New England Traditional Jazz Plus other good jazz

Wolverine Jazz Band at Ma Glockner's
April 19, 2007

Thursday, the walls at Ma Glockner's vibrated with the energy and drive of the Wolverine Jazz Band of Norwood, Massachusetts. Nurtured and inspired by New Orleans jazz, this band is way over the top! Momentum begins on the first note, and never ceases.

They are musical soulmates, and enjoy playing classic tunes. They have fun. But don't be fooled - this is one serious band!

Boate's trombone on Out of Nowhere had fans and musicians alike chuckling when he snuck in some eloquent Star Trek lines. That set the mood for the evening!

Rose Room was a nice dance number, with a slight perception of In A Mellow Tone. Clark was awesome on bari sax with Fat's Waller's Squeeze Me. There was fine New Orleans polyphony on an up-tempo Oriental Man and Cole Porter's You Do Something To Me,

Bix's Singing The Blues featured the marvelous, rich tones of Jeff Hughes on cornet, followed by Dippermouth Blues, which will be on their next CD, just in time for The Great Connecticut Jazz Fest on July 27-29th. Another trombone feature by Boates, with a vocal on a personally devised 'megaphone' (!) on Honey Pie, and exiting with a virtuosic cadenza.

We're always pleased to have Bob Sundstrom on banjo come back to join us, with his own instinctive interpretations of our favorite classic songs. Wish we could hear him more often! (I'll have to start using Boston's Metro.)

Love Nest, Curse Of An Aching Heart, I Believe In Miracles. Clark's clarinet introduced his vocal on When The Blues Of The Night Meet The Gold Of The Day, and the trombone and cornet helped by trading fours on It's A Sin To Tell A Lie.

Robin Verdier is leader of his own Monte Carlo Jazz Ensemble, whose repertoire includes hot dance tunes, dreamy romantic ballads, "peppy period pops", blues, stomps, and ragtime. He's our own, personal Scott Joplin, inspired, brilliant, plays the full keyboard with passion and energy! His Ensemble will be here at Ma Glockner's on May 17th.

Mild mannered and respectable Rick MacWilliams, provided a balance of simple and complex rhythms on the tuba, alongside his colleague, Dave Didricksen on drums. Dave was incredible on The Mooch, and on wood block for Royal Garden Blues. Digga Digga Do featured a fine drum/clarinet duet.

Dillon, Ben, Ken, (Mom & Grandma.) members of the Mugawumps, a
young (13-21) jazz band out of Oakmont

High and Middle Schools, were here at Ma Glockner's to observe (and maybe pick up ideas?) from the Wolverine Jazz Band. (Missing are Cory, Mike and Sara.)

The Mugawumps have played folk, jazz, and some rock at a Lions' Club meeting in Boxborough, and graduation parties, and retirement homes in the vicinity of Ashburham, Westminster, and Gardner, Massachusetts.

Johnny St. Cyr's Oriental Strut was ferocious and wild, followed by sensitive, soulful, muted trombone and cornet, with Sundstrom's vocal on Mecca Flats Blues.

Only the piano, clarinet, and tuba were featured on You Brought A New Kind Of Love To Me. The other band members returned, and Boates resumed with the old fashioned tune (aren't they all?) Basin St. Blues. Jeff led the ensemble for Sundstrom's vocal on Bix's I'll Be A Friend With Pleasure.

My absolute favorite this evening (next to the Mooch) was the Wolverines' interpretation of Duke's Creole Love Call, with John Clark playing the response on clarinet. Fabulous. They ended, all too soon, (Where did the time go???) with a scorching Riverboat Shuffle.

Armed with motivating spells of New Orleans past, this band has reached the heights. Brace yourself World, here they come!

This year, 2007, the WJB has been invited to appear at the Hot Steamed Jazz Festival in Essex, CT - Friday, June 22; Bar Harbor Summer Music Festival - Sunday, July 21; The Great Connecticut Traditional Jazz Festival in Moodus - July 26 & 27; and the Suncoast Jazz Festival in Clearwater, FL - November 16-18. And next year on the west coast (finally!) at the Olympic Jazz Festival in Port Angeles, Washington.

Marce. Updated April 30, 2007

2007 New England Jazz Calendar

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Wolverine Jazz Band at Ma Glockner's April 19, 2007

2007 New England Jazz Calendar

Wolverine Jazz Band at Ma Glockner's
April 19, 2007