Wycliffe Gordon Charleston City Paper
Did something very cool last night. Our Airbnb neighbors, Ronnie and Donna, invited us to listen to Jazz in a small club across the river in downtown Augusta.
It was awesome.
Fox's Lair at Olde Town Inn in Augusta, Georgia is not an easy place to find, given all the local road construction. The tagline on their website, promoting the place is "The coolest place you'll never find." A few months ago, the Bed and Breakfast, located in a period piece building, started to have jazz nights on the first Wednesday of the month in their cramped basement bar. Jill calls it intimate. That it was. We were totally packed in there.
The four-piece ensemble, a mix of bass and lead guitar, drums and sax were led by the sax player, a professor of music at the local college. A table of the Professor's students were in the audience, and they partied all night. Some brought their instruments. More on that that later. The Bass player alternated between playing a beautiful six string bass guitar and playing a short Cello looking bass instrument, maybe it's called a double Bass. At one point, for pure theatrical effect, he raised his bare right foot from the cement floor and extended his leg, placing his toes on the neck of the guitar to make a cord.
Totally unnecessary. Totally fun.
The Professor played the flute, in addition to the sax. I can't identify the type of sax he played, but I know there is a difference; there were three different types of saxophones killing it for us at one point during the two-hour set. It was a jam session. One of the Professor's students, a tall lanky kid about 6 '5", his head just clearing the cellar ceiling, played the Trombone and another student, a young woman wearing overalls, played the flute. For much of the session, there we're ten players in that tiny space: a trumpeter, a trombonist, three saxophonists, three guitarists, a flautist and a drummer.
The vibe in the cellar was all about music.
The trumpeter was a cut above the rest. Everybody was good, but he was just at another level, on another plane. The first time the Professor named all the players I missed his name. But not the second time. His name is Wycliffe Gordon, one of the worlds, that's right WORLD's, best Trombonists! Other than the musicians, few knew who this guy was, so I used the Google machine, and low and behold, he's the real deal. And that man can play! Last night he mostly played the trumpet, but for one tune he borrowed the tall student's trombone and blew the house down. I’ve never rocked to a trombone before; man could he blow! I'll bet that kid could not wait to get home and call his mom: "Guess who played my trombone, Mom?"
I asked Ronnie why the Fox's Lair only does jazz one night monthly. Later, after a conversation he had with the owner behind the bar, Ronnie relayed, "That's done, now. It's twice monthly from here on out.” The Professor confirmed it at the microphone right before their last tune.
What a fun night.
