Spacecats played our first brunch gig at The Grand in Croton yesterday, and it went great. The Grand turned out to be a really nice place, with a good stage and good acoustics, and the people who ran it were really friendly. They provided a backline of equipment including drums and amps, which was nice. When we were setting up, the manager suggested I wouldn’t need a mic for my sax, and he was totally right. We didn’t even use the P.A. but it sounded great.
It was a really good crowd too; the place was pretty much full. A bunch of friends came to see us, including Leah and Dan from my old job, and their families. And the food was really good. They gave us complementary drinks and breakfast. So it was a great vibe overall.
Best thing was the band was really on. We didn’t do our usual set, which is a mix of jazz, funk, rock and pop songs, and originals. Instead we focused mainly on jazz standards, mostly on the mellow, mid-tempo side. It gave us a chance to really get into this material and shine with it. Often I took an extended number of choruses on my solos, just kept on blowing, cuz everything felt so good. The ideas kept on flowing and the band kept on feeding me energy and things to respond to. I think everyone in the group felt the same way.
Our set list was mostly songs from the real book, with just three originals. To make thing easy, I ordered them alphabetically, with a block of songs from book two comprising the first half of the second set.
Alice in Wonderland
Alice in Wonderland
All of Me
All the Things U R
April in Paris
As Simple As It Gets
Black Nile
Black Orpheus
Dolphin Dance
Easy to Love
Giant Steps
Green Landings
Have You Met Ms. Jones?
I Hear a Rhapsody
Killer Joe
Moose the Mooche
Mr. Magic
Panonnica
St. Thomas
Jordu
Little Waltz
Minority
My Romance
There’s Snow Tomorrow
West Coast Blues
Best of all, they invited us back for a regular gig! So look for the next engagement soon.
Meanwhile, next up is The Side Hustle playing horn section funk, dance and party music at the Shrine in Harlem next Friday. Detail coming soon.