Thanksgiving

I've got the fire going good - I will BBQ the turkey in a while.
My daughter, Katie, got in last night, with her dog.
Both grandmas and my son will be here this evening.
It will be a wonderful ThanksGiving Dinner.
And then Jean and I will disappear to St Augustine Beach for the rest of the weekend.
I give thanks!

jc

Frank Brown International Songwriters Festival

On November 15, I had the thrill of joining hundreds of other songwriters as a guest writer at the annual Frank Brown Songwriters Festival on Perdido Key in FloriBama land. Jimi McKenzie shared a writers in the round session with James H Williams and a very young Monroe Hamit for an hour at the Perdido Key Resort in the Sandcastle Room. The real thrill was that we were followed by a group of writers that included Tim Johnson, Steve Williams, Thom Shepherd, and Lance Miller. Since they have a bunch of hits among them, we ended up with a pretty good crowd!

And wow, Reneda and her team really treat us like royalty!

jc

Good Rehearsal

Last night, the newly reconstructed band "Bone Dry" assembled for the first time - this is going to be a great show.

We got through 26 of the 29 songs on the list.

It was the first time that some of the cats had met each other.

Ya'll gotta make it! 621 Gallery, Railroad Square, Tallahassee, Oct 10, 6pm.

This is only a part of the Charles Hook Memorial Weekend, he would have been 60 the day before. Sculptor, Charles Hook was a friend and teacher to us all.

jc

"Bone Dry" returns to 621 Gallery

New Orleans Blues, Americana Country, Florida Rock, Original Songs. "Bone Dry" returns to 621 Gallery on October 10, 2008 (6 to 9pm)for the Charles Hook Memorial Weekend . Bone Dry is led by TD Giddings - guitar and vocals, with Jim Crozier - bass and vocals, Kathi Giddings - vocals, Eric Pfeufer - lead guitar, Bill Landing - sax, and Lex "Luther" Coleman - drums. Guest appearances likely. 621 Gallery is in the Railroad Square Art Park in Tallahassee, Florida.

New web site

I have been working on my web site at jimcrozier.com

Still mostly just a place to post stuff to reference from other places, but still an improvement!

jc

Been a long time

Ms. Fay is just about done with Florida now, a most unusual storm. It has completely covered the entire state and left at least 10 inches of rain everywhere, not entirely a bad thing.

We lost electrical power three times. The most recent time was when the top of an apparently healthy oak tree was blown down across our line. I thought it would be tomorrow by the time that got fixed, but the heroes were out in the rain to fix it this afternoon.

Talquin Electric Coop lost a lineman in the storm last evening when a tree fell on him.
How do you thank them?

some lucky dog

Woke up one hot and lazy week-end morning
Checked the email, met a couple friends on line
Being restless, had to go,
Round the county, What ya know
Seems there was nothing, so I just came home.

I gave a concert to my dog
Then I sat down and wrote this blog
Checked them out, but they're all jerks
Tried some more, but nothing works,
So I came home and gave a concert to my dog.

Been writing songs of fear, and craving wisdom
Some old man had to really have his say
Had it rough back in his day
driving trucks and making pay
Seems there was nothing, so I just came home.

I gave a concert to my dog
Then I sat down and wrote this blog
Checked them out, but they're all jerks
Tried some more, but nothing works,
So I came home and gave a concert to my dog.

(c)2008,JacroMusic

this just in

We just got back from Boston.
Neat Town!
I heard the Jazz Criminals and the Julen Kaspar Band.
Yea
jc

I'm playing on a new CD

I just got my copy of the new CD from Mary Z Cox: Florida Banjo

I'm playing bass on it.

It's pretty cool!

Check it out: http://maryzcox.com/

Sometimes you just get so busy.

I probably mentioned before that I was doing a big show last Saturday Night. Fact is, it is the biggest show I ever tried to produce. I woke up early Sunday AM mulling over all of the stuff that I gotta fix if I ever get crazy enough to try to produce a show with 32 performers and 8 staff again. BUT BY ANY reasonable standards, it was an unqualified SUCCESS!

And then what should have been a day to just veg out, and get around to unpacking the truck, figure out the books, etc., was when I had to get up and see what help my neighbor, TD Giddings, needed. As I mentioned, Charles Hook died last Monday and it was time for some 300 friends and family, including many former students, to arrive for a memorial celebration, hosted by TD and Kathi.

I had minimal tasks, but it was decided that we would use my PA, and I had to learn a song to play with John Stephens to close the ceremony. Kathi sang my "Hymn to Opportunity", and Jimi McKenzie began the proceedings with his "Good Friends".

After the official part, it was time for the fabulous buffet from the covered dish dinner. As I finished my plate, sitting with my wife and my mother, it finally hit me that I had been running on adrenaline for about two months. The plan was that I was to be playing some songs for the wake - I managed to join in a couple, and then sit by the fire for a few minutes - but getting home next door without falling a sleep was becoming a concern.

This morning, it was all I could do to get up to call the office at 8am to say I would not be in.

I got some rest, and most of the odds and ends put together today. Back to what they call real world it in the morning - but I'm going to bed early again this evening!

I am told by more than one witness that during "Hymn to Opportunity", a wind came up, and Charles stood behind us at the edge of the clearing. Just the sort of thing that he would do.

jc - Monday 3/24

Charles' passing

My friend and neighbor, Charles Hook, slipped away early this morning. He was a sculptor and teacher of sculpture, and has been visited by many who traveled great distances over the past several months of his illness. My concert shall be dedicated to his memory.

jc March 17, 2008

A great Birthday Week-end

It just happened to be my birthday. But, the other stuff going on was what really made the party.

Grant Peeples reserved the Wakulla County camp ground at Newport, Florida for a week-end long pickin’ party. Liz and Lon Williamson, Susan Brown, Jamie DeFrates, and Chip Harrington were all there from the St Augustine area. Jimi McKenzie, Dave Dickel, Floyd Matthews, Carrie Hamby, Frank Graham, Ross Beck, Minie Brattan, Mimi Hern, and Frank .... were just a few of the others there. I got there when I could.

I had another gig with Swing Shift on Saturday evening, and at noon Sunday, Tallahassee Swing opened the show at the annual Jazz and Blues Festival at the Tallahassee Museum. I stayed around for the afternoon to hear RoadHouse, the new band The Contenders, and ACME Rhythm & Blues.

Jammin Round!

I was out sitting in with some folks Saturday and yesterday.

Saturday evening I attended a dinner and pickin' party for Bob Cox, husband to Mary Z Cox, on whose new banjo album I will be appearing when it is released in the next month or two.

Sunday, I took Drew Reid up on his invitation to sit in at Outz's Too (Newport, FL) with him and fiddler Bo Lawrence. Mimi Hern was there, too for that set. Some other folks dropped by, as well, a good time was had by all!

Later I dropped by Sandy Bottoms (Wakulla Station) to sit in with Jim McMurry. Now that is always fun. And I got the opportunity to give Carolyn (the owner) my CD to put in the Juke Box - unlike most, she owns the juke box so can put whatever she wants in there!

All of the time I was telling everyone about the big show!

Gettin the word out

I have now pretty much switched from my Arranger role to that of the Publicist. I use to do a bunch of that stuff, having once published a small promotional publication called "The Tennessee Street Rag" in early 1980.

Just so we have it clear just what is being promoted:

Correction

So, yesterday, it turns out, that I over credited the Tallahassee Swing drummer, Walter Kelleher with the posted video. Walter was the one to blame for getting Carl Morse "hooked on uploading videos to YouTube".

Carl did a great job of editing a two camera shoot. See it at:
http://www.youtube.com:80/watch?v=0i6Py9NXNGs

Cheers!
jc

Tallahassee Swing on YouTube

Carl Morse, at my request, brought his video gear in to the regular Tallahassee Swing gig at the Legion to record the first reading of my chart, "Nola Swings".

Carl is a regular with the band in the trombone section, and plays on my CD, Down to the Village.

WELL, he and Walter Kelleher (the drummer), produced a two camera shoot and posted it on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0i6Py9NXNGs

It is also at myspace.com/thejimcrozierband

Pretty damn good for sightreading!

I love these cats.

jc

Making a Show

So, this is the biggest show I have ever put together.

On March 22, 2008, at the American Legion Hall, at Lake Ella, Tallahassee, FL, Jim Crozier will produce:
Down to the Village, the Big Show
I can't call it a CD Release party because I released the CD last November, but it is the only show that I am really trying to get everyone from the CD on stage at once - AND there were a lot of folks who helped me put this project together.

As part of this, I have written big band arrangements for most of the tracks. "Tallahassee Swing". The Big Band will be backing up me and all of the other singers and instrumentalists from the album on songs from the album and two others that will be on the next project. In fact, I expect that the recordings we make during this show may very well be on the next release!

BUT, the logistics of the situation indicate that the chances of actually having a rehearsal with everyone are just about zero. SO, to mitigate that situation, I have produced a CD with the synth output from Finale (the arranging program) that I pulled into Sonar (a sound mixing program) and added a vocal part - me singing plus a running commentary about where the solos come in, etc. This is what I call a rehearsal demo.

Tallahassee Swing plays at the Legion Hall every Tuesday Night (and has done for over 18 years now). There are two (actually three) bass players, so I am there every other Tuesday. Tonight was not my night to play, but I produced the rehearsal CD's this past week-end, and this afternoon, I manufactured 20 copies that I distributed to the band members this evening.

The band sounded great this evening, even without me playing with them ;=)

jc

Tallahassee Swing

Well The Tallahassee Swing Band totally kicked ass tonight! And they played my chart "Pemberton's Blues", too.

JIm Crozier & Tallahassee Music

Jim Crozier in Tallahassee:

Arrived June 1, 1976 from New York City.

Met and played with Pierce Pettis that first summer and on to play some early tour dates and his first album a few years later.

Met fiddlers David Langston and his late father Bob at a bluegrass pickin' party hosted by Fred "Butch" Burns of the Bottom Dollar Boy$ that first summer.

Joined Bill Wharton's "Wild Blue Yonders" in September 1976 (before he was the Sauce Boss).

Started playing with Jimmy Lohman in February 1978. That immediately became the "Lohman-Crozier Trio" when his brother Van arrived from Pittsburgh the following month. Jimmy and Jim played jazz together for several years to follow. The late Tom Creekmore and the late Steve Mello both figured prominently in that project. Pam Laws started coming out to sing with us before she was famous.

Played bass with Bill Kennedy and Lindsey Sarjeant starting in 1978.

Graduated from FSU School of Music, 1979, with a BM in Music Composition and Certificate in Performance on the Double Bass.

Played two jazz festival dates with Marcus Roberts before he was too famous.

Started a long standing relationship with the McKenzie Brothers (Jimi and John) in 1981. After John moved down to central Florida, Jimi and Jim have played together with many folks including: Steve Redmond, Scott Schieve, Bob Weiss, Trenida White, Joey Karioth, Mariano Rodreguez, the FRB Horns…. In bands known as "Cats In Orbit", "The Jones Brothers"….

Played with Jon Copps in the mid-80's in the band "Big Fedora" which morphed into "Twang Thang".

Played with Alan Hightman, Michael McKenzie, and Marlon Moore as the "Hightman-Crozier Quartet" with Deborah Lawson on vocals. That group did a couple of live appearances on 88.9's "Snatches of Jazz" program in 89 and 1990.

Played with the late Fred Friedberg in "Equinox" in the early 90's. Mariano Rodreguez had recently come to town and played in the band.

Played with "Tallahassee Swing" throughout its history, sometimes as a sub and sometimes as a regular. Has been a regular one of two bassists since the late 90's.

Was a founding member of "ACME Rhythm & Blues" in 94 and played with that unit until 97.

Played with blues diva Bonnie Edwards when she was in town in the late 90's.

And more recently, and through the years, with TD and Kathi Giddings.

Nola Swings on the Radio

The cut "Nola Swings" from my CD "Down to the Village" was just played on WFSU-FM's (88.9 Tallahassee) Sunday program "Snatches of Jazz"!

Interesting things about Jim Crozier:

Interesting things about Jim Crozier:

He was a New York City cab driver for 3 years in the early 70's

He attended the Grammy Award show in 1972 as a nominee in the category of "Best Original Cast Album".

His first "band" was the "Pionears".

Jim was the rhythm guitar player, not the bass player, when "The London Dock" won a battle of the bands in downtown Warren, PA in 1968 with "Jumpin' Jack Flash".

He accidentally told John Lennon that he liked Paul's music better in 1971.

He was working in summer stock theater as Musical Director while still in High School.

The body of his broken string bass was stolen from his car parked on W33 St, NYC in 1971.

He once lived in a children's playhouse.

He once picked up a hitch hiker in Las Vegas and took him to Erie, PA. It turned out that the guy was AWOL from the Air Force. There was a war going on then, too.

He once spent all of two hours visiting San Francisco.

He played in the band at his own wedding reception.

He gave a recital at FSU that was half classical and half jazz (in 1979).

The bride helped push his truck out of the sand when he got it stuck in the sand at St George Island (he was in the band that played at the reception).

He once wrote a string quartet called "Pair of Duces" that is scored for Violin & Cello vs. Viola & Contrabass.

He once shared shit-eatin' grins with Bob Dylan on Bleecker Street.

And one more thing

Mark Okasaka has continued to play tracks from my CD, "Down to the Village" each Sunday afternoon during his show, "Snatches of Jazz" on 88.9FM, WFSU-FM Tallahassee, FL.

Thank you Mark

Here is the Hymn

This is a link to the recording of Hymn to Opportunity that I mentioned. Please enjoy.

jc

What a musical week-end

Yea, I know its been a while since I've been here. I've been busy. I'm thinking that producing one show a month is about what I can do ;=)

Friday started out with a great shot from the "Tallahassee Democrat":
Check this out

The McKenzie Brothers with Jim Crozier at the Warehouse went off well. Rick Knowles joined us and Kathi and TD Giddings helped out all night long. I have a recording of "Hymn to Opportunity" with a lot of crowd noise, but really decent performance.

The real treat was when my old buddy Jimmy Lohman made a surprise visit from Austin, TX. He sat in for the last set - yea, that cat can play.

Saturday, the Jones Brothers Band did their annual gig at the "Big Chili" party which has been going on for 21 years now, with us as the band for the past 13 years. It is a Chili Cook-off but the judges are required to "cleanse the pallet" with Tequila between tastings - some interesting results - always ending up with us playing the hardest rock & roll we ever do - they want to boogie.

After that I visited friends a the Warehouse - The Bottom Dollar Boy$ - and another bluegrass band from out of town that I am not recalling the name of. All of Big Bend Bluegrass royalty was there.

Late night, John McKenzie, TDGiddings, and I played guitar in a circle until the wee hours - I am not used to playing guitar and got a blister on my thumb.

GREAT week-end.

love to all
jc

The sweetest sound

The sweetest sound that an arranger ever hears is:

"Turn it in for a number!"

So Pemberton's Blues in in the book.

jc

New Chart

Heading into Tallahassee just now for the Tuesday Night Tallahassee Swing Band weekly dance.

The band just bought a bunch of stuff from the book of another band leader that was hanging it up. ALSO, I have a new chart to play.

So we will be sight reading about a half-dozen charts tonight.

I love playing with a band that can pull that off!!!!

Jim Crozier
http://jimcrozier.com

The March 22 show

Major progress has been made on the plan for the March 22 show.

There are 9 charts that I need to write or finish between now and then. I still have 3 (or 4, depending on how we count) that I need to pretty much start from scratch.

It will be good and exciting to make this show work.

jc
http://jimcrozier.com/

On the Radio again!

I love it when that happens...
Just sitting in my studio working on some stuff, the radio's on, but not payin' whole bunch of attention, and then I realize that I am hearing one of my own songs and double check to make sure that the tuner is still set to FM.

Mark Okasaka just played "The Cat Song" from my new release "Down to the Village" on his weekly Sunday afternoon radio show, "Snatches of Jazz", on WFSU-FM, 88.9FM, Tallahassee, FL

He played my song, "Ain't No Use" last week.

I thank him very muchly!

***************************************
Jim Crozier
http://jimcrozier.com
http://myspace.com/thejimcrozierband
http://cdbaby.com/cd/jimcrozier
****************************************

Florida Banjo

Mary Cox is releasing Florida Banjo.
She asked me to play bass on it.
I did, and now I anticipate its production.
This is fun music.
Old time dance music
before electricity, or at least where they were.

http://jimcrozier.com

NSAI workshop

Well, to start out, the Tallahassee Swing Band schedule did not include playing my new chart last night - Elliot did put it on the list for next week, however - and the rhythm section parts could use a little editing anyhow. Bob White was the drummer on Jan 8. He was a professional drummer in the society circuit out of Local 802 for many years - retired from that - did another 20 years in sales - came to Tallahassee - and is out to do some playing now for fun and profit. His chops may be a bit rusty - but he damn sure knows how to do this stuff. It was an honor working with him last night.

Tonight, Wed 1/9, was a Nashville Songwriters Association International (NASI), Tallahassee Workshop. I haven't paid my dues there for a while, but I will be signing up again this year. This was the first workshop of the year, had a lot of good folks show up, all at different stages of growth, but all for real. I expect that we will be hosting some songwriter presentations in the coming months. The group feeling seemed to favor intimate performance situations.

jc

New Chart!

I head into town at this moment where the Tallahassee Swing Band will premier my new arrangement of Jimmy Lohman's "Pemberton's Blues".

I will let you know what happened next.

jc

Radio Play

Mark Okasaka played "Ain't No Use" from my new CD, "Down to the Village" on his Sunday afternoon program Snatches of Jazz today.

The program airs weekly at 3pm Sunday on WFSU-FM, 88.9 in Tallahassee, FL.

For years, that program was the reason I had a radio ;=)

The CD is available at http://cdbaby.com/cd/jimcrozier , iTunes, and from several fine Tallahassee retailers.

gonna finish this chart

Jimmy Lohman wrote a song for the Victor Nunez movie "Gal Young'Un" that he and I played with our group for many years that followed. I am presently finishing up a big band arrangement of "Pemberton's Blues" for the Tallahassee Swing Band that I totally expect to take to the gig Tuesday, January 8, at the American Legion Hall in Tallahassee, Florida.

It sure is a blast playing with a band that can (and will) sight read a new chart on the gig!

jc

Nola’s Muse, an Unresolved Situation.

Nola’s Muse, an Unresolved Situation.

Song About No Place to Go, Still!

A quick search of the news shows that on the dawn of 2008, more than two years after the Katrina flood, much of the soul of New Orleans cannot return. Songwriter, Jim Crozier visited from Florida in July 2006 and was struck by the contrast. While he, as a tourist, was treated like royalty from the French Quarter to Uptown, everything else for miles around was disaster. His experience of hanging out with musicians there left the same feeling, that so many who had dedicated their lives to the creation of the song of New Orleans could never return to stay – there is just no place to go. His song, “Nola’s Muse”, features Carrie Hamby’s accordion and David Langston’s fiddle, and the whole Tallahassee Swing Band as the gentle waltz becomes a second line parade. It is now out on Crozier’s new CD titled “Down to the Village” available at CDBaby.com, iTunes.com, and several Tallahassee retail outlets.

Jan 4, 2007

JacroMusic

http://jimcrozier.com

Reference:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/03/us/nationalspecial/03renters.html
http://money.cnn.com/2007/08/01/pf/neworleans_pellissier.moneymag/index.htm