by George Borgman

Banjoist Stu Ingersoll is producing a Feb. 24 jazz concert featuring the Northeast Traditional Jazz Ensemble at the Valley Regional High School, Kelsey Hill Road, Deep River, Conn. The event will run from 3-5 p.m. Participating musicians will be cornetist Scott Philbrick, trombonist Herb Gardner, reedman Dan Levinson, banjoist/vocalist Jimmy Mazzy, tubaist/string bassist Art Hovey, pianist Robin Verdier, drummer Ed Stockmal and vocalist Jane Campadelli. Call (203) 526-9681 or (203) 767-4904 for additional information.

Bria and Jim's Borderline Jazz Band will be featured in concert at 7:30 p.m., April 16, for the Sonny Costanzo Concert Series at Quinipiac University, Hamden, Conn. The band members are Bria Skonberg on trumpet and vocals, Jim Fryer on trombone, Dan Levinson on reeds, Christian Sands on piano, James Chirillo on guitar and banjo and Ed Wise on bass.

A special concert of the Underground Jazz Stars and Abby was scheduled for Feb. 4 at the Bickford Theatre-Morris Museum, Normandy Heights Road, Morristown, N. J. The Underground All Stars are Herb Gardner, leader, trombonist and pianist; cornetist Fred Vigorito, leader of the Galvanized Jazz Band in Connecticut; Dan Levinson, clarinet, C-melody saxophone and leader of various groups in New York City; banjoist Bruce McNichols, leader of the Smith Street Society, New York and co-host of the nationally syndicated "Jim Lowe Show" and his own show on OKOM web radio; Chicken Joe Hanchrow on string bass and tuba, formerly with the Marine Band and the Radio City Music Hall Orchestra in New York; drummer Robbie Scott, Bobby Short's drummer for years and leader of his own New Deal Orchestra; and vocalist Abbie Gardner who was star of her own nationally famous group, Red Molly, and was featured with the Galvanized Jazz Band and Stan Rubin's Tigertown Jazz groups.

In Connecticut, the Galvanized Jazz Band, with guest trombonist Craig Grant, was at Marisa's Restaurant, 6540 Main Street, Trumbull, Jan. 20. On Feb. 17, 6-8:30 p.m., GJB will again play at Marisa's. Vigorito's mother, who is 94 years old the next day, will be there. Call (203) 459-4225 for details. The band will also be at Marisa's April 6.

GJB played in concert, with Jim Fryer and banjoist Joel Schiavone as guests, on Jan. 27, at the Thornton Wilder Auditorium, Miller Cultural Complex, Hamden, Conn., as part of the town's concert series, and the large audience enjoyed the music. GJB, with trombonist Skip Hughes and pianist Herb Gardner as guests, will be at the Westport Senior Center, 21 Imperial Avenue, Westport, Conn., on Feb. 10, 2-3:30 p.m.. Call (203) 341-5099 for reservations and details.

GJB will make a special appearance at 6:30 p.m., March 2 at Ciao, 964 Chapel Street, New Haven, Conn. The band's guests will be reedman Noel Kaletsky, pianist Andy Rubenoff and banjoist Joel Schiavone. The performance is entitled "That's What I Like About the South." Call (203) 772-3002 for reservations and additional information.

GJB's latest compact disc is a recording of the band, with Jim Fryer and banjoist Bob Price, in concert at Music Mountain, Falls Village, Conn., in August. GJB's Airmail Special has sold out, but Vigorito has recently received more CDs. Check www.galvanizedjazz.com for details about ordering the CDs.

Fred Vigorito reports sadly that Rae Rubino, 63, who was a waitress at the Millpond Tavern, Northford, Conn., passed away Jan. 23. She was a fan of GJB, which played many years at the Millpond. On Jan. 26, GJB members played spirituals, as Rubino had requested, for her burial at All Saints Cemetery, Northford, Conn.

Skip Hughes was the guest Jan. 3 of drummer Bill  Logozzo's Heartbeat Jazz Band at Oliver's in Essex, Conn. HJB, with Hughes and banjoist Gim Burton as guests, is scheduled to play Oliver's,  7-10 p.m., Feb. 7.

The Sherborn Inn, Routes 16 and 17, Sherborn, features traditional jazz every Tuesday, 7-9:30 p.m. For more information and reservations, call (508) 655-9521.

On Jan. 8, Doctor John Clark's Wolverine Jazz Band was featured at the Sherborn Inn where they performed a few selections drawn from the repertoire they played on Jan. 13, 1998, their first gig at the Sherborn Inn. I've heard the Wolverines' latest CD,  Zero & More, and it's the band's best CD yet, in my opinion. The band's regulars are on the CD, and guest Scott Philbrick plays cornet on two numbers and guitar on two. The band's rendition of "Dark Eyes" is particularly marvelous!

Reedman Stan McDonald's Blue Horizon Jazz Band played its regular engagement at the Sherborn Inn Jan. 15. The other bandsmen were trumpeter Jeff Stout, trombonist Gerry Gagnon, pianist Ross Petot, guitarist/banjoist Eric Baldwin, bassist John Pierce, and drummer Dave Bragdon. BHJ plays from 7-9:30 p.m. every third Tuesday at the Sherborn Inn, and it will be at the Sherborn Inn Feb. 19.

The New Black Eagle Jazz Band was at the Sherborn Inn Jan. 22. NBEJB performs the second Thursday monthly at J.P. O'Hanlon's Pub & Restaurant, Ayer, Mass.

Swing Times Five entertained at the Sherborn Inn. Jan. 29.

Robin Verdier's Monte Carlo Jazz Ensemble will be at the Sherborn Inn Feb. 5. Some of the rare tunes Verdier has scheduled for the ensemble to play include "And They Called It Dixieland," from 1916, "When Lindy Comes Home to His Mother" (1928), "Mule Face Blues" (1928), "I'll Dance at Your Wedding" (1938), and "Morocco Blues" (1926). Verdier's musical colleagues are cornetist Jeff Hughes, reedmen Craig Ball and John Clark, tubaist Al Bernard, and drummer Bill Reynolds.

Other groups at the Sherborn Inn in February will be That Old Feeling, the 12th, Clark's Wolverines, the 19th, and Rags to Riches, the 26th. The Wolverines will also be there March 6.

On Jan. 19, at Raffael's Banquet Facility, Walpole, Mass., Ron Della Chiesa, host of the radio program Music America, produced the "Strictly Sinatra Music America Rat Pack Dance Party," with Sinatra-style vocalist Ron Dutra, Steven Palumbo and Manny Barros recreating Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr., and recorded music from the 1960s and '70s.

If you have news of traditional jazz, swing or ragtime in New England, please e-mail me at algeob@aol.com or call me at (781) 762-9344. I'd like to learn more about what is happening in Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont.

February 2008 issue | © 2008 The Mississippi Rag

P.O. Box 19068, Minneapolis, MN 55419.