It was enthralling to be performing on a grand piano again! I had forgotten how inspiring it is !

Last night I played the first set kind of mellow -  some Ballads, soft Bossa, and medium tempo Jazz , just to scope out the vibe of the room. It was interesting to see which tunes got applause. The two R&B tunes that I slipped in towards the end of the set got the most applause, with the possible exception of the ballad “My Funny Valentine”. A great ballad played well (I thought), is always a formidable crowd pleaser !

The second set I picked things up a bit – played some rocking Blues, Latin, up tempo Jazz, and so forth. The staff was great – they were applauding and giving me thumbs up.

The third set was a real treat. By then I was relaxed with the “vibe of the room”, and Denise Hummer, a fine jazz vocalist  got up and sang a couple of tunes and wowed the room ! In fact Connie, the owner of this fine establishment,  implored her to sing some more, so she got up and closed out the set !

This is me singing and playing “The Piano Has Been Drinking” by Tom Waits. It’s usually a fun day right there on the beach at Ainsley’s with Barefoot Davis, Donald Birmingham, and sometimes Jason Jones and or Bob Ward. The crowds have been really appreciative and spirited lately, and the pizza is brick-oven baked!

This performance was recorded at the Haiti Relief Concert at Yachthaven Grande. Becca’s rendition somewhat reminds me of the sultry Billie Holliday interpretation –but done in her own style. It felt real good to be playing on a major league sound system thanks to Cinque Donovan!!

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This is me playing live with the Becca Darling Band at latitude 18 on St. Thomas.

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I have been involved in the local music scene in the islands since the mid-seventies. Back then the scene was vibrant, multi-cultural and diverse. There were scores of nite-clubs and other venues for live music. Walking through Charlotte Amalie, one might pass 10 nite-clubs and hear bands playing anything from Caribbean songs to Jazz, Rock, Blues, Country, Funk and so forth. (One interesting sidebar is that now with way more capital and population here than in the seventies-there is way less less Live Music! One of those anomalies? At that time, I was one of the original members of a 15-piece West Indian dance band named “Eddie and the Movements”. This was a hugely popular band and since it had been conceived in St. John, it was the pride of the island! Back then it was highly unusual to see a “white musician” in a West Indian dance band. however, I was almost always made to feel welcome, respected and appreciated! (And there were times there’d be 2000 West Indians on the beach-and I’d be the only “white” person there).

At that time, I was one of the original members of a 15-piece West Indian dance band named “Eddie and the Movements”. It was a hugely popular band and since it had been conceived on St. John, it was the pride of the island! Back then it was highly unusual to see a “white musician” in a West Indian dance band. Yet I was almost always made to feel welcome, respected and appreciated. (And there were times that there would be 2000 West Indians on the beach-and I’d be the only white person there).

One of my favorite local customs “back in the day” was Fish Fries on the beach. There would be a central sound stage set up facing the sea with booths and trucks lining the edges. Fine homemade West Indian food plus drinks would be served and there would be a big open space in front of the stage for dancing under the stars. Since it was outdoors, entire generations-children to great-grandparents would attend and dance, socialize, eat, drink, or just listen to the Bands play. (there would often be more than one band playing). Some of the venues we played were Pond Mouth in Cruz Bay, St. John, Sputnik Bar and Flamingo Club in Coral Bay, St. John and Coki Beach and Lindbergh Beach in St. Thomas.

I moved back to New York in 1978 planning to study Jazz for a few years and 20 years later, I got back to the islands. I moved back in 2001, and have been freelancing as well as putting together different bands. Had a hot 6-piece in 2001-02 on St. John called “Sweet Tooth” and put together a killer 6-piece jazz band when I moved to St. Thomas in 2003 called “ Smokin’ Section”.

At present am working on interesting medleys of tunes that somehow fit. Also working on vocal interpretations and arrangements as well as doing some composing. And always working on my “chops”.

Am a member of the Barefoot Davis Band-an exciting 3 -6-piece group.” Barefoot “ is a talented singer-songwriter, who writes frequently about his experiences sailing and living in the islands. Each of the bandmates are talented as well as fun to work with. The band can be seen at Robert’s grill at the Elysian Resort on Monday nights. The band appears frequently at Jack’s Restaurant at Tillett Gardens, Hull Bay Hideaway, and Paradise Point as well as other venues.

I’m  also a member of the Becca Darling Band which features Becca Darling  (a talented singer-songwriter), as well as Morgan Rael, Matt Cring, and various drummers.                                                                                                                                                 On Friday nights I often go to the Tavern On The Waterfront, where Gerry Harris and Louis Taylor perform regularly. Often other musicians will stop by and “sit in”. There’s a great vibe there.

I often show up for “open mic” night on Thursdays at Latitude 18. It’s hosted by Barefoot Davis, Ras Abijah, and Donald Birmingham.  Also support community causes as much as possible. The island musicians are fairly generous with their time for community functions and fundraisers.

I sometimes travel to nearby islands to play music, and have performed in Tortola, Jost Van Dyke, Virgin Gorda, St. John and St.Croix. This upcoming season am looking forward to playing with Joe Colpitt and Rhett Simmonds as a trio, plus continuing with The Barefoot Davis Band.

I enjoy all genres of music and feel that each genre has something to say as long as it’s played with feeling and artistry and of course good rhythm! (to be continued)…