Jazz Time

Hello all! I hope you had a good weekend, and had some time to read, or craft, or walk, or just whatever you felt like doing.

We went to a jazz concert on Saturday evening at the Philadelphia Clef Club, which is someplace we have passed so many times, but never visited until then. 

A few months ago, The Tim had bought us tickets for this event:

Joey DeFrancesco was from this area, and was well-known in the jazz world for his talents as a jazz organist, trumpeter, and saxophonist. He died last August from a heart attack, and this was a tribute to him and his legacy, with the proceeds going to a fund to teach jazz to young people.

The Clef Club was really so neat inside - there were several levels for the audience, with tables and chairs where you could sit and listen to the music, have a drink, and even order something to drink. 

Needless to say, the music was great. These three gentlemen - Lucas Brown on the organ, Anwar Marshall on the drums, and Terrell Stafford on the trumpet - had all worked together and with Joey DeFrancesco for a long time. All of them had good stories to tell. We also heard from his wife, his brother, and one of his first music teachers. I was not overly familiar with him, but it was clear that even from a very young age, his talent was outsized.

The Temple University Jazz Ensemble performed and wow, are those kids good! It was also fun to watch them when some of the others played, to see how much they enjoyed watching the pros.

And then this guy - Jerry Weldon on the saxophone, who has clearly been on the scene for a while. I told The Tim that I expected that any second, 1952 would call and tell him to come back. And when he finished playing, it really wouldn't have surprised me at all to hear him say, "And now ladies and gentlemen - The Rat Pack!" 😊

It was a fun evening, listening to people who clearly enjoyed themselves playing wonderful music, for a lost friend and a good cause. 

Walking home afterwards, we kept commenting on how many people were out and about ... and then realized that of course, it was a Saturday night! Since we seldom are out and about after 8 p.m., and hardly ever on weekend nights, it was once again eye-opening to remember that for some people, that's what they anticipate all week. Another 'duh' moment.

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My plans for today are to pay bills, get some things decluttered, and soak and block the cardigan that I did in fact finish on Friday! Which also means that once the things I *must* do are completed, I can cast on something new. I'm ridiculously excited about that. I have some yarn wound to knit a hat, so I think I'll start on that first. 

I'm surprised that next weekend is Easter - I thought there were still about two weeks left. We are bummed that this year, my niece Amanda and her husband Pat won't be joining us. They have a friend who is celebrating her 50th birthday by having all of her friends join her for a weekend in Rehoboth Beach. Which should be fun, but it means no Inappropriate Easter Egg contest this year - it's not any fun with only the two of us. But we'll still have a good holiday weekend, with egg coloring, goodies, and baskets for the kit kats. At this point, it even sounds like the weather might cooperate, which would be a plus.

Let's hope this week is a good and happy one for all us.