Last night, I found myself within one hallowed Charlottesville, Virginia, institution and in the presence of another. The first was Miller's, a fine saloon on the downtown mall; the second was the Thompson D'earth Band, which has graced the bar's stage every Thursday night since the mid-1980s.
John D'earth, trumpet, Devonne Harris, drums, and Pete Spaar, bass. Miller's, Charlottesville, Virginia, 1 April 2010. (Photos copyright John Edwin Mason, 2010.)
John D'earth and his wife, the singer Dawn Thompson (who wasn't on hand, yesterday) arrived in Charlottesville as refugees from the New York jazz loft scene nearly thirty years ago. Other terrific musicians immediately began to cluster around them. In various combinations, they've all been playing at Miller's ever since.
J.C. Kuhl, tenor sax, Jamal Millner, guitar, John D'earth, trumpet, and John Petrucelli, tenor sax. Miller's, Charlottesville, Virginia, 1 April 2010.
This Thursday's line-up band included, J.C. Kuhl, from Richmond, Virginia, a sax player with a powerful, funky sound, and John Petrucelli, a former member of the University of Virginia Jazz Ensemble, which, not coincidentally, D'earth directs.
Devonne Harris, drums, Pete Spaar, bass, and Jamal Millner, guitar. Miller's, Charlottesville, Virginia, 1 April 2010.
Big or small, no band is better than its rhythm section. Last night, these guys laid down a rock solid foundation. Jamal Millner and Pete Spaar have played with D'earth for many years. (D'earth and Spaar teach in the music department, at the Unversity of Virginia, and are members of the fabulous Free Bridge Jazz Quintet, which I've written about here.) Devon Harris is still in college, in Richmond, but he sounds like an old pro -- a sly, inventive, master of an old pro.
Devonne Harris, drums, Pete Spaar, bass, and Jahn Petrucelli, tenor sax. Miller's, Charlottesville, Virginia, 1 April 2010.
It's sometimes amazing how quickly a young musician can mature. I hadn't heard Petrucelli play in about a year, and I was in for a nice surprise. The guy can really blow.
Devonne Harris, drums, Pete Spaar, bass, and J.C. Kuhl, tenor sax. Miller's, Charlottesville, Virginia, 1 April 2010.
Almost any time I'm around musicians, an irrepressible urge to make photos overwhelms me. Yesterday evening, however, I was armed with nothing more than a point and shoot digicam. Luckily, it was a Canon S90, which has been my with-me-all-the-time camera, ever since I bought it seven or eight months ago.
It's a terrific little machine (it fits in a shirt pocket). For a point and shoot, it's got an unusually fast f2 lens, and produces images that look better at high ISOs than they have a right to.
These photos were made at ISO 800, f2, with shutter speeds between 1/10th and 1/20th of a second. Can't complain about the results. Sure, they's look better if I'd been shooting a high-end DSLR. But, as they say and say correctly, the best camera is the one you have with you.
I am also a UVA jazz ensemble alum...only one semester spring 1993
Posted by: Jamal Millner | 22 January 2011 at 01:55 AM