Stoney Point

"Food so good, they built a bridge to us..."

I went to a really great off-the-beaten-path restaurant on Friday, a place called Stoney Point, in Old Town Pasadena. There was a lovely lady named Wendy Ryan playing piano, and she invited me up to sing. (I have a couple of weddings coming up, anyway...I figured I could use the practice!) There was no sound system, but the room was very small and the acoustics weren't bad. I started off with "Skylark", then as I started Cole Porter's "Just in Time", a wonderful trumpet player named Dave Welch walked up and started playing with us. He was wonderful! Wendy and Dave must play together quite a bit - they blended beautifully. And I think Wendy knows every tune in the American Songbook. I have some pretty far-out keys, and she managed to play in every one of them.
Anyway, 2 songs quickly turned into 2 sets. I never got to finish my dinner. But it was a really fun night.
There seem to be a group of regulars who go here often, and I highly recommend it. The food (what I was able to finish) was really great, and I definitely plan on returning.

Bob Florence performing "Invitation" and "On Green Dolphin Street"

I just found this online, and I had to post it. What a genius this guy was. Bob Florence did some arrangements for my Christmas album, including an unforgettable version of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas". And he was one of the nicest people I ever met. Enjoy...

What a night!

On Friday, Tony Russell and his wife Rosemarie invited us out, to hear Ben Schillaci sing with Bob Leatherbarrow (drums) and David Moscoe (keyboard) at Barone's. First, of all, Ben Schillaci, where have you been hiding? Ben's sense of timing, his phrasing, his tone, his choice of tunes - an absolute joy to hear. I'll come out to hear him any time, anywhere.

In the 2nd set, Ben invited Tony and I both to sit in, and what a night it was! As Tony said, "When we show up, we make a riot!" Well, that's what we did. Tony told a few (wonderfully inappropriate) jokes, I sang a song, he sang a song, we did a couple of duets, and then the three of us traded choruses (scatting) on a 12-bar blues.

If more people had been at Barone's that night, the authorities would have had to shut the place down. As it was, we made plenty of noise with our friends - Cheryl and Alan Priven, the Brownsteins (who danced all night long), Mel the comedian, vocalist Chadwick, and more. Dr. Kathy Lassiter was also there, snapping away with her camera. If I can track her down, I'll try to get copies of the photos and post some.