Two great live jazz performances were held at the Chubby Pickle on Saturday, November 21st. The TriCityJazz and Greg Berger Jazz Duo, featuring Mike Hogan.
On a balmy late November afternoon, the newest JSJBF member venue, The Chubby Pickle, hosted the first edition of the Saturday Jazz Café. Board members Joseph Vincent Riggio of the production company J v Archer Entertainment and President Tom Baldino put together an afternoon of veteran local jazzmen who entertained a devoted group of Jazz aficionados.
OPENING SET BY: Greg Berger Jazz Duo, Featuring Mike Hogan
Opening up were the Greg Berger Jazz Duo with a mix of classic interpretations from the American song book as well as some original compositions which blended seamlessly during their nearly hour long set. Greg is a master on the keys and guitarist Mike Hogan wove fluid guitar lines from his PRS with one of the nicest tones I have heard this side of Larry Carlton. As always the sound mix handled by Joseph and his able assistant, Brian Nohl, was spot on.
FEATURING: TriCityJazz
The headline act, TriCity Jazz, has been playing the Metropolitan area since 1990 and their leader, Chris Andreach, spent some time on the JSJBF board. With Chris on Sax, Tom Hyland on drums, Tom McMillan on Bass and young Ian Howells sitting in on keyboards, they blended some original material with jazz classics including a stellar rendition of the Horace Silver Quintet’s “Song For My Father”. The band members are all accomplished musicians who took turns stretching out to highlight their musical chops. The addition of Howells that afternoon took them on some unexpected and enjoyable directions.
In addition to the excellent bar food and drinks on the menu, Twin Lights Brewery was on premises with their fine line of beers that were available in cans and in flights. The original Twin Lights Taphouse, which was several blocks down Bay Ave. from The Chubby Pickle, was destroyed by Superstorm Sandy and never recovered, but the owners decided to continue with a line of beer several years ago. When open they were also a music venue, hosting some of our JSJBF member acts, including Sonny Kenn.
Overall, it was an afternoon that any Jazz lover would have enjoyed and I’m hoping this will become a fixture on The Chubby Pickle calendar.
Chubby Pickle, a J v ARCHER ENTERTAINMENT event