Just to mention that while most of the country was glued to the election coverage, I had the great pleasure of hearing Don Vappie and John Rankin play duets on two 7-string guitars (John's is left-handed).
They did one blues of the kind that we can all relate to, and the rest of their set was straight-ahead jazz ? ?Swing 42,? Hoagy Carmichael?s ?New Orleans,? ?Our Love Is Here to Stay,? stuff like that, plus an Irish waltz and a jazzy rendition of ?You Are My Sunshine,? allegedly written by a former Louisiana governor.
I?ve been playing guitar for 13 years now, so I?ve got a few minor insights to how jazz musicians speak a special language that allows them to sit down without any rehearsal and sound as if they?ve been working on intricate arrangements for weeks, but it still knocks me flat when two people do it at the level that John and Don did it tonight.
So, if you?re ever in New Orleans on a Tuesday night and you want to hear some exceptional guitar playing, head on over to the Columns Hotel, built in the 1890s, around 8 pm. John Rankin has been doing Tuesday nights there for at least 6 years, and his modus operandi now is to alternate weeks as a soloist with weeks in duet and trio settings with the cream of local musicians. Anyone who spent time with Don Vappie when he taught at PT knows why he?s considered one of them. If you're lucky, you'll be there on one of the 2-3 nights/year that these two gentlemen get together.
JohnM, he asked to be remembered to you. He has a new CD that he?d like to send your way if you give him your address.
Lindy
