Got to begin putting in more practice time. Am feeling the need, on the rhythm side as well as on the melodic side. Heard about this cd metronome program that I can download. It’s got a live drummer playing different genres, which you can then set at any metronome marking.

Had a rough night on Monday – but I get a chance to “redeem” myself. Thursday the Becca Darling Band goes into the studio to begin work on our 5 song demo. Thursday night I’m back at the Northside Bistro, and Saturday night I’m at the “Full Moon Jazz on the Green” at Yachthaven Grande.

There was a heartwarming memorial for Nicky Russell held at Magen’s Bay on Sunday. He truly was one of those bigger than life figures – and will be missed. Janet made a touching testimonial that brought tears to my eyes, and I’m sure others !!

It’s been an exciting and productive week.

Sunday, the Danny Silber trio played at Frenchman’s Cove for a couple of hundred people at a 4th of July BBQ. The crowd was very appreciative.

On Monday, the Becca Darling Band played before a packed house at Latitude 18, and again the crowd was very appreciative as well as generous – they kept throwing money at the stage. It at first startled Becca, but she then realized that it’s a high compliment

and a Greek tradition ( there was a party of roughly 30 folks from Greece).

On Wednesday, the band met up at ISW Studios to begin work on our first “studio”

recording. It’s going to be all originals and Morgan is going to be the acting producer. Things are definitely looking up for the Becca Darling Band – Jim Tunick will be the Executive Producer.

On Thursday, I played solo Piano at the Northside Bistro and thought I played quite well ! I just love that place, and hope more folks find out about it – It’s got a wonderful ambiance, plus great food and great staff – and with a grand piano – well there’s nothing else like it on St. Thomas !!

Saturday night I’ll be at Hull Bay Hideaway with the Becca Darling Band and that’s usually a fun gig – a lot of our “northside” fans usually show up and It’s a laid back casual hang.

Sunday the Danny Silber Trio will be playing at Emerald Beach Resort for some good cause which I should know – I’ll find out. the trio consists of Denise Hummer, a fine jazz vocalist, and Paul Dirks on Bass.

photo by Paul Dirks

Last night I played to an appreciative crowd of  60 to 70 folks at Northside Bistro. I hope nobody noticed that I was suffering with mouth pain – having recently had 4 teeth pulled and a denture fitted which was slowly cutting into my gums ! Ouch !!

The song that arguably got the biggest applause ( plus a thumbs up from the bartender) was my singing of  the Rolling Stones opus to disco, “Miss You”. Other songs that got nice rounds of applause were “Natural Woman” – I didn’t sing on that one, but played a bluesy, gospel tinged interpretation.  The great Hoagy Carmicheal tune “Georgia”, also got a nice round of applause, as well as the blues,” Big Boss Man”, by Jimmy Reed. Oh yes, and “Satin Doll” by Billy Strayhorn, which for a time, was the theme song of the Duke Ellington Orchestra.

I love the staff there !! You can see that they take pride in the establishment, as well as in their respective roles. There is a sense of camaraderie and even a sense of family – from the top on down – that is rare !!

This gig is one of those “free up yourself”, opportunities. Since there are no other musicians on the gig – I  have the freedom to play medleys, change keys on the fly, and try unusual intros and endings (among other things), without having to cue other musicians.  It is also more challenging, since I don’t have the stimulation and or inspiration that I receive from other musicians!  Of course, playing on a grand piano is inspiration in and of itself !!

I find myself  playing more jazz, bossa, blues, and latin during the first set. As the night goes on, I tend to branch out into more R&B, rock, and country (depending of course, on the crowd) !  And I get to sing a few tunes -  Yay !

The food is excellent, the ambiance is sophisticated, and the staff is great !!  So what’s not to like ?

Last Friday night at Hull Bay Hideaway… a few hundred people showed up to express their love and support for two people who have been cultural linchpins of our island community for many, many years ! It was one of those memorable moments, that those of us  lucky enough to be there for … will never forget ! I could go on and on about the wonderful music… but it was more about the Love !

Becca Darling  and Barefoot Davis hosted this incredible evening and did a superhuman job of  coordinating and  orchestrating this event. This was no simple feat – there were many musicians present each of whom,naturally wanted to play- plus raffles, announcements and so forth.  Somehow it all went smoothly !!

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 photo was taken last night at Jack’s at Tillett Gardens. The crowd was very appreciative and   also attentive. Randy Baustert our friend and videographer  tried recording the band plus took many pics of which this is one ! We had Paul Cater Deaton on drums – and it’s always nice to have him on the bandstand -he’s fun to work with. Becca showed some skin – she had a mini dress and high heeled shoes and hey-it never hurts to look good ! Heard a quote from Bobby Darin (the singer) that goes “people hear what they see” !

This video was shot by Barefoot Jimmy’s brother Marty, and then generously shared with Morgan and me. Had a lot of fun “sitting in” with the Blues Disciples, and also hanging out with them. The crowd at Jack’s at Tillett Gardens was spirited and that added to the good “spirit” of the day! Danny and Morgan with the Blues Disciples

We enjoy the crowd at Jack’s. Almost all locals-we usually know quite a few of them. Plus Becca does a Trivia night there on Tuesdays, and does have a fan base for that! We’ll be playing our usual eclectic mix of  Blues, Country, Rock, R&B, Jazz, and original songs!  We hit at 7:30pm. Come on down and hang!!

Morgan Rael,Danny Silber, Jason jones

The show went very well. I thought Kmisha handled the occasional blips smoothly, and sounded fabulous!! The backup singers were each excellent and the pacing of the show was quite professional.

Sounding like an angel

The band was a good one! We had Tommy Pilgrim on drums, Vimcent Wallace on bass, Ras Abijah on guitar  plus Albert Lynch and myself on keys. These are all solid pros –They’re versatile, and quick learners – plus have excellent “time and feel”  This show was for the annual Art’s Alive Fundraiser and was held at Tillett Garden’s on Jan.9th.

Danielle Greenaway and Detra Davis

Detra Davis and Christalia Mark