. . . and all that jazz

Nishigawa

     We usually go to the local pool to do some laps on Friday afternoon, but Road Buddy's singing teacher and his combo were on the bill for a “jazz festival” at the river park that runs through our city this past Friday, so we decided to go downtown and have a look.

        Friday was part of the so-called “Golden Week” holiday period and the traffic going into town to find a parking spot was fairly heavy but we found a lot with several spaces available for a reasonable parking fee that was just a short walk from the Nishigawa river park.

        There was a small stage with several chairs set up in front of it. The park itself is situated along the river (a canal really) so it is long and narrow and flanked by a variety of buildings, both high and low rise—all in all a pleasant watery green strip in the city.


THE MUSICIANS

        When we arrived, the first act was already on stage and there was a small number or spectators and passers by stopping for a few minutes and then moving on. Probably most of the people seated were friends and acquaintances or students of the band leader. The group, consisting of base fiddle, keyboard and saxophone and vocalist played several numbers including Take Five, Over the Rainbow, and The Girl from Ipanema.

vocals

sax

bass

keyboard

      The next act was a larger combo consisting of clarinet, keyboard, electric guitar, and Japanese Shakuhachi (a bamboo flute) and two female vocalists. Among the numbers were Georgia on My Mind, and What a Wonderful World.

shakuhachi

clarinet

electric guitar

keyboard

vocalist

        Overall I thought the groups were competent and dedicated—not going to make a big time splash, but, more importantly enjoying themselves and creating a pleasant day in the park for passers by and fans. 



THE AUDIENCE