The adventure is now well underway. This promises to be a hilarious show, with a cast that is game, and a crew that is competent. Now comes the hard work period which is necessary before we can relax and truly get “loose” !!

early sex scene - coming along

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 !!