Ron Kalina and Larry Holloway, The Best Get Better!

Larry Holloway and Ron Kalina

The new "In Place" for Jazz on Monday night is at the Indian Wells Resort Hotel where you will find two of the most talented musicians in the country.  Ron Kalina is without question one of the best Harmonica players still performing today, and he might very well be in the top ten best players of all-times.  Ron's sweet spot is standards, and he plays them with so much emotion it almost makes the wonderful lyrics unnecessary.  Recently Ron had a few health issues in but as a result of some recent medical upgrades is playing with renewed vigor and emotion.  I heard him several times last year and the energy lift in his singing and playing this year is producing wonderful music.  These days Jazz fans seldom get to hear top-grade Harmonica playing but for those lucky people here in the Desert, we get to hear Ron every Monday night!  In addition to Ron's wonderful work on the Harmonica, he also plays the Keyboard and handles the Vocals.  Ron's voice and phrasing are very much like that of Fred Astaire.  His singing of standards not only give the lyric life but present them as if Ron has lived every word of them.

Joining forces with Ron is the highly respected Jazz Bass sensation formerly from Seattle, Larry Holloway.  Mention Larry's name to any musical pro and you will only get praise and adoration in return.  Tonight because Larry was only playing with Ron on Keyboard and it allowed him the opportunity to expand his motivating and articulate solos to the delight of everyone in the audience.   The synergy between these two marvelous seasoned pros tonight was delightful.  The duo plays from 6:00 until 9:00 on Mondays but it's still not enough time.  I could listen to their great sounds all night.

An added surprise tonight was the large number of professional musicians who stopped by to sit in with Ron and Larry.  The first one to come up and sing was Carolyn Martinez who delighted the crowd with her strong and pure voice.  Carolyn's voice and style was perfectly suited to fit between these two pros.  Carolyn is singing as good as I have ever heard her.  She has her own gig across the street at Vickys every Tuesday with Larry on Bass, and I strongly recommend that you make plans to  see her.  Next up was everyone's favorite male singer, Ken Steele.  Ken has a great voice and his phrasing is just about perfect whenever he sings.  Ken is multitalented and also is an excellent songwriter, arranger and producer. Hearing Ken sing is always a treat!  I had not seen or heard from Lola Rossi in quite a while and was delighted when she was called up to sing.  Lola has a beautiful strong voice and she is a really confident performer.   She chose to sing a strong version of "Over the Rainbow" and hit every note of the song in perfect pitch.  No small accomplishment. Next up was Denise Motto who sings and plays marvelous Keyboard and was joined by outstanding Trumpet player Gordon Camp and a Drummer from Canada, Don Fraizer , who was in town for just a night.  Denise has always been wonderful every time I have seen her and tonight was no exception.  I would love to see her performing her gig in the near future.   Gordon is always a delight to hear and he is always ready to play anything that is put in front of him.  He is a real pro! Don Fraser was impressive with his brush work which provided the perfect foundation for tonight's singers.  

Ken Steele

Larry Holloway and Carolyn Martinez

Gordon Camp

Larry Holloway and Lola Rossi

Denise Moto and Gordon Camp

      

Exceptional Musicians Name Their Top 10 Songs, Chapter 6 Gordon Camp

Gordon Camp Shares His Top 10 Favorite Songs

I am sure that many of my readers have heard Gordon Camp play. He sits in with many of the bands playing here in the Valley.  Gordon loves to play the Trumpet, and he is really good at it.  Gordon studied Trumpet with Jazz greats Doc Severinsen and Donald Byrd.  He has also toured with Aretha Franklin, Sammy Davis Jr., Barry White and Natalie Cole, The Temptations, The Four Tops, Thad Jones, Mel Lewis and Lou Rawls.  Gordon is a great addition to all the other world-class musicians who spend their winters in the California Desert.

                                                  Gordon Camp's Top 10 Songs....In No Particular Order:

1.  "Up Jumped Spring"

2.  " Lush Life"

3.  "There is No Greater Love"

4.  "Stardust"

5.  "Stella By Starlight"

6.  "The Scene Is Clean"

7.  "Hi-Fly"

8.  "Moon River"

9.  "Skylark"

10 "Bye Bye Blackbrid"

Ron Kalina leads The "Harmonica Convergence Jazz Trio" on Mondays at The Indians Wells Resort Hotel

Ron Kalina

Larry Holloway, Gino Antonacci and Ron Kalina

Rich Bono & Poupee Boccaccio

Rich Bono

Carolyn Martinez

Ken Steele

Gordon Camp

My first posting of the 2014 winter season in the California Desert is a review of Ron Kalina and the "Harmonica Convergence Jazz Trio" currently performing at the Indian Wells Resort Hotel. Mondays are usually a dark night for live music, but we were given a present when Ron Kalina and his Jazz Trio were moved into the Monday spot at the Indian Wells Resort Hotel.  The Indian Wells Resort Hotel continues to be a leader in presenting great live Jazz and now has live music 7 days per week.

Ron Kalina is simply a musical treasure that keeps giving to music lovers in the Valley. Ron sings and plays the keyboard, but his harmonica playing is what makes him such a special musician.  I don't know if Ron is the greatest Harmonica playing performing today but he is certainly the best that I have heard. Ron has a special feel for the great ballads from the "Great American Songbook". The fact that you can hear Ron and his Trio playing every Monday night with no music or cover charge is just another reason you need to get to his show.

Joining Ron in his trio are Gino Antonacci on Vibs and Larry Holloway on Bass.  These two  remarkably talented musicians are both at the top of their game. How often do you get to hear a world class Vib player these days? Gino is one of the great ones and he is still performing because he just loves to play.  Larry Holloway in the short space of a few years of arriving here in the Desert has firmly established himself as one of the great Desert Bass players.  Larry's solos are highly intelligent and organized. When he solos, you don't just hear a series of notes. You hear carefully constructed musical ideas that really explain what Jazz is all about!

There were several special friends in the audience that Ron called up to the stage to perform tonight.  First, Carolyn Martinez the talented singer who has been impressing all of us over the past couple years sang a couple of songs with the Trio.  Carolyn is currently performing across the street at Vicky's every Thursday night and is a delight to hear.  Next everyone's friend, Ken Steele came up to sing a couple of songs. Ken is well known to people in the Desert and his voice is lush and smooth as silk. It is seldom that you get to hear a voice as pure as Ken's in today's music scene.  Rich Bono was next to come up to play the keyboard to the delight of the audience. Rich is well known to all music fans in the Valley and with good reason. Rich is extremely talented and simply a job to listen to. I have talked to dozens of singers in the Desert and when they get a chance to sing, they all pick Rich as the "Go To" pianist they want to play for them! Rich's talented partner and singer, Poupee Boccaccio also made an appearance and sang for us. Rich and Poupee hold court at the Indian Springs Resort Hotel every Wednesday as the hosts of "Open Mike" night that has become stable for everyone that enjoys great singing and instrumental performance. The last friend to join the party was Gordon Camp. Gordon is a fine Trumpet player that can handle Jazz, Pop and anything out of the "Great American Songbook". He joined in with the Trio and thrilled the audience with his supportive playing.

Don't miss the opportunity to hear Ron Kalina and his Jazz Trio playing every Monday starting at 6:00 PM.