Live Jazz Music TAKE FOUR , Sunday Afternoon Last March 2009 @ Home Of Lee And Leslie

I'm having fun now finally putting this all together with my photographer friend Karen Akerson as it happened back in March of last year, 2009. She knows how to edit and get what I filmed in large and small snippets of video at Lee and Leslie's home last year into an enjoyable and cohesive format that may be enjoyed here by you and your friends.

I want to say up front that these photographs and videos here were done as my " thank-you " to a long friendship and strong bond that I feel for both Lee and Leslie. I marveled at the first Sunday ( 2-5 PM ) afternoon Live Jazz event at their home back in early 2008. At that point I only took pictures using both my camera ( that ran out of battery life - argh! ) to take the pictures that I down-loaded and posted on my blog at : chatart.blogspot.com. You may check those out at your convenience. It begins to tell a small part of the story. I am glad to have included it because it includes some people that were not at the second Live Jazz Sunday Afternoon in March, 2009.

Once that my battery ran out I went in search of Lee that quickly discussed things with Leslie and one of their cameras was made available almost immediately. It belonged to one of their daughters and I started snapping away immediately and that is what I left behind as my gift to both Lee and Leslie and really as much to their two wonderful daughters that will grow into all of this and be able to appreciate and share this with their parents as they understand the marvelous and memorable times these were that drew so many talented jazz musicians to their home to play each year live jazz. I mean Gene comes all the way from New York to play his vibrant and enthusiastic/story-telling guitar. That's impressive and he's charming and has a wonderful smile, too.

At the first Live Jazz Sunday Afternoon at Lee and Leslie's I even knew one of the musicians : the bass upright strings you see playing here in the second 2009 Live Jazz Sunday Afternoon. He's also in one of the pictures from 2008 I believe that I captured as I walked into Lee and Leslie's home?

You may also go to: chatart.blogspot.com again and look at the pictures and the story that I have already posted back in 2009 to see more of the pictures from the Live Jazz 2009 " happening " at Lee and Leslie's home. I even included some of my poetry on that blog entry as I was inspired by seeing these pictures and remembering the sounds and the people and all of their talent as it came from within themselves, their voices and their various musical instruments. What a special moment all of this was for me, really.

On this Jazz 4 snippet of video you get a sense of the whole event that was focused in this room but also spread out into two other rooms as well with all the talking and the lively banter and excitement of the moment as people hurried to say things/ express themselves before the next bit of music started as the players ( singers and musicians ) changed places and got ready for the next piece.

Cheers, TONY

Live Jazz Music TAKE THREE , Sunday Afternoon @ Lee And Leslie's Home, 2009 / Robert Redd ( Piano ) & Bart Stringham ( Guitar )

I want to say that Karen Akerson ( my video editor and very talented photographer ) are doing this for the love of the music and the musicians here that sing and play their various musical instruments to create such an engaging " live " jazz sound that cannot fail to stir the soul and churn the gut and inflame the imagination, mind and loins, too. This is exciting stuff, this is " racing for the finish - for the wonderful prize - whatever that may be ! " I love it. I am thrilled to have been included here by my two great friends Lee and Leslie. Thank you both. Accept this video and all the others as a token to our friendship over these long, glorious years.

I also want to say that neither Karen and I are in this for the money. We are not making a penny from this : that was never our idea. Rather, my idea has always been to share this with Lee and Leslie as well as to share it with all those involved. It preserves a small part of a moment but at least it does exist and I hope that when the people there see this that they will smile and relax and sit a spell to listen and to remember the lively, energized and inspiring and elevating times we all shared gathered together with great people, great talent wine and food and " live jazz music ". Wow! these last two events in 2008 and 2009 have been something else and something very special.

I could not have put this together in such a lovely, cohesive and interesting format for you all to watch without the help of Karen Akerson my very talented photographer friend. Thank you Karen for all your help so far and all your help still to come for both this blog and also for helping to put it all together in and interesting format to be put on a c.d. for Lee and Leslie to enjoy. You are dedicated and passionate about this work and you even sent Stephen by to help me get your last work done here on Live Jazz 3 and Live Jazz 4 copied onto my blog site so that I could write the story and post it in time before the next Sunday Afternoon of Live Jazz at Lee and Leslie's coming up at the end of March, 2010. I like this. This is all good and I cannot wait to come to this next event. Thanks again for including me. It is so much fun and so memorable.

On this Live Jazz 3 there is some great piano finishing with some excellent guitar work. I'm pleased with the sound and the images and Karen you really helped to get them into a nice format here so that it all flows together nicely.

I will get all the names of those musicians and singers that participated here in 2009 and include them soon. I did meet everyone and say " hello " but I was busy here at work filming and taking pictures. On top of that I took my invitation with the names and got it signed by everyone there and then gave it as my present to Lee and Leslie as a souvenir for them.

I'm really pleased that I have done this for my good friends Lee and Leslie. It's a great moment and it takes a whole lot of work, planning and energy and they deserve to have a memento to look back at and listen to as they are so busy entertaining and making sure that everyone is fine and having a good time that it is hard to really focus on this grand live music. Now they can and that pleases me enormously.

Now I am being proactive. On the invitation that we received in the mail the other day it says : Live Jazz provided by : The Music Teaching Project : Michael Bowie, Jamie Broumas, Ken Kimery and Robert Redd.

So stay-tuned/ jazz-tuned for more to follow on this 2009 Sunday Afternoon as well as the one to follow shortly.

Cheers, TONY

P.S. Having just returned from yesterday's live Jazz performance at Lee and Leslie's I am a bit better prepared. That was Sunday, March 27th, 2011 and it was superb. I have pictures and video and portrait sketches that I did of all the musicians to share here soon with Karen Akerson's help. I got more great footage and I was using a better camera, too. We will soon see and soon hear what we will both see and hear! Cheers, TONY ( Monday, March 298th, 2011 here at home in northern Virginia ).