Nineteen 'Saints' in Three Acts
By Dan Augustine
January 13, 2008, saw the performance by at least nineteen 'Saints' in three 'acts' (or sets) at the Capital City Comedy Club in Austin, Texas, at a jam session hosted by the Austin Traditional Jazz Society. Apologies are due to Virgil Thomson for paraphrasing his opera "Four Saints in Three Acts", but music criticism sometimes has to misappropriate otherwise legitimate ideas to make a point.
In this case, the point consists of the goodly number of heavenly sounds emanating from the 19 souls on stage, some of whom can be connected with saints: Dan (St.) Augustine, (St.) Thomas Griffith and Straus, (St.) John Huntsberger, (St.) David Stoddard, (St.) Paul Klemperer, (St.) James Siegeler, and (St.) Stephen (well, OK, Steve) Bauserman. Not only that, but two of the songs played were "St. James Infirmary" and "When the Saints Go Marching In". Further, the number 19 is considered significant in some religions (Baha'i, for one).
This particular Sunday also celebrated a very special person in the history of jazz in central Texas, Chuck (St. Charles?) Reiley, founder and leader of the Alamo City Jazz Band. Becky Maddox and Jim Ivy created a wonderful PowerPoint presentation of the history of the Alamo City Jazz Band, with both images and the sound of that band, and at the first intermission she presented Chuck with a plaque commemorating his contributions to jazz in Austin and to the Austin Traditional Jazz Society, for whom his band has played for decades. (See the ATJS website at http://www.atjs.org/ to play the slide-show.)
We were fortunate to have so many new players show up at the jam session this year. Dave Stoddard must have been scratching his head to a nub trying to figure out how to fit everyone in, but he did so, and here are the lineups and (approximately) what tunes were played (but i know we missed some of them, owing to both Dave and i playing instead of taking notes):
Set #1 (2-3 pm):
a) Band #1: Larmon Maddox (cornet), Dave Stoddard (valve trombone), Scott Bailey (slide trombone), Tommy Griffith (electronic piano), John Huntsberger (banjo), Dan Augustine (tuba), Rob Schmidt (drums), Janice Machado (vocals). Songs: China Boy, Rosetta (vocal by Janice Machado), Sugar, When It's Sleepy Time Down South, Blue Turning Gray over You, Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans.
b) Band #2: Jimmie Siegeler (trumpet), Dave Stoddard (valve trombone), Tommy Griffith (piano), Bill Dowdy (guitar), Dan Augustine (tuba), Rob Schmidt (drums), Janice Machado (vocals). Songs: Birth of the Blues (vocal by Jimmie Siegeler), Big Butter and Egg Man
Intermission #1: announcements by Tom Straus and Dave Stoddard, presentation by Becky Maddox to Chuck Reiley.
Set #2 (3-4 pm):
c) Band #3: Steve Bauserman (trumpet), Sean Newton (trumpet), Dave Stoddard (valve trombone), Scott Bailey (slide trombone), Tommy Griffith (piano), Tom Straus (banjo), Ryan Gould (string bass), Rob Schmidt (drums). Songs: Basin Street Blues (Scott Bailey, vocal), Exactly Like You, Angry, Way Down Yonder in New Orleans, Everybody Loves My Baby
Intermission #2: announcements by Malcolm Rodman, drawing for door prizes.
Set #3 (4-5 pm):
d) Band #4: Larmon Maddox (cornet), Sammy Epstein (clarinet), Paul Klemperer (soprano sax), Dave Stoddard (valve trombone), Scott Bailey (slide trombone), Tommy Griffith (piano), Bernie Buhlman (banjo), Josh Warren (tuba), Luther Keeler (drums). Songs: Some of These Days (Janice Machado, vocal), Oh Baby, Indiana, Tin Roof Blues, Curse of an Aching Heart (Dave Stoddard, vocal)
e) Band #5: Jimmie Siegeler (trumpet), Roughy London (clarinet), Paul Klemperer (soprano sax), Sammy Epstein (tenor sax), Dave Stoddard (valve trombone), Scott Bailey (trombone), Tommy Griffith (piano), Bernie Buhlman (banjo), Bill Dowdy (guitar), Robert Cater (string bass), Luther Keeler (drums). Songs: Ain't She Sweet, Bill Bailey, St. James Infirmary (Scott Bailey, vocal), When the Saints Go Marching In.
It was good to see new folks on the stage, especially those who were new to ATJS. We hope they'll be back to attend other ATJS concerts and that they'll help spread the word to all their friends about us and jazz in central Texas.
