Jazz music and harmonicas? Kevin Bacon's six degree of separation game? What does that have to do with jazz (or a jazz article)?
As my friends and family know, I'm not a musician. Until I retired a few years ago, my only association with jazz was from the records I bought and my family, many of whom were jazz musicians. Although I played some drums when I was a kid, and sang a little bit in school choruses, the closest I am to being a musician is when folks talk me into playing a shaker egg during a Steely Dan song.
Somehow during my retirement I managed to meet some of the fine folks in the Bakersfield Jazz Workshop, a local non-profit whose mission is to support jazz education and performance in the Bakersfield area. Before I knew what happened, they elected me to their Board and named me their corporate secretary. As a result, not only was I exposed to the inner workings of a world I had only listened to before, but I was also afforded a chance to meet people I never would have before - jazz musicians such as Javon Jackson, Dave Tull, Bob Sheppard, and many others.
I even got a call from a complete stranger at the time, world renowned drummer Clayton Cameron - the Brush Master. He woke me up one morning after a concert and wanted to know if I could play tennis with him before he went home that day. Pretty amazing stuff for an old fart like me. All of which helped me land this freelance gig writing about jazz for Examiner.com.
Which brings me to the subject of this article - jazz, harmonicas, and Kevin Bacon.
Last fall I wrote an article about Halloween. I came up with a list of tunes and music videos that seemed to fit. Included in that list was a video of a tune called My Reprieve, by a band called dogbrain. I had never heard of them before, but, I stumbled across it on the net and thought it fit the mood of the article.
A few days later, I was contacted by a press agent for some indie artists who thanked me for listing My Reprieve. We had a few more conversations, after which she sent me a copy of a new album by another artist she represents, Will Galison, called " Line Open." It's a real nice effort, very Paul Simonish if you need a quick description. It's not a jazz album, but one of the tracks, "Don't Tell Me It's Love Again," does have a dark, jazz vibe. It's a well done album.
For those of you unfamiliar with Galison, he's one of the finest harmonica players around. And here is where we go deeper into the Kevin Bacon game. Several years ago there was a small independent film called Baghdad Cafe. The theme from the film, "Calling You," was highlighted by the ethereal harmonica work of Galison.
So how does this tie into the local jazz scene? Here's how: Bakersfield jazz fans are familiar with two local artists that perform fairly regularly in the area. One of them, Mark Infante, is one of the best harmonica players in town. He frequently plays at blues gigs as well as making numerous appearances at the Bakersfield Jazz Workshop. Another is Kama Ruby, a vocalist known not only for jazz standards but also for giving rock and pop tunes a nice jazzy flavor.
One of the tunes in Ms. Ruby's repertoire for the last couple of years has been "Calling You." She's done it with her band or with backing tracks, but, she's never done it on stage with a harmonica player.
Mark, meet Kama. Kama, meet Mark. Perhaps some day soon, we'll get a chance to see both of them performing this haunting ballad together. And the Kevin Bacon game, for this topic, will be completed.
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