Saarbrucken 7/6/14

Saarbrucken. Still cookin’. And good lookin’.

Be sure to scream that when you’re walking to go on stage next time. That kind of became our motto and mantra throughout the evening. It was hot, steamy, and electric all night long. I remembered it from 8 years ago…same thing. We were even celebrating the second occasion for the Kirsti Alho Quartet opening for us. This performance space/room/venue is a converted garage—a big one. You could say it was large club with a stage. Standing room only.

They came and leaned their chests and arms on the edge of the stage. Back to back and belly to belly bouncing up and down, waving their arms and shouting and singing, the audience passed the energy through body contact from the stage to the back wall.

I’ve come to love this sort of performance space more and more. Maybe it’s my favorite. A big part of the appeal is the urgency that comes from the whole audience being shoulder to shoulder, being wide awake and attentive, and looking and hoping to “PARTY”.

The highlight that no one will ever forget was 7-year-old Cordelia in the very front of the stage. The stage was the level of her nose and eyes and made for a delightful visual that could have come from the pen of Charles M. Schulz (Peanuts) making my heart laugh and chuckle. So of course I introduced her to everybody! And just as you might have guessed, the atmosphere in the room took off to another cosmos of its own. GAWD I love that stuff!

All of this inspired the guys on stage to play in a new cosmos like space, too. They connected and improvised with each other with all of the special electricity brought by the audience before we got there. The guys burned real hard and intensely and discovered some new doors in this new program.

And me. I went chasing the improv upstairs and downstairs, around the table and out the door and right past the moon dog. This was refreshing to have happen so early on the tour. We turned around almost immediately and went back for a double encore with Kirsti Alho to duet on “Summertime”. They liked this new wrinkle and made me and the band come back again.

What a night! Again, I call to be invited back. They agree with applause.

Saarbrucken. Still cookin’. And good lookin’.

Love,
Al