At least, that's what it says in the e-mail I just got from Ticketmaster!!! Friday, Jan. 25th at the House of Blues!!

So, I've already got tickets for Kirk Whalum & Rick Braun in Houston on Saturday, Jan. 19th...then Spyro Gyra on the 25th!!

I tell ya, it's either feast or famine around here! (More often the latter!)

Looking forward to seeing S.G.!! Woooo-hoooo!! Yeah, baby!!

[This message has been edited by smjzzfan (edited December 21, 2001).]

...and they FINALLY added the date to their website's tour schedule!! I've been waiting for that!

Need to go get my tickets tomorrow! Hopefully, most of the tourists have left the French Quarter by now...it was wall-to-wall people down there last weekend! Not a parking spot to be had!

Donna, Where is a decent less expensive motel near HOB, hopefully within walking distance. I'm still working on getting the days off work and deciding whether to fly down or drive down. Even if I go to Orlando to see them there, I'm still wanting to come on down anyway.

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Layne-NC
(Later)
From what I have seen, somebody must think that the Super Bowl is still that weekend. Are rooms usually $250 a night in the winter time? And MArdi Gras is later on. I'm going to do some more checking and may have to stay a little further out!!


[This message has been edited by Layne-NC (edited January 04, 2002).]

I am tired, burnt out, sleep deprived, and on the verge of getting sick, but all that being said I can't miss SG , especially since HOB is my favorite place to see a concert outside of the smaller clubs, so I guess next Saturday is a road trip!

Layne, the House of Blues is located in the French Quarter, which is probably the TOP tourist area in the city. And tourism being the number one industry of the city, to make a long story short, I doubt very seriously if anyone could find anything "inexpensive" within walking distance of the HOB! (Except maybe a park bench??)

However, one could stay in my suburb of Metairie, for instance, and drive into the city in 10 or 15 minutes.

Anyway, I'll e-mail ya.

(Bought my tickets today!!! I'm excited!)

It's getting close, ya'll...this Friday night!!! I'll be taking my 24 year-old son. This will be only his second jazz experience. His first was LAST Friday night, when I took him to see a native New Orleanian trumpeter named Christian Scott (said trumpeter is currently attending Berkeley School of Music in Boston, and already fantastic at around 20 years old, this guy will be really BIG some day!)

Anyway, my son was pleasantly surprised and impressed by the mostly traditional jazz sounds he heard...but I think Spyro will blow him away!!

I'll let ya'll know how it goes!

smjzzfan . . .

Looking forward to you comments.

By the way, how was the Kirk Whalum/Rick Braun show?

Have always felt that Kirk was one of the better of the smooth players. Though he's up for a Grammy, it still seems to me that he has not reached the same level of recognition of Boney, Dave and others.

A couple of my friends went to see him in Philly with Wayman Tisdale a couple of months ago. To my surprise they thought his show was only "okay" and felt Wayman made the evening. After these comments, I was wondering about his stage presence?

What's your take on Whalum? (I know how you feel about Rick Braun).

Phil, how about if I answer your question in the Contemporary General site?

Well Donna, I sit here stuck at work instead of being down with you for the show. I'm sure you will enjoy it, but it would have been more fun if I could have been there. Sometimes I get ideas of what I would like to do and places to go, but sometimes things don't work out the way I want. I tend to be a big dreamer and occasionally my dreams get fulfilled. But even next month I have some friends coming down for Mardi Gras, so I could have stayed with them in their room in the French Quarter. But I also received an invitation from our local Sheriff, to come visit his facilities that week, and judge my fellow man, aka- Jury Duty

Oh Well, It could be worse!!

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Layne-NC

Sorry you couldn't make it, Layne! Hope they come around your area sometime in the near future!

Well, the hours are ticking away! Just have to make it through this afternoon at work!

We're gonna go eat at the House of Blues before the show. That way, we'll be among the first to get in to the show, and we'll actually get to sit down, close to the stage! If you don't get there really early, it's standing room only! And I bet it'll be packed in there tonight!

HOB, here I come!!!

WOW!!!

That's about all I can say right now...I'm worn out! And all I did was watch and listen (and let out quite a few "Wooo-hooo's!) How do those "old guys" DO it, night after night??

Spyro Gyra TORE UP the House of Blues!! What a fantastic show! Thanks, guys! You sounded great! I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

And my son, too...I told ya'll I was bringing him...well, he was duly impressed.

A poster named "Rick" had given a set-list from the show he saw in Atlanta. Well, I took a copy of his list with me, and while we both seemed to hear the same songs, my list comes out in a slightly different order. For anybody who's interested, here's what they played:

1) After Hours*
2) Catching the Sun (real different, rockin' version!)
3) Florida Straits*
4) Song For Lorraine
5) Goodbye Pork Pie Hat (from Jay's solo CD)
6) Monsoon
7) Pipo's Song
8) South American Sojourn
9) Groovin' for Grover*
10) Feelin' Fine (pt 2?)*
11) Julio's Party*
12) encore: Breakfast at Igor's (extra hot version!)

(* from "In Modern Times")

Wow...I'm still numb...and my throat's sore. I'm going to plop into bed!

G'night, ya'll.

Hey Smjzzfan!

Glad you enjoyed Spyro in "Nauwlins"!

I had the GREAT pleasure of seeing them the next night (last night) in Dallas! What an AWESOME show!! I think you pretty well summed it up... they DO know how to "tear the place up"!!!

Anyways, the set-list was exactly as you listed. I just saw them a couple of weeks ago in Atlanta. The set-list I posted for that one was from memory... so I may have mixed up the order a bit. I do remember, though, that Monsoon did not follow Goodbye Pork Pie Hat in the Atlanta concert (though it did last night).

In any case, it's always such a treat to hear these guys perform live. Last night was my 5th time to see them perform... 3rd time in the last year! I'm an airline pilot, so I constantly look for ways to match up my trip schedule with one of their concerts... this has been a particularly good year for that.

They are always well worth the effort to see...

Rick

Wow
Thought I met get a shot at seeing them in Memphis next weekend. Turns out they'r performing at a fund-raiser for Lemoyne-Owen College. Tickets $100 per person.

I love em, but that's a bit too steep -- especially since I have no affiliation with the college.

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Woody
jazzwriter23@yahoo.com