Skere9

I just came across this fascinating video on YouTube of a 2001 BBC special by BBC reporter Jonathan Maitland. It’s a brief look at the life of Eva Cassidy, and was created only six years after Eva passed away, and right about the time her music had finally been gaining international fame, climbing the charts in England. In the piece, Maitland travels from the UK to my home town of Bowie, makes this comment:

“This is where Eva Cassidy grew up, it’s a town called Bowie, on the outskirts of Washington, DC, and it’s not the kind of place you’d expect one of the greatest voices of her generation, as she’s now been described, to come from. It’s very stayed, it’s very suburban, it’s not very musical …”

HA! I had to laugh and laugh at that last comment. Bowie – not very musical? I can see why a BBC reporter from the UK might assume that to be the case, but we Bowie-ites know better, just as we knew when Eva was still alive and performing here. OK, so the streets of little ol’ Bowie aren’t lined with nightclubs and concert halls. Or at least – they weren’t then, today there are a few coffee shops and other venues in which to perform. And Eva was incredibly talented, we all knew it then and are happy the world knows it now. But other musicians who performed with her then – like Todd Bauchspies and others – are phenomenally gifted performers in their own right. Kathie Lee Gifford broadcasts live every morning fom Rockefeller Center in New York City on NBC’s Today, but she grew up here and started her career in Bowie. Other locals from the surrounding area – like Doc Scantlin and Chou Chou and their Imperial Palms Orchestra, who Forbes called “America’s Best Band” – are still very much with us and performing regularly.  This is one of the reasons I created the Skere9 blog, to feature creative talents like Todd, Doc, Chou Chou, and others, in the Skere9 Gallery of Stars.

I love this piece by Maitland. He might consider a follow-up to cover those who are still here and wowing the crowds.

In the meantime, enjoy this excellent BBC video, from March 15, 2001, titled The Eva Cassidy Story.

This is one of the most amazing things I think I’ve seen an animal do.  The original title of this Russian video is Ворона катается на майонезной крышке, which translates into Crow rides on a mayonnaise lid.  See below!

Local DC dance legend Tom Koerner has unearthed a rare video treat, it’s a 20 minute home video shot at Joe’s and Moe’s, featuring Doc Scantlin and the Imperial Palms Orchestra:

The video blurb dates this treasure at 1992, but Doc tells us he thinks it may be closer to 1988.  Either way, it’s a gem and a great few moments from the early stages of the big band resurgence in the Washington, DC area.

Of special note is the excellent swing dancing by Tom with Debra Sternberg, who are featured starting at 7:21.  Don’t be fooled by the credits shown at that point, I think the names Gary Gregg and Scotty Babcock that are shown on the screen at 7:21 are the musicians, but there’s no question that the dancers you’re watching at that point are DC local legends Tom and Debra, of “Gottaswing.com” fame.  I’ve taken dance lessons from them myself and would recognize them both anywhere.

Thanks to Tom himself for posting this great video!

Thanks to my mother and father, I had three guitar teachers growing up.  The first two were at the Music and Arts Center in Bowie, MD.  One of them I had for a very brief time, but Gene Goldsmith taught me the fundamentals and gave me a strong foundation on which to advance.  Once I had those fundamentals down, I moved on to my third and most influential instructor, Tom Kreuzburg.

Tom was a legend in the Bowie area, and taught guitar lessons to a lot of Bowie kids.  Tom was talented, challenging, fun, funny, always in a great mood, and could teach anything I asked of him, from the latest pop rock song, to proper classical guitar in the style of Andres Segovia, and anything in between.   He was part of a pop music nightclub band called Bits and Pieces, who toured out of the area and were known around the East coast of America and elsewhere.  He also performed Flamenco guitar brilliantly, and did solo performances of classical and flamenco in DC venues, sometimes accompanied by Flamenco dancers.  At one point Tom was working with Flamenco legend and then-local DC resident Carlos Ramos to transcribe old Spanish Flamenco pieces that had been only passed down from generation to generation and never transcribed before.

Thanks to Tom, I managed to join a great established rock band in the Bowie area named Majestic, and performed with them starting in my senior year of high school and all through college.   We performed throughout the DC area, and sometimes hit the road briefly here and there – we performed in Manhattan at one point.  And one memorable evening, Majestic performed at a huge facility at the University of Maryland, and Tom came to the show and recorded us on video.

If memory serves me correctly, I believe that’s the last time I ever saw Tom Kreuzberg.

As web search engines came into being, I think most of all of us have used them to search for old friends with whom we’ve lost contact, and Tom is one of those I’ve often searched for, but to no avail – until recently, when I found two mentions of him online.

The first thing I found was the video below on YouTube, a news report by the Las Vegas Sun from March 30, 2008, showing Tom teaching guitar and showcasing some of his students at a local coffee shop.

But the second item was this obituary reporting that Tom passed away on March 30, 2011, in Las Vegas.

I was shocked to learn of his passing, what a great loss.

Tom was one of the greatest influences on my life growing up.  When I see the kids in the Las Vegas Sun video piece below, I’m reminded of myself – I remember playing a few of those exact same pieces under Tom’s instruction, and how some of those works formed the basis of future guitar riffs I’d use in the future on stage with Majestic.  Most importantly, I remember the joy of playing guitar, and how enthused Tom was and how encouraging he always was.

I have a great appreciation for all the teachers I’ve ever had. I think we all agree that teaching is a special calling and a crucial social connection that, to me, is one of the most important aspects of society.  Whether instruction is written, video recorded, or taught in person, the act of one person sharing knowledge with others is what enables us all as a society to connect, advance, and build on one another’s achievements.  Without it, we are all floundering around without the benefit of each other’s achievements.  With it, we are stronger as a society.

Tom was the best example I ever had of what a teacher should be.  You can get a brief sense of that in the video below.

 

It’s a full time job to keep up with the performance schedule of virtuoso Frank Russo, which is why your best bet to follow Frank is to check his website twice a day and perhaps even more often.  He really needs his own personal text message alert system so we can sign up and be alerted whenever he’s performing nearby so we can go!

He was not only part of the St. Michael’s Jazz Festival back in October of this year, he performed with virtually every act, including two I was lucky enough to catch:  the MARS 4Tet on their own, and then later backing Philadelphia Jazz phenomenon Joanna Pascale, who brought the house down.

Frank and the MARS 4Tet have a new recording soon to be released via Summit Records. We will let you know about it as soon as we know anything more.

But in the meantime you definitely need to hear any show in which Frank is participating.  He’s a remarkable drummer and works with the best musicians in the biz.   This coming Sunday, December 15, he’ll be at the Ram’s Head Tavern in Savage Mill from 11 AM to 2 PM, and later that same day from 7 PM to 9 PM he’ll be performing with the Capital City Voices at the brand new Jazzy’s Lounge in Bowie, Maryland.  And this is what I’m talking about!  I LIVE in Bowie and I didn’t even know Jazzy’s Lounge was open yet, but here’s Frank not only performing there, it’s no Ft his only show that day.  *whew*  I’m exhausted just typing all of this. For the latest, greatest info about his schedule, see his schedule at his own website.

Kathie Lee Gifford has her own podcast now, and BusinessWeek.com is reporting how she’s leading a trend in resurrecting the medium:

Westwood One founder Norm Pattiz … [has] built a Rolodex of Hollywood’s top names. Now Pattiz is getting his celebrity pals to create talk shows for a venture he began in February, PodcastOne, which sells ads in its free, downloadable radio programs. Superagent Ari Emanuel, who sits next to Pattiz at Lakers games, helped sign clients such as Kathie Lee Gifford … The audience for U.S. podcasts has surged 58 percent since 2010 …

Listen for yourself!  Click here and sign up today – it’s free!

The 1970’s was a great time for rock music. Great acts like Peter Frampton, Rush, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Led Zeppelin, Rush, the Eagles, Styx, Yes, and many others rose to prominence during that decade. Experts and fans often debate which group was the most influential, the most innovative, the most significant.

All I know is that the band I went to see more than any other was Heart. And this video is one reason.

This is the original formation of Heart, featuring Roger Fisher on lead electric guitar, his brother Mike Fisher on drums, Steve Fossen on bass, Howard Leese on guitar, Ann Wilson on vocals, and Nancy Wilson performing the extended intro on acoustic guitar. From Nancy’s compelling opening to the double-lead of Fisher and Leese, Heart makes it clear in this video that they were a unique rock band with a powerful pop edge that was both complex and thoroughly enjoyable.

It’s worth noting that Howard Leese has long been a customer of Paul Reed Smith guitars.  Smith is in our Skere9 Gallery of Stars.

The world of Skere9 has been quite eventful lately!  Just a few examples:

On November 22, Cindy Bauchspies led the United States Navy Women’s Glee Club that she directs in their performance at the JFK Library in Boston, in memory of the 50th anniversary of the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy.  Performing with Cindy and the Glee Club was pop music legend James Taylor.  Click here to see the full video at the C-Span archives.

Jeff Krulik‘s film Led Zeppelin Played Here has been shown at more film festivals, including a screening at the famous CBGB Music and Film Festival, where Jeff did a live question-and-answer session with the audience, as well as a film screening, on October 11 and 12 in New York City.  Upcoming shows include December 11th and 12th in various locations in DC, details are at Jeff’s website.

I had a great lunch get-together with the incomparable Llewellyn King, as we caught up on his most recent fascinating activities, none of which I’m at liberty to share.  Yet.  But I can say that it involves the work of the brilliant Linda Gasparello.  Stay tuned on this one.

I was also fortunate enough to attend the Fall Hoot 2013, and join legendary photojournalist John Metelsky and others at the table of former National Press Club president John Cosgrove, who just turned an elegant and energetic 95 years old a few weeks earlier.  This regular event honors veteran members of the National Press Club with memberships of at least 25 years or more.  I’m a ways off from joining that illustrious group myself but there’s nothing like the company of these folks, they are remarkable people and always the epitome of grace and fun.

Doc Scantlin and Chou Chou continue to wow star-struck crowds, especially at the first annual Grand Masquerade at the Bethesda Jazz and Blues Club on Halloween night!  I was able to catch up with them both at a great dinner in Baltimore we enjoyed, where Doc and Chou Chou wowed and charmed the exclusive restaurant I shall not name (but might give you a hint about later), starting with their arrival in style in their classic 1937 Buick.  If you missed them on Halloween, don’t despair – they are performing throughout this holiday season, starting soon at the most amazing recreation of a 1930’s big band supper club, Alexandria’s own Carlyle Club, on November 29th.

Doug Hayden and Chris Pendarvis continue to rock the world of political entertainment with their regular weekly publication of Insanity Island cartoons, which are hysterically funny and gathering momentum!  Their weekly videos (published every Tuesday) are featured in their own YouTube channel that’s climbing the charts – as of this posting the channel is showing 93,172 views – which is the number of times their videos have been viewed, and that’s simply amazing!  You really need to watch these two, they’re heading for bigger audiences and Skerinators everywhere know they are destined to become household names!

I could go on – and I will eventually – but that’s just a sampling of the events of this past fall.

We all have a lot to be thankful for this fall, as we enjoy seeing our gallery of Skere9 stars share their amazing talents with the world.

Best wishes to you and your loved ones for a very happy Thanksgiving!