Jazz Stories

Dance we must, as the motown groove of San Francisco favorite “Pride and Joy” is undeniable! And dance we did, all night long, with our friends Mike and Fong. The packed house brought out every 55 year old in Menlo Park California who isn’t afraid to boogie. When they band closed with “Shout!” it was quite entertaining to look around and see everyone (including us) complaining that we can’t “get a little bit softer now; get a little bit lower now”—our knees hurt! ...

Although I’m not much for attending fundraising events, I was glad to go out and support my favorite jazz club, the Bach Dynamite and Dancing Society. The San Mateo Community College Jazz band was a real treat. And I participated in the auction and won this cool framed photo, taken at the Bach. Details Location: Bach Dynamite and Dancing Date: February 11, 2023 Attending: Jeremy

Fred Armisen introduced his show as “comedy for musicians” - and indeed, it featured lots of funny talk about music. An evening with Fred Armisen is a bit more like hanging out with a slightly off-kilter, ironic cousin than it is like traditional standup comedy. He did impressions of punk rock in every country across the world. He put trotted out a bass guitar and chomped on the headstock, which turned out to be a brownie. He played a great sounding Rickenbacker bass for a bit. Sitting at the drums, he did impressions of every punk rock band stretching across two decades. He’s smart and funny, and got us home in time for bed on a school night. ...

Micah and I visited Jack London Square to hear one of the most amazing big bands on the planet, Gordon Goodwin’s “Big Phat Band.” And we were joined by an enthusiastic crowd with a line stretching out the door. Big band nerds of planet, unite! The music was energetic, dazzling in complexity, and unfailingly tight. We especially liked the theme song from “The Incredibles”, which this band wrote and performed. Also a tribute to Looney Toons called “Hunting Wabbits.” ...

Walking into the newly remolded Guild in Menlo Park, we thought “we must know people here.” The crowd, how to put it? The crowd wore its age as well as we do. Petty Theft had a great reputation as a Tom Petty cover band, and they delivered. We had a lot of fun dancing to the endless string of greatest hits. It’s great to have a venue so near our house with music we enjoy. And yes, we did know people there – Audrey’s ex-husband Raphael and his wife Stephanie! ...