Tuesday, February 16, 2010

What Did You Miss This Week? (Week 161 #204)

More Juke Practice!
Both B1 classes continued practicing the Juke ensemble arrangement to be performed at the Harmonica Convergence show next month. More time was spent refining the individual harmonica parts. It sounds like people have about 90% of their parts memorized and if there were issues, it was because players were rushing the beat. MUCH more time will be spent preparing for the concert.

Please show up as early as possible for rehearsal in the coming weeks. We will try to start Juke practice at 6:45 pm beginning next week through March 15 (the last Monday practice before the performance).

Kim Wilson Weekend Was A Hit!
Quite a few B1 folks were able to catch Kim Wilson while he was in town at Buddy Guy's Legends and the U of C Folk Festival.

Plus, a few B1 players sat in on Kim's workshop at the Festival on Saturday afternoon. Kim demonstrated how to play with a vocalist in the traditional Chicago Blues Harp approach.

Corporate Kirk Manley reported a packed house for Kim's killer performance at The Midway Tavern in Mishawaka, Indiana. CK also had a chance to chat with a couple of B1 buddies at the show: the multi-talented Billy Flynn and Gerry Hundt!

The Next Great Ensemble Performance -- Juke!!!
Shoji Naito, ensemble writer extraordinaire, has produced another fabulous group piece for us to perform at the Harmonica Convergence show March 21, 2010, and this time it's Little Walter's "Juke"! Everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate. This will be a fabulous opportunity for us to perform on the main stage at the Old Town School, sharing the bill with professional harp players Corky Siegel, Peter "Madcat" Ruth, Joe Filisko and Howard Levy.
Practice time will start a little earlier (6:45 pm) starting next week, so please make an effort to come early for this rehearsal.

MEMORIZE YOUR PARTS! Shoji needs everyone to memorize the parts this week so we can focus efforts on our timing instead of on the notes. Learn your parts and be ready next Monday!
Shoji has posted the parts and the song here: Juke.

The Harmonica Convergence show is scheduled from 7:00pm to 9:30pm. Joe and Shoji are expecting that we will likely be a "warm up" act going on prior to 7:00pm, so plan your schedule accordingly.

The Highway RickEy Blues Jam!
B1's very own tonecup harmonica master, drummer, and vocalist, Highway RickEy, is launching a new Wednesday night blues jam, starting this week, February 17.

Jerry's Sandwiches
1938 West Division Street
Chicago, IL 60622
9:30pm Wednesdays

Huge Thanks From Filisko & Noden!
Joe and Eric were extremely thrilled at the number of people that showed up for their gig at the Lisle Public Library last Sunday afternoon. The organizer said it was one of their most highly attended gigs ever. Joe and Eric would both like to thank everyone who came to the show.

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!

Catch This One On Internet Radio!
Joe Filisko and Zoe Savage, rising-star Cajun duo, will be visiting our dear friend Jerry Devillier and performing in Louisiana in February, making radio appearances at shows like this one: DL Menard and Guests. It looks like it will be streaming live on the internet on February 27 from 6:00pm-7:30, so tune in!

And Don't Miss This One In Person!
We're excited to announce a very special show on Thursday, March 18 at SPACE in Evanston. The Filisko and Noden duo are opening up for the Jim Liban Trio! Don't miss this one! And to help you out, Jeff "Bone" Reynolds has arranged to sell tickets to save you the online shopping or the trip to the box office. See Jeff next week if you need tickets ($10/ea.) Pawn your watch, phone in sick on Friday, do whatever you need to do to be at this show -- it's going to be great!

Newsletter News!
The newsletter and more is always online! Check it out for more details on newsletter items, a calendar of local gigs, jams, birthdays, archives, links, videos and special features.

We welcome your input. If you're inspired to write a review of a live show, CD, DVD or book, please submit it to us for consideration.

- Corporate Kirk Manley, B1 Blues Crew (for Grant Kessler)