Baby Grand piano at the Oak Room of the Fairmont Copley Plaza, 138 Saint James Ave, Boston, MA 02116-5002 (617) 267-5300;
and Fridays catch him at Antonia's At The Beach, 492 Revere Beach Boulevard,
Revere, MA 02151
(781) 284-1272.
Thank you, Al Vega, for giving our New England Musicians exposure at your many
performances.
And a very special Thanks to Linda for driving him
out here to the Sherborn Inn!
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| By Marce,
Updated November 10, 2010
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