First Real Jazz Gig

So last night I played my first "jazz gig" in that it was a live performance of only jazz, not affiliated with any wedding or other event, and it was at a "club." That is, if Jimmy's Old Town Tavern, a fun softball hangout, counts as a "club". Anyway, We had a quartet that included Ed Gallagher on guitar, Joey Whitney on sax, both of whom I met at Tom's during a jazz jam that he hosted. Yesterday we were able to add a different Tom on drums. So we played, having only played together maybe 4 times or so, as part of a bigger group. And Tom was brand new to us, having played a gig with the other 2 guys the previous night. I had never met Tom before yesterday. We captured some video of the show which I will post once I am done editing it into separate sections.

The fun part was when Dan, the booking manager from Icehouse Cafe directly across the street, heard us playing and came to listen. He liked us so much he asked us to submit a demo so that we could play at his club. I was totally floored and flattered. Demo? We barely know each other's names, and don't even really have a name. I came up with Triple Double Jazz Band because we had to have a name of some sort. Better than "Spaghetti Fusion," which is what I came up with last time anyone asked me to name a band. After the gig I thought, "well, its a good gig if one of the only jazz clubs in Norhern Virgina thinks so much of your group that they want you to play there."

Thanks for all of your contributions to me being able to even attempt jazz in a public setting. Nice part was that prior to playing I was not nervous at all. Probably because the guys I played with were all very accomplished jazz players. My job was to not take away from anything they were doing. Manged to do that for the most part, save Up Jumped Spring. But when I got lost, Ed generously and smartly decided it was time to let me solo my way out of my own confusion. And it worked! Thanks Ed!