Ah, as the swallows annually return to Capistrano and the crabgrass and dandelions come back with a vengance …we mark the return of the Sunnyland Jazz Band to Bonnie Jean’s on Route 25 in Southold for another season of jazz jubilance featuring triumphant trumpet and tuba and banjo beatitude. Come on out & enjoy great food, fun music and a great cup of coffee too!
A Presidential Day Phrase – “A Return to Normalcy”
February 20th, 2012 
Bob President Warren G. Harding is probably most remembered for the scandals which sullied his administration and reputation (particularly after his death in office), but he also provided us with the invented vocabulary word “normalcy” to describe the return to regularity or normality. By whatever label is placed upon it, I am happy that my family’s health issues seem to be gradually moving into the past. The only exception is a rotator cuff injury in my left shoulder diagnosed this week; I am hoping that it can be addressed promptly to have minimal effect on my playing this summer.
On the present horizon, tomorrow will be the Vail-Leavitt Fat Tuesday fundraiser. I will be performing with some old friends including Bob Hovey, John Lovett and Marty Stromsten along with some new musical acquaintances where we will perform a mix of New Orleans-style standards along with a few tunes reminiscent of our long-time Thursday night jams at EastEnders Coffee House. Visit the Vail’s website for more information.
I was also informed by Eric Devine that he has made some videos available from my recent exploits at Jeff & Joel’s House Party featuring all-star jam sessions throughout the weekend event. Here’s a link for “Them There Eyes” featuring the lovely and talented Bria Skonberg and some of the featured performers.
Report on a great weekend & upcoming events
February 14th, 2012 Bob I returned from Connecticut after a fantastic musical weekend at the home of Joel & Donna Schiavone (hosts of the house party which I posted about) which was as great as one could expect. Fifteen of the best musicians around played to a capacity audience in three 5-hour performance sets over the weekend, and the rotation of musicians varied their lineups without a single tune repeated over 15 hours of musical joy.
Most of the players were past associates from recordings, concerts & festivals in the past – Jeff Barnhart, Jimmy Mazzy, Lew Green, Noel Kaletsky, Robin Verdier, Kevin Dorn, Albie Bernard and Vince Giordano (musical director for the Grammy-winning HBO series Boardwalk Empire). Additionally, I got to play along with Fred Vigorito, Tom Palinko and Herb Gardner – three great musical friends who I have too rarely gotten the chance to work with. Lastly there were three new musical introductions for me – Bria Skonberg, Joe Midiri and Craig Grant – players who I’ve heard and admired in performances before and got to work with for the first time. It was an incredible lineup and great fun. I especially enjoyed an unplanned early mini-set Sunday when Jeff, Jimmy and I played a few old favorites together. The house party was a success and is likely to become an annual event – stay posted for next year’s edition as I expect it will sell out quickly in advance based on this year’s buzz.
On a more subdued note, it was a rather nerve-wracking week personally as both my mother and wife each suffered TIA’s (more commonly expressed as “strokes”). Sherrie’s was resolved rather quickly…likely the result of some shifting of scar tissue in her brain from her past health issues. My mom’s attack was more severe, but it fortunately (?) occurred while we were visiting my nephew Connor at NYU Medical Center which resulted in very prompt attention and treatment. She is now back at home, but will be starting a combination of physical, occupational and speech therapy to assist her recovery. To those friends who have met her at performances in the past, we appreciate all you wishes, thoughts and prayers for her speedy and thorough recovery.
I’m involved in a couple of upcoming events worth noting – one coming up quickly and the other is a date to hold on your calendars in the summer. First up is the Vail-Leavitt Music Hall‘s Mardi Gras fundraising event to be held on “Fat Tuesday” February 21st beginning at 7:30 PM. I will be playing with an assortment of friends as the opening act. The featured performer for the event is Joe Lauro’s “Who Dat Loungers” playing energetic and entertaining New Orleans-style music. There are a number of local downtown Riverhead restaurants who are participating with promotional discounts for folks who buy their tickets online. Tickets for the event are $20 each. Connect to the Vail-Leavitt’s website here for more information.
And speaking of the Vail-Leavitt, I’m happy to report the return of the Riverhead Blues & Music Festival to downtown Riverhead on June 16th & 17th. This signature event is the primary fundraiser for the historic Music Hall’s mission for the cultural, educational and social benefit of the community. This year we’re happy to report that blues legend Johnny Winter will be one of our featured headline acts. Hold the date & stay posted via the Vail-Leavitt website as more details become available.
Return from Florida (Yet another Sunny-land!!!)
January 27th, 2012 Bob Just came back earlier this week from Florida – visiting with family in Naples /Marco Island and friends & family in the St. Petersburg area – and wanted to provide a bit of an update to begin the new year.
First, all prayers & good wishes are appreciated for my 12-year old nephew Connor Cosgrove. A little less than 2 weeks ago, he suffered some symptoms and was quickly diagnosed with a brain tumor. (For those who do not know, we have some prior experience…my wife Sherrie is now a 15-year brain tumor survivor.) Connor underwent two brain surgeries in two days at NYU Medical Center, first to remove the mass and a second to remove a blood clot which presented itself on the following day. As he starts his rest and recovery from this ordeal, a website provides updates on his status. You can leave messages of support there for Connor and his family as well at: www.caringbridge.org/visit/connorcosgrove1 . Once there, you may create an account using your email address or sign in with Facebook Connect. Good luck & stay strong, Connor!
Second, on the final day of our trip I made a most pleasant musical discovery – a music store in Madeira Beach that must certainly be considered the Gulf Coast Mecca of Ukulele, Compass Music. I had brought my Kamaka concert uke in a “chipboard” case as my traveling musical device, being less bulky and more portable than my regular banjos. I spotted the shop a day or so earlier and fortuitously chose to peer in the window. When what to my wondering eyes should appear but … a WALL FULL of UKULELES!! I stopped in and met Chris Rooney – the extremely helpful & knowledgeable proprietor – who provided me with an unexpected choice (!!) of properly sized hard-shell cases. I also purchased a wonderful little 17-fret Vega tenor which will soon be transformed into a nice compact travel banjo. Visit the website & definitely check the store out if you are in the area.
Third – time is running out for your opportunity to be part of the unique and singular event that will be Jeff and Joel’s House Party. Check out links and info in my previous post – don’t miss out on what is sure to be a most memorable musical experience!!!
Jeff & Joel’s House Party – February 11th & 12th, 2012
December 2nd, 2011 Bob Let me tell you about a MOST SPECIAL AND UNIQUE event which I will be part of on February 11th & 12th, 2012 in Guilford, Connecticut - Jeff & Joel’s House Party.
The coordinators of this event are both legendary musical figures. Jeff (Barnhart) is a world- renowned pianist and entertainer, stars on a multitude of recordings and playing with groups around the world – notably the Titan Hot Seven, who are generally acknowledged to be among the finest and popular ensembles on the festival circuit. Joel (Schiavone) is a well-known entrepreneur, banjo player and musical promoter/impresario. He was the force behind the national chain of clubs named “Your Father’s Moustache” which recently celebrated its 50th anniversary at no less a venue than New York’s esteemed Carnegie Hall.
What other kind of a house party would you expect to be thrown by Jeff & Joel but one which features 15 of the East Coast’s most outstanding purveyors of traditional jazz – including notables such as Vince Giordano, Lew Green, Jimmy Mazzy, Herb Gardner, Bria Skonberg and Kevin Dorn. (I am honored to be included among such “fast company”.)
Anyhow, this party should not be missed by anyone considering themselves a serious fan of this musical style. The musicians are a dynamic group which will undoubtedly be mixed into a variety of creative aggregations which could astound even the most jaded of listeners. I can promise that the musical excitement and enjoyment will truly be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for everyone involved….potentially more fun than humans should be permitted to have…. FOLLOW THE LINK TO THE EVENT WEBSITE FOR MORE INFO!!!
Have a Sunnyland Xmas!!
November 22nd, 2011 Bob Just released!! “ELF BLUES” – an original Xmas tune for economically challenging times…
LISTEN TO >>>
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
<<< HERE!!!
Then, go buy it at one of these fine download suppliers:
iTunes – Amazon mp3 - Spotify - Zune - Rhapsody
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -
I’ve also posted up my first “solo” video on YouTube, playing a vintage Epiphone tenor guitar.
Happy holidays to everyone!
New updates to site & schedule
October 28th, 2011 Bob “There’ll be a change in the weather, there’s a change in the sea…”
Nature has flipped a switch from the season of open windows to layered clothing here on Long Island, so it seems an appropriate time to note some changes in the world of Sunnyland.
First, our gig at Bonnie Jean’s has moved to a winter schedule. We will be playing on an alternating week basis beginning November 3rd, so keep an eye on our upcoming appearances schedule to confirm; I don’t want friends who travel long distances to arrive and be disappointed! The food is still great – Bonnie Jean’s just won several “Best of the North Fork” awards from Dan’s Papers for this year including “Best Late Night” (I’d like to think that Thursdays clinched that prize).
Members of Sunnyland will also be appearing at the Howard Hovey Tuba & Euphonium Concert at Sayville Middle School on Johnson Avenue in Sayville (South of Sunrise Highway/Route 27). The day of bass horns is named for Howard Hovey, founder of the festival & my musical associate for over a decade as a member of his trio. John Klumpp & I play a short opening set with Howard’s two sons – Arthur on helicon and Bob on trombone – who are outstanding musicians in their own right. Arthur is the lynchpin of Connecticut’s famous Galvanized Jazz Band, while Bob is well-known as a music educator and virtuoso trombonist with an eclectic variety of groups in the New York area. After our opening set, the free concert features hundreds of tubas & euphonium including small groups and with featured world-class soloists. In fact, the hometown favorite Long Island Tuba Quartet features two Sunnyland stalwarts – Jeff Furman and Bill Troiano.
Finally, I was encouraged by friends to give some more detail about my musical background and history. Rather than create a single long text entry, I am breaking up the details into smaller bite-size chunks covering specific experiences. More segments will be added in “ABOUT BOB BARTA” as I get time to write them…check out the newest entries about two of my teachers. The first is a re-print of my 1984 interview with my old teacher & “Hobsie-pal” Roy Smeck. The second is a tribute to Sy Shaffer, a teacher who re-shaped the way I listened to music ever since.
Be well, and hope to see you soon!
Related show
Sunnyland at the 2011 Riverhead Country Fair
October 10th, 2011 Bob We had a fantastic day Sunday, October 9th at the Riverhead Country Fair. I figured out that it marked my 30th year playing the fair with a musical group, dating back to the “Singing Banjos” ! I recall back then that Al Shields was the master of ceremonies – known for his crazy hats & outfits on stage. I also remember being there when Harold Smith and a group of preservationists from Riverhead Townscape marched around publicizing their efforts to save and restore an old theater nearby the fair, the Vail-Leavitt Music Hall, which I had not seen and was totally unaware of. Thirty odd years later, I’m the president of the non-profit which runs the Vail-Leavitt. Who’d-a thunk it??
Anyway, here’s a link to a nice little story & clip of video from Riverhead Patch’s Paul Squire. The lineup includes John Klumpp on trumpet & Bill Troiano on tuba. The reporter did mix up quotes in the story, however….I know I never said anything about the weather & John doesn’t have kids.
Link – > SJB at the Riverhead Country Fair (from Riverhead Patch)
RiverheadLOCAL also put up a couple of pictures (#16 & 17) and video (we’re about 1:40 in) – all shot by the multi-talented Katie Blasl – included in their report on the fair. Link to that report here.
Foundations: An Essay on the Blues
October 6th, 2011 Bob I got a call from a banjo colleague, Bart Gallagher, who asked for some background information on the blues. I thought it would be useful to readers of my site as well as students in my jazz history course to provide a brief summary of this distinctive form which is an integral component of American music.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Nobody can specifically say where the blues came from, like many other grassroots cultural movements. Certainly, it was first recognized as a form of Afro-American folk song which had some of its earliest development and popularization with blacks in the South deriving from “work songs”.
Work songs were a psychological necessity as a way for enslaved blacks to try to cope with their situation: no control or self-determination, and forced into labor for the benefit of others on whom their survival depended. Whether working individually or in groups, it was undoubtedly useful to use musical rhythmic patterns both as a timing mechanism and to deal with monotonous repetitive actions. While most communication between field slaves was forbidden, plantation owners and bosses could see that production benefitted from the pacing and synchronization which these patterns provided and were more likely to allow them. Once permitted, inventive slaves worked within the limits to creatively develop a communication system. A well-known pattern which developed was the “field holler”, where an initial message or phrase would be called out loud enough for another to hear. That line could be “hollered back” in confirmation, creating a pattern of call-and-response. Upon confirmation of the first message component, another phrase might serve as a follow-up.
While it emerged from humble origins, the harmonic component of the blues arises from a very practical application of music theory. Its fundamental building blocks are the 3 naturally occurring “major” chords which are components of every diatonic major scale in traditional western music. These chords occur on the triads built on the first, fourth and fifth notes in any given scale. This has a practical application on both a tuned keyboard and string instruments.
On a keyboard, playing the white keys will give a complete diatonic scale. The next step is building three-note harmonic chord structures, leaving a gap of one white key between each of the three struck keys. If these chords are played sequentially up the keyboard, the player will find that the chord rooted on “C” is identified by the ear as the “root” or standard key of the scale, sounding as a reference point of ultimate resolution. It is also notably a “major” chord, sounding complete and with a “positive” feel. A similar “major – positive” feel will be felt on chords which are respectively 4 and 5 steps up from the root chord. In the key of “C major”, these chords are “F major” and “G major”. If we substitute a Roman numeral system to represent them, the chords will be labeled “I” (one), “IV” (four) and “V” (five). It’s noteworthy that the “I” chord appears in the major scale harmony based on its “IV” and “V” pitches in every diatonic major scale.
A similar phenomenon is quickly noticeable on strings. In the simplest form, a guitar or other string instrument is tuned so that its open strings sound to a major chord. Using a piece of metal pipe or smooth bar, the player may slide the moving piece toward the bridge while remaining parallel to the nut at the top of the neck. On an instrument with frets or fret markings, the sound of all strings will again reach a “major” sound at the 5th fret (equivalent to a keyboard “IV”) and the 7th fret (equivalent to a keyboard “V”). So for all those old blues guitarists down south, some even with homemade instruments, the accessibility of these three key chords was self-evident even without formal lessons or “correct” tunings.
When intermingled, these two elegantly simple and adaptable components of form and harmony create the familiar structure of the basic blues which has been heard by the general public dating back to the early 1900’s. Lyrically & melodically, a first line is stated in the first 4 bars, next repeated or developed, and finally followed by a “tag” or “punch” line in the final 4 bars completing the idea associated with the stanza. Harmonically, it’s commonly supported by a now-classic “12 bar” pattern of chord harmonization.
[ In this example, each chord numeral represents 1 bar (or 4 beats) of that harmony. ]
I – I – I – I // IV – IV – I – I // V – V – I – I
In the most simple of variations, a IV chord substitutes for I in the second bar.
This pattern has been used for countless traditional guitar blues and popular tunes. Well known historic examples of the harmonic pattern include the “A” and “C” sections of W.C. Handy’s “St. Louis Blues”, “Frankie & Johnny”, “Diddy Wa Diddy”, “In The Mood”, “Caledonia”, “Hound Dog”, “Blue Suede Shoes”, “Rock Around The Clock”, “Johnny B. Goode”, “Barbara Ann”, “Tutti Frutti”, “Shake, Rattle & Roll”, “Folsom Prison Blues”, “Mustang Sally” and “Pride & Joy”. A treasure trove of folk music has been built on the blues form because of its simplicity and appropriateness for a wide variety of creative uses and story-telling entertainment.
Over years, many complex mutations developed including extended or reduced numbers of bars, substituted or extended chord harmonies, altered modalities (major-minor) or blues incorporated into larger musical forms. Duke Ellington, in particular, utilized and explored the possibilities of blues as a unique African-American contribution to the art of music composition and expression.
Melodically, a “blues feel” is associated with the emphasized use of certain notes – the 6th, flatted 3rd, and flatted 7th notes of the scale being used,often with a “bending” feel as applied by guitarists.
Just flew in from Cleveland and boy are my arms tired….
September 28th, 2011 Bob I was privileged this past weekend to have been a guest performer with the fantastic Wolverine Jazz Band of Boston led by a great friend and musical colleague, John Clark. We played at the Fall Jazz Festival in Strongsville, Ohio sponsored by the EARLYJAS Association of Northeast Ohio. The festival enables the organization to make major contributions to charitable contributions to groups such as this year’s benefactor, the Kidney Foundation of Summit County.
It’s so great to get to work with this great bunch of musicians…a consistently high quality of musicianship and really great people, too. I admit to some nervousness as I was subbing for Jimmy Mazzy…another great friend and one of my absolute heroes of the banjo. My advantage may be that as a fan of the Wolverines and Jim, I’m more well-acquainted with the material than the average banjo player.
The festival featured many great performers from across the country and an enthusiastic audience twirling stuff in the air when bands hit stride on the “barn burners”. The great cornetist Bob Schulz accused me of making him feel old, and Andy Schumm and Josh Duffee in turn made me feel old. Brought back a bunch of CD’s too, so I have plenty of new study material for growing the repertoire.
