I’m doing a gig with Kate and Lou in Brooklyn on Friday, April 23, and Lou called an impromptu rehearsal tonight, at Sunny’s, the oldest bar in Brooklyn (no kidding: it was founded in 1890 by the current owner’s grandfather, or maybe great-grandfather, I don’t remember).
Playing there is always fun, and I’m always glad to get rehearsal time with Lou since we usually do several new songs, and the speed we play them at tends to increase by a factor of two when we’re finally on stage. So it’s good to be solidly comfortable with the material. We’re actually only doing one new song (a fiddle tune called Buck’s Run) at this show, but it’s a three-parter with a strange C part. Plus, we’ll be doing several of Lou’s original jazz tunes, which are quite beautiful, but take some practice to learn.
We played for about an hour, going over things for the show. This early on a Saturday, Sunny’s is pretty quiet, so it was a relaxed evening, although the people there did enjoy the music. Sunny’s wife Tone showed up with their three-year-old daughter in tow, who solemnly observed the festivities before being taken up to bed.
Sunny himself wasn’t there, but Scott was behind the bar, a good man with a pour. And Maya took some nice photos despite the lighting (or lack thereof).
“What’s that chord again, Lou?”