Graceville Was Greatville!

HELLO GRACEVILLE!

Thanks to their amazing librarian Vicky Grimli, and the help of Julie (and son DeAndre) from KDIO Radio, there was an amazing turnout of approximately 100 people.  Folks showed up from alot of the neighboring towns including the Dakotas!


The show went really well, and afterwards, I had an elderly gentleman come up to me and sing Among My Souvenirs to me, and suggest that I add it to the show.  What a beautiful suprise to be serenaded like that!

After the show, and after we were offered wonderful baked goods
which they had to twist our arms to take, (wink wink) we set out to have a late dinner.  Not expecting much to be opened at 9:30 at night in rural MN, you can imagine how delighted we were to stumble upon this amazing Italian Bistro, Bella Cuccina, in Morris MN.

Boy did we ever have a fabulous meal.  Rick said it put him in a meat coma and ended up falling asleep as soon as we got back to the hotel.  I, on the other hand digested my food for a little while, catching up on some late night infomericials!

NEXT STOP STARBUCK

The next day, we breakfasted in Starbuck MN, home of the world's largest Lefse!!   Not to mention a great breakfast spot:  The Nutcracker Cafe!

All in all it was a great trip.  We felt very grateful that we were able to make an impact on so many people.  Vicky, the librarian said that before the recent funding, this town never would have access to quality jazz concerts.  That is what I call the beauty of  Legacy Funding. 

Next Stop Graceville MN

Well Cottage Grove was a wonderful welcoming first stop on the new season of Happy Days!  Rick Carlson, Gary Schulte and Jeff Breuske and I played to a wide span age group which was quite refreshing!!! I really love seeing young boys and girls in the audience enjoying the music.

Also, I had a great chat with Jeanne the librarian about how similar  things are to the Great Depression and how relevant this show is to the current times even though the theme of the show is centered mostly on the 30's & 40's...

Our next stop will be Graceville MN and I am already checking out the history and particulars of the town.  This is really fun for me having not grown up here in MN.  It is all new to me.  I found a great website with some old photos of Graceville:  Vintage Graceville

This Wednesday I will be interviewed by the nearby local radio station out of nearby Ortonville.  I might have to visit the Big Stone County Museum while I am there and check out the Charles Hanson North American Wildlife Collection.  More to come...

Bing Crosby sings "Love Is Just Around The Corner"-

Bing sang many Depression era songs alluding to the American Dream.  Thsi song is from the motion picture "Here Is My Heart"and is one of Bing Crosby's many recorded songs of reassurance...

 

Getting Ready!

As I near some dates for my return to Happy Days, I am getting very excited just thinking about traveling around Minnesota and meeting all kinds of new folks and seeing new sights. I anticipate the joy of sharing my love of the Great American Songbook and the reward that I get in doing so. I will be posting my schedule for the next few months as soon as I firm up a few dates. Next stop: Cottage Grove on February 11th!!! Please subscribe if you would like regular updates. Don't worry, I only post every few weeks so you will not be bombarded!!

Happy Holidays!!! Thanks for a great year!

New Season of "Happy Days Are Here Again"!

Just like there are so many fish in the sea, songs to be sung, there are libraries and communities to be visited and explored. That is what I am most looking forward to this season of the show. In the brief hiatus(part of which was spent worrying a bit about our arts and cultural heritage funding during the government shutdown etc..), I realized how much I missed touring with the show. I missed the travel, the new sights, the communities and community members young and old, and how the show is just a tidge different for the different audiences!! I look forward to sharing this show with new and familiar faces, and watching it grow. So for those Minnesotans reading this blog, I could be coming to your town soon....

Photo of Rhonda Laurie & Sidewalk Cafe courtesy of Jana Frieband

Hope to See You Soon!

Well the first leg of this wonderful tour ended in June and things had come to a grinding halt when the government shut down as the programs are funded by Legacy Funds. Well, apparently the Legacy Bill was signed after the government ended the shutdown. What that means for programming remains to be seen. I would love to continue to meet all the wonderful new people and explore all the important spots in this wonderful state. However, this year has been amazing and something I will never forget. Thanks to all of you who made this possible. Until next time...

Jeepers Creepers!

I never thought I would find a clip of this but here it is...Louis serenading Jeepers Creepers...


Louis Armstrong-Jeepers Creepers-1938 by redhotjazz

Here's a link to Louis and Jack Teagarden's non-movie version.

http://youtu.be/2jbZrocd6vs

Delano to Paynesville to...

Delano Library greeted us with open arms. We even had a few folks/friends from Minneapolis drive out to see the show!! One of them was Andrea Canter who took some super photos!

Someone asked for a CD from the show. It is certainly something I would love to do. I tried to get a grant to do it but did not get it. Hopefully there will be a way to record these tracks soon and have a CD available at the shows...

After the gig, Robert and I went down the block for lunch...homemade soup and salad at Three Crows, and we sat right outside on the river on the first beautiful day in May!!!

More to come about the rest of our trip later....