May 22, 2009
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The Hot House Jazz Band, May 16, 2009
Hooray
for eccentricity! The three members of the Hot House Jazz Band – Eric
Henry, tuba; Paul Butler, clarinet; and Jim Smith, tenor guitar/vocals
– are not your ordinary trio, because they have a collective sense of
humor and a wacky gaiety that are truly infectious. On top of
that, they are terrific musicians, and Bedford County was privileged to
enjoy two days of their marvelous fun and exceptional playing.
These
three talented musicians began their two-day residency by giving
concerts at the three Tussey Mountain School District elementary
schools. Starting at 9:15 at Defiance, moving on to
Saxton-Liberty, and then winding up after lunch at Robertsdale, they
treated each group of wildly enthusiastic students as if their music
program were brand-new. As indeed it was, because each time they
adapted to the audience in slightly different ways. From “Ain’t
Misbehavin’” to Duke Ellington’s “It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got
that Swing” (with the kids supplying the doo-wahs) to the all-audience
participation in “Ballin’ the Jack” and the hilarious “Honey Child,”
each song brought laughs and applause. Paul Butler also
introduced the students to a new instrument called a “Hang”, made in
Switzerland, with a steel-band-type sound but softer, and played a
mesmerizing duet with Eric Henry on the Native American flute. It
was a fine introduction to jazz for a combined audience of almost 600
students and their teachers.
On
Saturday, the trio warmed up with an informal jam session in the Golden
Eagle parking lot that lasted for several hours. On Saturday
evening the Bedford United Methodist Church was the hot (cool?) place
to be in town, with the Hot House Jazz Band entertaining the crowd with
such classic jazz songs as “Ain’t Misbehavin”, “It Don’t Mean a Thing,”
“Caravan,” “Sweet Georgia Brown”, “Up a Lazy River,” and many
more. Jim Smith’s Satchmo-type growling voice was a perfect fit
with the inventive improvisations of Paul Butler on the clarinet and
the remarkable tuba playing of Eric Henry. My favorite was their
version of “Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen,” rewritten as “The bear missed the
train and now he’s walkin’” and performed at a lively pace. We
heard the hang/flute combination again, which created a quiet,
reflective pause in an evening full of musical excitement.
After
the concert there was a run on the CDs the trio had for sale, and no
wonder: We had just had an evening of superb entertainment.