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Freddy Vigorito cornet, Skip Hughes & Ben Griffin trombone, Sherman Kahn and Noel Kaletsky reeds, Charlie Freeman piano, Albie Bernard tuba, Gim Burton banjo, Bill Logozzo drums/leader, Tish Rabe vocals The Dixieland stage was in a tent set up outside the Four Points Hotel, when the sky suddenly opened up and a veritable deluge ensued. But fans of Traditional Jazz have been through worse - the rain and lightening didn't faze us as we listened to these fantastic musicians playing our kind of music. Bill Logozzo's Heartbeat Dixieland Jazz Band doesn't stick with any one genre - they'll play a bit of swing, add some ragtime, New Orleans style Dixieland, and even throw in some classic Rock & Roll.
Bill's drums and Ben Griffin's trombone were featured in a sensational conversation on It Don't Mean a Thing if it Ain't Got That Swing. Marvelous!! Ben plays trombone passionately, straight from the gut. The front line picked up on it, improvising counterpoint. That's what this jazz is all about!!
Two clarinets give the band awe-inspiring flexibility, Sherman and Noel
cutting it on Avalon, taking turns racing up and down the registers. That fired
up the band!
Tish is from New York. She knocked us out with her Red Hot Mama rendition of San Francisco Bay. Skip Hughes' trombone was exceptionally melodic on a Jelly Roll Morton tune, Sweet & Slow. He is a phenomenon, and we are really fortunate that Skip is here playing for us.
The second set started with Ben Griffin and the band on a breathtaking Basin Street Blues
Bill Logozzo also has a 3-piece Rock & Roll Band, Triple Play, the music that influenced lifestyles, attitudes, and us, back in the 50's. Triple Play wasn't here today, neither was Marshal Lytle of the original Bill Haley's Rock Around The Clock. They had us Jazzin' With The Stars and dancing in the aisles at the First Church of Christ in Middletown, CT not too long ago. Nevertheless, the Heartbeat Dixieland Jazz Band rocked on with Shake, Rattle, & Roll, with Skip performing and singing with gusto, adding his own unique version of the lyrics. Change of pace - Bill said it was time to feature the two 'youngest' members of the band, "to fight it out again," two clarinets in a grudge match in After You've Gone. Fabulous duet! Couldn't tell who was running up and down the register playing the most notes!
The band touched on the 60's when Tish returned with Patsy Cline's plaintive I Go Out Walkin After Midnight. Rain or shine, nothing could have delighted this audience more than these talented musicians. It's easy to understand why the Heartbeat Dixieland Jazz Band has been dubbed “New England’s Most Lovable Jazz Band”. * * * Bill Logozzo's Heartbeat Jazz Band can be heard every Wednesday 12-2pm at the Jazz luncheon at the Yankee Clipper Restaurant, 157 West Main Street, Niantic, CT Were you SPOTTED? at the Jazz & Blues Extravaganza?
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