1/26 Friday. Denton to Tucumcari. Scott spent grad school in Denton, so we toured around town a bit. Kept looking for the Texas Pickup, a one-time local chili house (sure…why not for breakfast?) We finally learned it was no longer there. Stopped in Vernon, TX at the Red River Valley Museum in hopes of seeing memorabilia about the great jazz trombonist Jack Teagarden. There’s not much left on display except his horn with its altered spit valve. Jack sheared it off and customized the instrument so that it would be self-draining. There are a few more Vernon musicians mentioned, but we didn’t stay long because we still had a Texas-sized journey ahead in which the landscape appeared to be moving right along with us… I took these pictures along a one-lane country detour, just east of Quanah, TX where there appeared to be a hazardous spill that everyone was being directed around. Large trucks had a particularly difficult time navigating the narrow lanes and deep side-ditches, and we got to see some countryside and town life close up.
1/27 Tucumcari to Albuquerque was a sunny, beautiful drive. Enough snow to pleasantly cover the scene. We arrive at Sandra Goulart’s charming and peaceful adobe back house, and settle in for a nap. Scott’s got a cold, and Sandra’s library could not be more enticing for me. We meet Stu MacAskie, pianist, who leads the house trio at Scalo. Bassist Michael Glynn (left) played solidly and drummer Arnaldo Acosta (3rd from left) provided creative spark.
Stu (2nd from left) is good…very good. He has a gracious style on the mic. His very sensitive comping and melodic soloing made the evening a lot of fun, in spite of the fact that Scott was challenged by his cold. I sang more solo tunes than I normally would, and Ellington’s “Prelude To A Kiss” was a real treat for me, as well as for the audience to hear.
The Scalo audience was very warm and encouraging, and there is talk about our returning. Owner Elaine Blanco was especially sweet and said “You should be in the Oak Room at the Algonquin…” Well…ok, Elaine, but we’re looking forward to coming back to Scalo’s too…
1/28 Morning came very early today….up in time for breakfast, warm-up, and rehearsal before the first service at the Albuquerque Center for Spiritual Living. We sang a duet pairing of two songs with Stu, Rodney, and John Bartlett. One was an ancient Welsh carol called “Awake Were They Only”, with Thad Jones’ “A Child Is Born”. They gave us a standing ovation. I sang “Beautiful Love” for their offertory. We did this for two services and really enjoyed our morning with this beautiful gathering of vibrant people. We shared Chinese lunch at Chopstix with Sandra and the band. Albuquerque to Gallup wasn’t a terribly long drive, but it shortened the next driving day.
1/29 Third “lazy morning” of our entire tour out. We spend it trading off getting online. Next time we take two laptops on the road! Gallup to Flagstaff was a beautiful and short drive. That evening Scott lead a trombone sectional for David Vining, a professor of trombone studies at Northern Arizona University. Between times, we explored old town Flagstaff. The Weatherford Hotel’s Charlie’s Café serves a dynamite green chile posole, and it was especially charming to dine and watch the first light fall of fat snowflakes.
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