New Tunes

I'm preparing for several upcoming gigs. The first, with the Reno Jazz Orchestra, will be a latin jazz big band. I can't wait to hear that big sound. For that, we'll be doing Oye Cayuco, Mambo en Blue, Frenesi, Mama Guela and Smile Please, plus instrumentals. I've been learning the "hey-hey-hey-hey" vocal part for Oye Cayuco--it sounds really cool. I think Orlando Torriente will sing lead on Mambo en Blue and I'll sing coro, but I want to learn that tune for my own gigs. I'm also interested in seeing what kind of arrangement Wayne Wallace comes up with for Frenesi.

Then, August 14 I'm a guest for 2 songs on Stephanie Ozer's gig at the Jazz School. That's a great band too--Stephanie is a wonderful pianist, and she's got Mary Fettig and Scott Thompson, mother and son musicians extraordinaire, on horns and bass. Phil Thompson is on drumset--he's great and it's been quite a while since I played a gig with him. So anyway, the songs I'm learning for that are Edu Lobo's Ave Rara ("strange bird") and Ronaldo Bôscoli and Roberto Menescal's Rio. I already sing Ponteio, another Edu Lobo tune, so it will be nice to add this incredibly gorgeous tune to my repertoire.