Major Props to Paul Purtle

Some background on what led to this blog. Last year I thought about getting back into playing, after hanging it up in 1986 to go white collar subsequent to finally getting my first college degree at the age of 39 in June of 1985. I started getting out and about a bit to local music venues in Vegas, meeting some players here and there. I even stepped back on a stage one night and sat in, at the Orleans, where my trash-talking hoops pal Harry does his Elvis thang one night a week (and where my trusty-if-a-bit-rusty faux-Benson On Broadway and Little Feat Dixie Chicken chops were still in the pocket good enough to get me by). Also on stage that night was an excellent sax player, Tony Quintiliana. Nice cat. Great tone and feel. I hope we get to gig together one'a these days.

Eventually, I ran across the Craigslist website, and in the Vegas musicians section I read a post by bassist/guitarist Paul Purtle. We exchanged emails, and he invited me to come to the Sunday night jazz jam at Hurricane Bar & Grill (where he sat in -- fine player). While we were there he said "you wanna hear the real deal in Vegas, go to Palace Station tomorrow night to check out Santa Fe. They're insane. Every cat in the audience would die to be on that stage." So, I did. OhMyGod! Yep. Rocked my world all right. Thanks, Paul.

Paul is one A-List player. Check out this funky mp3 clip from his website samples.

BTW- The jazz jam at Hurricane is hosted by some equally A-List dudes, drummer Joel Richman, and esteemed veteran sax man Tommy Alvarado (Tommy sings his butt off, too). You wanna sit in, you better bring some Serious Game.

UPDATE: Acclaimed veteran keyboardist, recording artist/writer, and producer Ronnie Foster appears every Friday and Saturday evenings beginning at 10 pm at Sedona, 9850 West Flamingo (W. Flamingo & W 215 Beltway). Ronnie appears regularly along with many of the members of Santa Fe in the Clint Holmes show at Harrah's, and a number of them can be found blazing away with him at Sedona. You never know who's gonna show up and sit in -- a few weeks ago it was George Benson!