Dave Goes To The Party!

I really hadn’t thought it out, and it blind-sided me. Imagine, for a second. You’re a really good band, and you’ve been hired to play at the post-Telecast Grammy Party. How well do you play? Just another gig, right? I really don’t think so.

Here’s the scene: NARAS booked the entire Regal Biltmore Hotel in downtown LA. Six banquet rooms each with its own catered spread, open bar and band! And these bands were wired! I mean, they were ON FIRE! There was even a Zydeco band out on the street! It was smokin’ at the Biltmore! Among the bands were Asleep At The Wheel (Dwight Yoakim, Manhattan Transfer and Marty Stuart sitting in), Eric Burdon and the New Animals (Spencer Davis and John Mayall, guests), the Dave Weckl Band, and the Pete Escovedo Orchestra with Ray Obiedo, Dave Valentin, Poncho Sanchez and Tito Puente keeping them honest. An embarrassment of riches!

We caught a set of Eric Burdon and The New Animals, and it was simply the best club rock ‘n roll I have ever heard! An incredible pocket, really strong playing and an audience to die for! Then, after I changed the batteries in my pacemaker, we went downstairs into the Biltmore Bowl and caught a Latin Jazz set with Pete Escovedo. This is your basic mainline Latin Jazz Big Band, with six horns and full rhythm, and they were simply incandescent, I SAID, INCANDESCENT! Even mediocre sound reinforcement couldn’t get in their way – they just burned right through it all! Beautiful ensemble playing, with the soloists getting into little cutting contests – they were actually listening to each other and keying off each other’s ideas. And under it all, this Huge Smoking Latin Rhythm Pocket that you could run the city of Miami through and still have room for the suburbs of Rio! Outstanding!

Sorry I can’t tell you more. We had to quit while we were ahead, or die! Next year, I’ll join the Academy just so I can go to the party again. This time I’ll watch The Telecast from the Sports Bar in the Regal Biltmore and as it’s ending I’ll just mosey over, settle down at a good table in the room that looks like it’ll have the best band, and get ready for another fabulous night of playing! This part of it may be Music’s Greatest Night, after all. Thanks, NARAS!

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