On Saturday, June 8th, I had tickets to see my friends Eric Comstock and his wife Barbara Fasano at Birdland. It was a beautiful day, so I biked down to Birdland, even though I was meeting a date there, the lovely Lara. I got there early, and the club kindly allowed me to put my folding bike backstage. By the time Lara came, I was cleaned up pretty nicely with a summery jacket and tie, dress shirt and shoes, and a summer hat. My pal Will Friedwald came, but sat behind us with our friend David Rosen, who takes some of the best photos you’ll ever see of New York nightlife. David also has a Brompton, after years of riding a recumbent, but parks his outside.
Eric was in fine form tonight both on piano and vocally. He played with bassist Sean Smith, and later his wife came out for a set. Eric is quite knowledgeable about the music he sings, and offered wonderful stories about the songs, most of which were new to me. We had terrific seats, and had dinner there.
As luck would have it. there was a show downstairs starting just as Eric and Barbara’s show was ending. “Old Friends,” a set piece with Clint Holmes, Veronica Swift, and Nicholas King, with a top-notch five-piece band behind them, led by the outstanding accompanist and musical director Tedd Firth. Tom Hubbard on the bass. I had wanted to see this for awhile. I asked Gianni Valenti, the owner of the club, if I could see the show (without paying a second cover). This is where it really pays to be a regular and to befriend the owner, because he kindly invited Lara and I to sit at the table next to him near the door downstairs, on the house. Thanks, Gianni!
If you haven’t yet seen or heard of Veronica Swift, you will. She’s a dear friend of mine. She only turned 25 last month. She’s one of the best singers of jazz I’ve ever heard. “Bebop lives here” is her motto. She grew up with this music all around her — her mother, Stephanie Nakasian, is also a terrific singer who sang with the likes of Jon Hendricks. Her father, the late Hod O’Brien, was a renowned jazz pianist. Veronica is well-trained at the conservatory level — she can sing opera as well as jazz standards — and has a magnificent instrument and what I’d describe as otherworldly skills to play with impossible modulations, sans reference notes. She scats as well as anyone I’ve heard (including her idol Anita O’Day and mine, Ella Fitzgerald). Here was a chance to hear her show off many other vocal sides, and even some acting chops.
The show struck me as a “Manhattan Tower for the 2000’s” — all but one song an original for the show, and it told a story, with many Manhattan references in the lyrics. The three stars played together like, well, old friends — and I hope this show gets bigger!
After the show, while speaking with the stars, I mentioned a particular friend of mine, Roy, who has spectacular parties with jam sessions. I’d gotten Veronica and Will into one of these. I’d also met the cabaret star Jamie deRoy at one, and she was there tonight. Seconds after mentioning these parties to Jamie, my friend messaged me out of the blue, asking if I’d like to come jam at his new home. I invited Lara to join me, and scooted to the upper west side (took the bike on the train), where I spent the remainder of Saturday night with Roy on piano and his friend Alvin on sax, with iRealPro backing tracks, on a stage in Roy’s home. Yes, a stage. Roy has a bunch of guitars and other instruments, so it was fine that I didn’t just happen to have one with me. It was challenging — they played things like Coltrane, Miles Davis and other jazz standards — I have a great ear and good instincts, but I don’t actually play “jazz” per se — still, I was able to find chords and leads that suited the music.
A good week for The Boulevardier!