Gary Gregg at Joe's Record Paradise
Photo by Erika Horn
Marilyn Older at The Hamilton
Photo by Erika Horn, CoZmiKphoTographY
A Very Chaise Lounge Christmas, 2014
Our hometown Christmas show is always a highlight of our year. It has become a tradition, but we still like to switch things up a bit. So this year, our “opening act” was the North Chevy Chase Elementary School Holiday Glee Club. A more enthusiastic group of fourth graders you will not find! Maybe you recognize their pink-suited conductor. Charlie served as “composer in residence” at the school for a week earlier this year, so when we needed some kid singers to add to the mix, he knew just where to go.
We were thrilled to have a packed house at Bethesda Blues & Jazz. There is no better way to start the holidays than that. Along with songs from our Christmas album, we played some old favorites and premiered a brand new song called “Gin Fizz Fandango.” It is a strange and groovy tune in a slow three-four that features a bravura solo by Joe Jackson on trombone and a star turn by Marilyn Older on piano. We are looking forward to playing this song a lot in 2015!
Wisconsin symphony concerts
It’s always a little nerve-wracking to book a gig in Central Wisconsin during snow season. Will our plane be able to land? Will our rental van be able to mush the two-and-a-half hour distance to the show? But it’s always worth the risk to play with the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra. Maestro Patrick Miles has an unusual combination of an extraordinary music talent and a salt-of-the-earth personality, and he made what could have been a difficult first day (including not only the flight and the drive, but a full dress rehearsal before the concert) into a wonderful musical celebration.
Our run in Stevens Point was capped off by a celebratory dinner at the concert hall and a standing ovation as we walked in to our seats. That is not something that happens every day, and it was not lost on us what a special time and place Stevens Point is. These shows marked the debut of our Christmas pops repertoire. When we get the board checks from this concert, we’ll post a song or two.
In the meantime, check out the blue Very Chaise Lounge Guitar that was made for Charlie by John Currier of Stevens Point, Wisconsin.
West Coast tour report!
We’ve just returned from our first tour of Southern California. Boy, were we jazzed (ha) to play the famous Catalina Jazz Club! We thought that might be the high point of our trip West…but it was just the beginning. At Croce’s in San Diego, we met Ingrid Croce, a warm and welcoming host who, along with Jimmy Rock, got out the local jazz scene and helped pack the club for us. For two beautiful sets, we all thought about moving to California for a life of swinging and surfing.
Then it was out to Mojave to play a gig in an airplane hangar. Sound a little Spinal Tap-ish? Not at all! We were proud to headline the first High Desert Blues & Jazz Festival for workers and neighbors of the Mojave Air & Space Port. About one-fifth of the local population came out for the show, and their response was incredible. They sang along, danced, and wouldn’t leave without three encores. We were flying high! We loved them, and we also loved our opening act, jazz harpist Lori Andrews. She was spectacular.
By chance, the following day was “Plane Day” in Mojave, so after breakfast we got to look at private planes built by spaceport engineers. We met many people who had been to the previous night’s show. Their way to repay us was—we kid you not—to take us up for rides in experimental aircraft! We would come back to play music for this little town in a heartbeat.
Insomnia Tour Hero Slide
The Rooster's Wife
There is a club in the tiny, tiny town of Aberdeen, North Carolina, called The Rooster’s Wife. Playing there recently was one of the most satisfying concert experiences of our collective lives. The funky venue is beautiful, the audience is a sophisticated, musically educated crowd, and the performers are treated like royalty. Janet Kenworthy has created a nearly magical experience that that appears, like Brigadoon, each Sunday night at 6:46 PM. If you are within 250 miles…GO.
Snow Day!
As we Mid-Atlantic types huddle & cuddle inside while the world outside turns white, it’s nice to remember how much we once loved a good snow day!
(“Once” as in oh, about five snowstorms ago…)
CL with Maryland Youth Ballet Studio Company @ Intersections Arts Fest
A Real-Life Mambo This Saturday, March 1, at 4:30 pm, Chaise Lounge plays a free, hourlong concert as part of the annual Intersections arts festival at DC’s historic Atlas Theater. In keeping with the festival’s theme, we’ll “intersect” with another arts group to accompany a dance piece created for our song “Mambo Noir.” The piece, choreographed by Christopher Doyle, will feature Sam Rodriguez and Sophie Doyle, members of the Maryland Youth Ballet studio company. We would love for you to see the results of this first-time collaboration! Stick around afterwards to hear Charlie and other festival composers in a “Composer Conversation.” Though the event is free, tickets are required. You can snag yours here.