St. Nicks V
I performed at St. Nick Pub in Harlem again this past Saturday, with George and Dave Croce. The place was insanely packed. Apparently, since the place is a historic jazz club, tour buses sometimes stop by and fill the club. It gave me a sense of what the place was probably like in its heyday, and maybe what it’ll be like in the near future. St. Nicks was a favorite of a lot of people, from Sonny Rollins to Stevie Wonder.
So George was on fire, and I got to see what he’s like when he’s really playing the entertainer role. Making jokes with the audience and really laying the beat down like he meant it. There’s this weekly guest singer named Arlene (Challey I think), who’s also been around for awhile. She always sounds great—really gritty and soulful with a great sense of time—and she was on fire too. It was great to see these musicians who’ve been around for so long get inspired and kick into their own high-gear.
October 17th, 2005 at 7:08 pm
dude. i have good memories of st. nick’s. i used to go there and sit in with their band once in a while….i don’t know how or why- just wanted to. i used to live down the street from it and loved hangin out over there. glad to see you’re having fun with it!
October 18th, 2005 at 10:21 am
That’s awesome D—if you’re ever feelin nostalgic you have an open invitation to come sit in anytime. It’s worth the trip just to hear George do his schizophrenic Louis Armstrong/Ray Charles impersonation.