October 6, 2008 - Hackney's

Good to be back. We took a few months off from our favorite rehearsal gig because things were a bit busy near the end of the summer. But fall brings the joy of new charts to read down and the crash and burn of yet another Chicago baseball season. The Sox were eliminated just as we were bringing equipment in, and the beloved Cubs two days earlier, but we got to watch the Red Sox Angles game all night. Here's Gina and Megan laying down some rhythm.


Megan had piano issues for the first set - no output to the board, but the built in monitor worked, so we simply mic-ed it and hoped for the best.


Set 1
Bandstand Boogie, Balboa Bash, Almost Like Being In Love, Cherokee, I Only Have Eyes For You, That Old Black Magic, Makin Whoopie, Moanin, Jumpin With Symphony Sid, I Could Write A Book, Beyond the Sea, Moten Swing,
Set 2
St Louis Blues, Jersey Bounce, Dynaflow, I Believe In You, You Don’t Know Me, Lady Is A Tramp, Topsy, Main Stem, I Just Found Out About Love, Why Don’t You Do Right, Bugle Call Rag, Alright, OK,

October 3, 2008 - Ritz Carlton

As you can plainly see, this was a gig in the lap of luxury. A benefit for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at the Ritz Carlton. Pictured here from left to right are Steve Hashimoto, Bruce Gibson and Mike Levin, discussing how they can get on more of these classic OJB gigs. Here we all are enjoying pasta, salad, and a wide variety of very good sandwhiches, while the event went on in the other room. 

The event was hosted by the Mix's Eric and Kathy, and Claudia reports that they were very entertaining. We were busy eating and drinking and enjoying the scenes. The cushy set-up more than made up for the brutal load-in that is the Ritz Carlton. 

Here's Chris in the bowels of the building, trying to find the right doors to lead down the hallway to the tiny elevator that will bring us up to the kitchen, where we will navigate a maze of corridors to arrive at a tiny, hidden door that will lead into the rear of the Grand Ballroom. How insane. Hate this load in!

Gina Knight reported the next morning that she ran into Whitney Houston in the lobby, "looking pissed as ever", with her daughter and little hollywood doggie. And hey! Dan Gorski flew in from L.A.again! He's lonely, no doubt.

Sept 20, 2008 - Harborside International Golf Center

Wedding reception for Chris and Jessica Wilson, at a location we've never performed at. Funny thing about the Harborside International Golf Center, its really hard to find. It looks like it should be easy -  right at the 111st exit off of the Bishop Ford. Even with GoogleMaps, Mapquest and GPS, no one had an easy time. So I got three calls from Claudia, two from Keith, and one from John Ruf. Unless you know to take an unmarked turn off from the exit or entrance ramps at 111th, you end up driving around and around.

Matt Kern sat in on drums, regaling us with one snare, one kick drum, two cymbals and an apparent aversion to sheet music. Nicely done. Sing Sing Sing with a New Orleans beat. Dan Gorski came in from Los Angeles to play trumpet and help unload and setup.

It was a musically tuned crowd - lots of musicians and artsy types. How often will you hear Coltrane's 'A Love Supreme' on the dinner music playlist?