Savoring The Apple

1/12 Spent till mid-day at the IAJE convention. Greetings to our new friends in Scandinavia and Hilton Head, SC. We’ll see you there when we come to town!

Ok here’s the Birdland story…. Can you imagine – thrill of trills in a cab?!! Scott learned through a phone call from a friend that they couldn’t come to see us at Birdland because it was SOLD OUT. Whoopdedoo! When we walked in the “back door” into the club area itself, Scott mentioned that he was “home”. For me, this was a dream come true – perfect sized club with a very friendly and “international family-style” staff. We arrived early enough to go through some programming notes with Tommy Igoe, the Friday Night Big Band’s drummer and leader (first picture backstage w/ Scott). Scott recognized some of the audience regulars from a few years ago, and had a ball reconnecting with beloved band mates.

The band blazed and the audience was enthralled with every punch and hit. Sounds like a boxing match – in a way, harmonically, it is. A KO, so to speak, is the aim of a song’s arranger and the entire band is the instrument they get to work through. This band is wonderful! These are some of the best musicians in town, and it shows in the dynamic detail and nuance that they bring to reading each chart. Tommy picked some great repertoire, and he also has a really nice announcing style and rapport with the audience. Stepping off the stage to hands outstretched in congrats and murmurs of “good job…sound great…” This meant all the more to me, since some of these jazz fans had heard the duo of Jackie Cain and Roy Kral. The sound system was great, and singing with Scott and this band was a thrill of a lifetime for me.

A number of people in the audience asked me if my last name was Birdland. Funny they should ask… Berglund is an unusual name and is never pronounced correctly in the U.S. Sven Nyquist (Ingmar Berman’s cinematographer) taught me on the set of the “Postman Always Rings Twice” that the correct pronunciation of my name was Berry Loon. The first time I ever saw my name in print – in a 7th grade gymnastics competition listing – it was noted as Ginger Birdland. Little did I know…

I’m going to post pictures on my website, although I won’t be able to caption any. Regrets, you’ll just have to try to match them up. The first for Birdland will be of Scott and Tommy Igoe conferring in the back room over tunes and tempos before the set. I got pics of each section (saxes, bones, trumpets), and three of the bone players together, Mike Boschen, Scott, and Dale Turk.