I smiled as I turned the key and began backing out of my driveway towards what would be lots of fun. I was heading to Bernheim Hall (located in the downtown library on Government Street is this magnificent theater I only discovered this year!). If you are not familiar with it and you live in Mobile or near Mobile or are traveling to Mobile, make a point to check it out.
Catt Sirten, Rick Hirsch,and others, are creating something very special for Mobile. They are turning the spotlight on our musical talent for the world to see or at least for the rest of the state and the region to see. With hard work and lots of planning they were able to get a commitment from APT (Alabama Public TV) to air 13 episodes of “Live from Avalon”. This program showcases a different band or musician in each episode. The filming is almost half way through as they film live at Bernheim Hall Theater the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month. The shows will begin airing late this year (October or November). It’s not too late to come and be in the audience, at least two months of live shows are yet to be performed, so mark your calendars. The second and fourth Thursdays.
Now that I have explained it, let me tell you about my evening. I arrived and my son, Eric Erdman (who was already there helping get things set up) met me outside and made sure I got inside safely. We visited and talked to several people and I took my seat down front in the center row of seats. It was very cold in the theater that evening. As I wrapped my arms around myself to warm up, Eric came by and squatted down to talk. He said he would be sitting up in the balcony this time and asked if I would like to join him. My thought was, “heat rises” and of course I wanted to enjoy the show next to him; so up I jumped and off we went towards the winding stairway to the balcony.
This night the show was Mobile Big Band Society. This is a group of about 17 men who are all proficient on their instruments and proud to be given the opportunity to share this talent. Led by Chip Herrington, they played one of the best live shows I have ever heard. Dressed in their white sport coats and black bow ties, they were there to impress; and impress they did.
After the preliminaries were out of the way, the music began. It was magical without a doubt. It was uplifting, spirit infusing music that made you want to move a little or sometimes move a lot depending on the song. I caught a glimpse of movement below and as I focused to see what it was I realized there were several couples who could not sit still and had taken places in the aisles to express themselves in dance. It was the old-time swing type dancing and it created happiness just watching them move.
Added to the beautiful music was two vocalist, one male and one female who graced the stage and sang a couple of songs each. This added fullness and feeling to their songs and took things to an even higher level.
You needed to be there to fully understand the magic of the sounds these guys made for our pleasure. One member was exceptional on the clarinet, one saxophone player from Pensacola performed a couple of solos and one in the back who played the bent trumpet of Dizzy Gillespie style blew us away. All were great, these were some of the highlighted moments. The keyboardist was from Chicago and there is none better and the upright bass and drummer knew exactly what to do and how to do it to make the overall sound perfect. And perfect, it was!
Chip Herrington was very impressive to me. I have known him for years as, in addition to being a huge part of The Mobile Big Band Society, he hops in and plays often at local shows. I have seen him at Chick Fest at Veet’s downtown and at Callaghan’s as well as other places where music was taking place. This night was special to me as far as Chip Herrington is concerned. He impressed me with his trumpet, his guidance of the band and his overall showmanship that evening. It was clear that he was in his element. His love of music was oozing from every pore and he wore a grin the entire night.
I was entertained, I was impressed, I was happy to be alive! What more could you ask of a band than to leave that kind of feeling to their audience? I say BRAVO to the Mobile Big Band Society and BRAVO to “Live From Avalon” and all those responsible for the show!
What a wonderful way to clear our heads of the nonsense on the news….we need more of this!
No comments:
Post a Comment