by Tom Baldino
The last Saturday in November was scheduled to be the date for Fish Eyed Blues CD release party at The Chubby Picke, but it became so much more than that. With the sudden passing of Jeff Bavaro in July, their new CD was done, but everything was put on hold as the band grieved the loss of their co-leader, who was also on the JSJBF board. Along with Paul Iannizzotto, the pair wrote nine of the ten tracks, and Paul held of on the release date and party until he could get the band together with Jeff’s son Chris on guitar, who lives in Rhode Island, and have a proper send off for our dear friend.
Well, what a send off it was, as the chubby Pickle was crammed to the rafters with family, friends, and JSJBF members, including his daughter, Rebecca, who was eight months pregnant. Peter Veteska graciously offered to open the day with members of his band, Chuck Hearne on bass and Alex D’Agnese on drums, and Gary Neuwirth on harp for part of the set.
I started the day with a short tribute to Jeff, and brought a picture of him playing to a little girl, which I thought epitomized the kind of person he was. I also mentioned the scholarship endowed in his name, the first of which was given out at the Long Branch Jazz & Blues Festival in August.
Peter then performed a sixteen-song set which drew from both originals and covers from his wealth of recorded material, as well as a nod to the season, with Ray Charles’ version of “Merry Christmas Baby.” Throughout the set Peter mentioned Jeff, and his being honored to be able to perform before his band. The original song, “Go Find Another Man,” got things started, with this trio in fine form. Jimmy Vaughn’s “Baby Please Come Home,” included some fun call and response with the audience. Gary Neuwirth joined the band for the original “Tuning Out the Noise,” an up-tempo number which appears on his brand-new release “Key of V.” Gary stayed on for several more tunes, including a terrific version of Ray Charles, “I’ve Got A Woman,” with Alex turning in some fine work on the cymbals, and another new original, “Checking on My Babe,” was warmly received by the listeners in the room. Paul then came up to do a rousing take on the Cream version of “Crossroads.” They were then joined by Chris Bavarro for the blues classic, “Further on up the Road.” The funky tune “Wrapped Up In Love,” featured both bass and drum solos, with Gary adding some tasty harp fills. The set ended with Peter’s song, “COD,” which featured his great fret work over a driving rhythm section, with more audience participation. Peter then stayed on stage with his Takamine guitar and performed an emotional take on the beautiful self-penned balled, “I’m Coming Home.”
After a short break, Fish Eyed Blues took the stage to a thunderous ovation. With Paul behind his classic microphone, Pete Giordano on the drums, Tim Paddack, who was so new the last time they played, he only knew two songs, and Chris playing in place of his father, they launched into the opening cut on “Fish Eyed Blues III,” Eye for an Eye.” Chris wasted no time soloing over a tight rhythm section, while Paul was in fine voice for the rocking blues number. The soundman, our own Joseph Riggio, nailed the special effects that opened “Blessing in Disguise,” and the live version had a much more muscular feel. “Black Belt,” is one of my favorites of the new tunes, if only for the line about having a “black belt in B.S., and Chris more than made up for the lack of slide in the studio version with his playing. The song “Nothing Comes Easy” had a phrase which summed up this day, “nothing lasts forever.”
They were certainly in the right venue for the tune, “Johnny Walker Man,” which Paul should seriously consider shopping to Diageo, the whisky’s brand owners. “Colors Fade” is the first single from the new CD, and I think the strongest cut. They did a terrific take on it and you could feel the positive energy in the room coursing through Paul’s vocals. Chris said that “Anymore” was his favorite song on the disc, and his playing certainly reflected it. Paul dedicated “Roll the Dice” to Julie Beté, a good friend and longtime coworker of his wife Mary, who was in the audience, and they really rocked it. “Black Cat Blues,” sounded like a freight train chugging down the track, and ended with Pete’s dramatic drum flourish. They then played “Cigarettes,” an old fan favorite, with the crowd singing the chorus. A powerful version of “Going Down,” the only non-original song on the disc, really got everyone moving, and the finale, “Purple Haze,” with Tim holding his bass high in the air, would have made Jimi proud.
It took quite a while for the electricity in the room to start to fade, as people said their goodbyes. With the fate of the band unknown at this time, what ever Paul and Pete decide to do, they certainly added to their musical legacy on this day, and they certainly honored the man we all miss, in playing the music he helped to create.