Eddie Henderson at Ibiza

We were honored last Thursday with the legendary Eddie Henderson on trumpet. He is a forceful musician with a dynamic, haunting sound. Joe delivered an absolutely kick ass drum solo on "Blue Bossa." John Webber's warm solos grabbed me and held me right there with him for every note. And Carlton Holmes played a stunningly gorgeous piano solo on "You Don't Know What Love Is." Paul West stopped by and played a couple tunes. This week the accomplished composer and sax player John Farnsworth will be leading the band.

John Farnsworth lead the band August 12th

John Farnsworth, accomplished composer and sax player, lead a kickin' band, Frank Lacy on trombone, Dwayne Burno on bass, Carlton Holmes on piano, Peppe Merolla on drums, and Victoria Cave on vocals. They opened with "The Spirit Monitor" written by Frank Lacy. And played a few compositions by John, including one I loved "A Cry For Understanding." The band was tight, and Victoria's vocals were sublime. It's an extraordinary thing going on at Ibiza every Thursday, some of the city's greatest jazz musicians coming up our way to play because they love the music. Joe Farnsworth will be back to lead the band this Thursday, August 26th!

Hot August

Joe Magnarelli put together a hot group of musicians on Thursday, August 5th. He played the trumpet with his usual virtuosity full of passion. Akiko Tsuruga was witty, smart and fearless on the B3 organ. Jerry Weldon was a powerhouse on the sax, and Joe Strasser on drums was the dynamic support underneath it all. They opened the night with a cookin' version of Herbie Hancock's "Driftin'." Joe Strasser delivered an electric drum solo on "Ladybird" by Tadd Dameron. I loved their version of "Hammerhead" by Wayne Shorter. "Polka Dots & Moonbeams" was also fantastic. This Thursday, August 12th, John Farnsworth will be leading the band with Peppe Merolla on drums and Frank Lacy on trombone and trumpet.