Five Thousand Eight Hundred Forty-Four

Days … but who’s counting?  Apparently, I am.

Yesterday was my 16th anniversary with my employer.  Oddly enough, I had completely forgotten about the anniversary until my boss entered my cubicle, late in the afternoon on Wednesday, August 1st, and presented me with a card and token gift.  Very strange indeed, since I hadn’t seen him in probably ten days and he usually misplaces or forgets things like anniversaries and birthdays.

But the real highlight of my day came when I met an old friend and her husband for dinner and a jazz concert.  I’ve known her just as long as I’ve been employed, although she up and retired earlier this year.  We still get together, usually once a month for this first Wednesday concert, called Spirituality and All That Jazz, but sometimes for lunch as well.  Last’s night’s theme was:

The Sensational Swingin’ Saxes
TODD WILKINSON & JIM MAIR
A Night of Exceptional Sax Educators Cutting Loose
performing with Tim Whitmer & The Consort Band

Dueling Saxophones
Todd Wilkinson and Jim Mair (click image for rest of album)

I surprised myself by leaving the camera bag in the car.  Serendipitous in that I could then attempt to take some better photos than I could have managed with my cell phone camera.  The lighting at Unity Temple isn’t the best, so I changed the ISO to 800, and eventually 1600, but most of the photos I took were very blurry.  I took a few from up front and those turned out better.

The group played mostly jazz standards, including Duke Ellington’s ‘Things Ain’t What They Used To Be” (in honor of the Royals); “Stella by Starlight”; a Harry Allen chart called “Jake’s Lament”; a Charlie Parker chart called “My Little Suede Shoes”; “Body and Soul”; “The Preacher”; and they closed out the concert with some blues … “Blues Up and Down.”  I missed some of the song titles because I couldn’t always understand Tim or Todd (less gain on the microphone and/or better diction please).  The second song I recognized, and could almost hear the words being sung in my head, but for the life of me I don’t have any idea what the name of it might have been.

The concert wrapped up shortly after 8:30 p.m.  I said my goodbyes to my friends and hit the road home.  The sun had already set and the full moon (well, three hours short of being a full moon) had risen behind me.

I had a great time, catching up with friends and enjoying some amazing saxy jazz or jazzy saxes … take your pick.

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