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Tom Bekeny and the Jazz Hands
To mandolin fans and fans of jazz or living in or traveling through the SF Bay area this weekend, I want to let you know that I'll be playing jazz this Sunday evening in Walnut Creek with a really terrific quartet, The Jazz Hands. The "Hands" is an offshoot of my regular group, the Missing Man Quartet. As in Missing Man, the group features Greg Reginato on guitar and me on mandolin. Bill Lanphier will move from the drums to bass, and Eric Thompson will be featured on drums.We'll be at Club 1220 from 5-8 pm (1220 Pine, Walnut Creek). There is no cover charge.
We've got some really cool Jazz and Great American Songbook standards cued up that will traverse a variety of styles from Bossa Nova, and Bebop to Blues and Ballads. For a preview of our sound--a partial recording of Art Pepper's "Blues For Les" featuring Kenny McElroy on drums--go to "bands" at my website tombekenymusic.com, and scroll down to Jazz Hands.
A bit about my bandmates this Sunday:
Greg Reginato (guitar), a veteran Bay Area jazz performer and teacher, is a graduate of Berklee College of music where he was one of a handful of students who compiled the first volume of the jazz bible, the RealBook.
Bill Lanphier is a much in demand bass player and drummer who has had an amazing career that includes (among many other creds) having played bass for Madonna on the Virgin Tour...see his humorous piece "Why Madonna Hated Me" at www.lanphier.net.
Eric Thompson is a highly sought after drummer and teacher who, with his impeccable groove, is every bass player’s best friend. He has been a performing musician since 1975 and has played with high profile jazz artists such as Marian McPartland, and Richie Cole. Eric earned a B.A. in music performance from California State East Bay, and has taught music at Mt. Diablo Unified School District since 2008.
Hope to see you!
Tom