Tuesday, December 1, 2009

What Did You Miss This Week? (Week 150 #194)

Rehearsal!
Classes this week were devoted to rehearsal for the Old Town School Blues Harmonica Recital #13 coming up December 11, 2009 at the Harlem Avenue Lounge. We rehearsed individual songs with the band and also ran through Shoji's four-part arrangement of Silver Bells. Be ready to rehearse again next week.

The full set list for the Recital can be viewed here.

Joe also handed out and played Silent Night, available here. This is a first position tune in the upper register. To work on your bends, try moving the melody down an octave.

A few readers encountered trouble with the link to last week's transcription, Lights Out, so here's the link again: Lights Out.

PRACTICE SILVER BELLS!!!
We continue to rehearse Shoji's four-part arrangement for Silver Bells. This is ensemble playing that everyone should get involved in and play with us at the December 11 Recital. Pick a part you feel you can master and work on it so you have it memorized for the December 11 performance. We will work on this at 8pm every week leading up to the recital. Regardless of the part you choose, Shoji recommends everyone also spend some time learning the melody (Part One). Here's the link to Silver Bells.

Harmonica Documentary Film Recognized!
Director Marc Lempert and producer Todd Slobin spent time in B1 when working on their film, Pocket Full of Soul, and recently sent this announcement:

Each year The Blues Foundation recognizes excellence in Blues Music by non-performers by presenting the Keeping the Blues Alive Awards. Pocket Full of Soul is honored to be a recipient of this award for 2009 in the category of Visual Broadcast, Film, Television and Video.

For more information about the KBA's, please go to blues.org.

2009 Blues Before Sunrise Film Festival!
Sunday Afternoon, December 6, 2009 - Free Admission

Steve Cushing, Blues Before Sunrise, WDCB, Jazz Record Mart and Delmark Records invite you to Steve's pre-Christmas film party. The screening will be held at Afterwords Bookstore, 23 E. Illinois from noon until 7:00pm, Sunday, December 6. Here is the full schedule.

Note that Steve Cushing's program, Blues Before Sunrise, airs every Saturday at midnight on WDCB 90.9FM.

Class Notes
  • Get your tickets now for the next Harmonica Convergence show featuring Joe Filisko, Howard Levy, Corky Siegel and Peter Madcat Ruth at the Old Town School, March 21, 2010. The show will be a tribute to the great harmonica legend, and longtime Steve Miller Band member, Norton Buffalo. Rumor has it there may be other harp players you know in the lineup, so don't miss it!
Newsletter News!
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- Grant Kessler, B1 Blues Crew