Tin Pan played Saturday night for the Columbia University Swing Dance Club Annual Semi-Formal. The regular Tin Pan crew was in effect. Clifton, Stefan, Tuba Joe, and myself.
There was about 80-100 folks there. Some dancers that I used to see over at the Telephone Bar back when I was with the Cards. It’s always great fun to play dances and get everyone moving – especially without a drummer in the band.
At Tuba Joe’s suggestion we started doing what he called “Dance Sets” We’d play three tunes in a row with segues or transitions between each tune so that the music would be continuous. Then we’d take a 30 second break and set off the next suite. It was real good. It kept the dancers on the floor real nice.
Some of the segues were real humorous and unexpected with insane key changes etc… Musically, some interesting things fell out… When I put “Four or Five Times” in the book I had a feeling that it would be fun to modulate it around as it is structurally so simple. Without mentioning that to Clifton, he picked up on the same exact idea and after the vocals we started climbing up in half steps on each chorus. Super fun. Also we did “Bill Baily” in F minor! and that is a keeper. There’s a turn around in that tune now that is just great. It reminded me of that sweet turn around in Jimi Hendrix’s “Angel.” After all, the tune is about regret and loss and kicking someone out to the street “wearing nothing but a fine tooth comb.”
After the gig we wound up in a Cuban bar up there in Columbia Town. One of the bouncers saw that we were in a band and hung out with us for a while. He was real tall, real dark skinned, and had insanely long fingers. A bass player. He gave us his card. It was jet black with diamonds scattered accross the bottom. Here’s what it said:
Stacy Grayson
Executive Protection Specialist7th Degree Black Belt
Atemi-Kido-NinjitsuAkijitsu, Jujitsu & Street Combat
Personal Bodyguard
He insisted we stay after the bar closed so he could have a look at Clifton’s guitar. He started playing all these great old soul tunes. Ohio Players, Kool and the Gang, Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye. It was real fun. He had a great voice too. Did I mention that he had insanely long fingers! his originals sounded like Gil Scott Heron and when I suggested that he really beamed! “You’ve got sharp ears! Nobody knows about him anymore. That guy is music.”
He started playing a Jimi Hendrix tune but couldn’t get all the way through it. Clifton got his guitar back and showed how it was done. “The Wind Cries Mary” He nailed it. Go Clifton!