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Clubscene CD Release
Party for Thara Memory' s "Chronicle"
It felt a bit celebratory
even well before it began. One
sensed that people knew where they were and why they'd come. (That's
not always
the case at Jimmy Mak's or at any other jazz venue; there's too often a
table
or three of non-stop yackers who seem oblivious to the talent in front
of
them!) So when the music began, we were ready. And what a grand funky
sound it
was! This Thara Memory Superband was 11 first rate, top tier players
strong:
Janice Scroggins, Derek Sims, Dan Brewster, Stan Bock, Patrick Lamb, And people were
listening, and clapping after solos as well
as in tune with Lamb's spirited encouragement, and clearly loving it.
There was
so much to enjoy: Lamb's soaring alto, tenor and soprano solos,
complemented by
Renato's driving, athletic artistry, and Stan and Dan's huge trombone
sounds.
Then there was Janice's amazing incorporation of J.S. Bach's "Jesu Joy
of
Man's Desiring" as a sweet, lovely lead into a strong funk tune (and
she
kept referencing it musically throughout the song!) How about Stevie
Ray's
FUNKY bass lines and vocals, and And speaking of Memory,
where was Thara through all of this?
On his way from Vancouver where "his kids" were playing in yet
another band competition, and he left that scene (not yet knowing who
won, by
the way) to make it in time to join the band at Jimmy's! Actually, his
arriving
late added a nice suspense to the evening because everyone caught on
that he
was coming, but when...? Huge applause, then, when
he did come on stage. He looked
great, neatly decked out as bandleader of not only this glorious
Superband, but
also of the next generation of Superband players, who, we eventually
learned,
won their competition running away! Thara played, Thara
joked, Thara directed, and Thara talked
from the heart about music's powerful ability to capture kids' hearts
and minds
and save them from drugs and despair. And he pleaded with us all to
help him
find a building which can house a full music complex in which to train
and
nourish young people's musical abilities. Then, for a few minutes, when
all
eleven performers were on the stage, Thara was in the middle, running
the show,
pointing to the next soloist, directing the flow of things, and I
flashed on
the Hobbit, and Mel's Sextet, and Thara in the thick of it, energizing
it all.
A good flash that was, and a nice reminder too that, older and wiser
now, Thara
is still Thara, and he still has the energy which he now gives lavishly
to his
kids. In that giving is and will be his greatness! It was a wonderful night. A night to take home with you, a fine bracer (especially with "Chronicles" in my pocket) against the cold.
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