Yes, I Know I Haven't Posted.

Okay, here's the quick and dirty on the Fairport Canal Days. I did not get to see the Bowties because there was a torrential downpour. So sad. I did see Gap Mangione's Big Band. Nice. I also had chicken barbecue at the same time. It was a little dry. On Saturday, my son had a car accident--he's fine, thank you--but it through off my schedule just a tad.

However, I did manage to see Footnote later in the afternoon. My daughter came with me. She said they were "melodic." She liked them a lot. She has a good ear and an incredible voice. Footnote is a "smooth-ish" jazz band with plenty of original tunes which I did enjoy. They also covered Steely Dan, David Sanborn, the Doobies and Rippingtons quite nicely. The venue was outdoors in front of a coffee shop right by the railroad tracks. Not the best venue for balance. The lead guitar (Jon Greeno) and the keyboards (Jon Tucker) and the drums (Keith Welch) were loud enough, but the bass (Herb Renke) and the rhythm guitar (Adam Bradley) were on the soft side. They really needed to turn up. Adam had a couple of cool solos, but I could hardly hear him. Once again, it was partly due to the venue. I would really like to see them inside a club with decent acoustics. They were very enjoyable, and I'd go see them again. I do believe they will be at the Jazz Fest. As a matter of fact, on June 10 at the ROBERT MONDAVI CLUB PASS BIG TENT at 6:00 pm. I'll try to get in to see them. They were cool. Websites, anyone? myspace.com/jongreeno, myspace.com/thefootnoteband, myspace.com/tucktranix

On Sunday, I saw the Fairport High School Jazz Alumni Reunion Tour. Okay, it's not really a tour, and some of the kids/guys don't pick up their instruments once between yearly concerts, but you know what? They sounded damned good! Following them was The Bill Tiberio Group. But this incarnation of BTG was a little different than usual. There was Bill, of course, on sax--always incredible, always sweet and soulful. There was Mel on guitar--the usual Mel but with a littl wah-wah going on. He kept me on my toes! Aaron Staebell killed on drums, as usual. But, instead of Gerry Youngman on organ and left-hand bass (he was out-of-town), Bill had Geoff Smith on bass (killer) and Scott Bradley on keys and trumpet (he was great). They could not have played long enough. What an enjoyable way to spend almost an hour on a summer's afternoon. (Their link is on the side.)

I love being surprised. And let me tell you, Mint Jam was a surprise. I had heard they were "good." But they were kids. Who could have known how good they would be? Gabe Condon (15) on lead guitar and vocals; Ray DeSalvo (14) on drums, and Matthew Condon (13) on bass. They covered Cream, Robben Ford, Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and more really, really well. They had their own originals, too, which were also quite good. These kids are going somewhere. Gabe is the total package. He can play. Boy, can he play. He's got the voice (hope it's still good when it's done changing). And he's cute and has stage presence. I will want to see where he is five years from now, ten years from now . . . sonicbids.com/gabecondonandmintjam

So, that's a quick rundown of the music that I heard at Canal Days, 2007.

Oh, and I heard that there was mention tonight on WXXI's broadcast of All Things Considered that I will be podcasting from the Jazz Fest. Well. I don't have a pod. And even if I did, I'm not sure I'd know how to cast. So, I've contacted my "IT Support Team" to see if they can make it happen. I'll keep you informed . . .

yours in music (and in anticipation of the Jazz Fest),
Tracy