Cangelosi Cards Go To Europe!

Here are some pictures, courtesy of George Yi, a wonderful dancer, dance teacher, photographer, and traveling companion. I was only traveling with the band through Sweden, but he stayed on for Iceland, Lithuana, and a few other countries. He is the only one to have documented their tour in almost complete entirety! You can contact him through his website: www.shortygeorge.com.

The band plays at Bar Bedlam at Herrang Dance Camp

Tamar, Mimi, and Naomi

The band plays the stage in the ballroom.

Aaron and I sell CDs outside the ballroom.

The first busking spot in Stockholm.

The band plays a square in the old city in Stockholm.

The Cards play the Chicago dance studio in Stockholm.

Traveling through Iceland...

A second installment is in the works. It takes so long to format this stuff!

The Scandinavian Half-Breeds

It has come to my attention, that a new band in town, called the Scandinavian Half-Breeds, is awesome. I will keep you updated on their movements. In fact, they too have a new CD.

IN THESE VIDEOS

Matt Davidson (guitar, mandolin, vocals)

Jordan Hyde (guitar)

Ben Fox (bass)

Pete "The Blur" Pezzimenti (drums)

The Mona's release..."Live At Mona's"!

The Mona's, a traditional jazz band that plays at Mona's (Avenue B btwn 13th and 14th) every Tuesday night (10:30 pm-3 am), has released an album entitled Mona's Hot Four: Live at Mona's. The record was, obviously, recorded at Mona's.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Mona's phenomenon, the band is made up of bandleader Dennis Lichtman (clarinet), Gordon Webster (piano), Nick Russo (guitar, banjo), and Cassidy Holden (bass). Yes, three out of four of these incredible musicians are members of the Cangelosi Cards. The music is early jazz, but don't expect a Cangelosi sound, the band's style is strictly their own. jazzier and less folky.

This video is for listening.

The gig is run as a jam session, and after a certain quota of serious-let's-play-just-us time, other musicians start sitting in. On any given night, you might find two or three upright basses playing at once, several horns, an assortment of different vocalists from Katie Hasty of Numbers and Letters to Jesse Selengut of Tin Pan, to Tamar Korn of the Cangelosi Cards. 

Musicians of all ages and musical persuasions drop by, from incredible slap-bass legends, to young musicians just discovering the scene, to greats such as Dan Levinson (and even once, Vince Giordano!).

In a reflection of this diversity the record has some special guests: Tamar Korn of the Cangelosi Cards, Dan Levinson of the Nighthawks, and Rob Adkins and Jesse Selengut of Tin Pan.

You can currently find this record only at Mona's on Tuesday nights. 10:30 til 3.

White Heat with Loose Marbles, Sep. 16

For those of you who don't know what White Heat is, it is a every-other-weekly dance run by Richard Kurtzer. At White Heat, dancers can find faster music than at a more typical New York City event. Balboa, Shag, and Fast Lindy dancers find a haven here, but you don't have to specialize in fast dancing to have a good time. 

DJs are the norm, but Richard is starting to reach out to the incredible early jazz bands that inhabit this fair city. A special treat, all the way from New Orleans, The Loose Marbles will be playing the September 16th White Heat. 

Admission is $10.

White Heat takes place at Chelsea Studios, 151 West 26th Street.

9:00 pm - 11:00 pm.

See you there!