Cowboy Jazz (The Genre) July 19th in Fairfax CA

Mylos Sonka · Post by **Mylos Sonka** » 1 Jul 2009 10:43 am

The manager of the 19 Broadway nightclub in Fairfax, California, is a big jazz fan. I used to play there with a fine little jump vocal group called Le Riff Raff.

A little over a year ago I managed to slip my western swing band, the Lone Star Retrobates in there, and we have been there every month on a regular basis. It has been going over like gangbusters. We are going to be playing twice monthly: on the first and third Sunday afternoon of each month, 3 to 6 PM.

We are mixing up swing and cowboy jazz pretty well-- trying to put real swing harmony into the WS repertoire instead of the usual cornball harmony you hear. It's eight pieces: guitar, vocalist, sax/clarinet, standup bass, drums, trumpet, fiddle, and me on steel, yodelling and doubling fiddle on the twin parts. Everybody sings, but our vocalist, Bryan Adams, is a young guy from Texas who I promise you is the best WS singer in Northern California.

19 Broadway is right next to the movie theater on the main drag of Fairfax. You can't miss it.

Come on over and introduce yourself.

BTW, Bob Wills' favorite drummer, Johnny Cuviello, will often sit in and do his 1948 Wills hit "The Texas Drummer Boy." Cuvie is an alumnus of the band and always welcome. We are thinking he will come up for a visit in September. Stay tuned.

Mylos Sonka

BTW check out: http://www.lonestarretrobates.com

Dave Grafe · Post by **Dave Grafe** » 1 Jul 2009 12:41 pm

Hi Mylos,

I jumped on this thread because of the title - Cowboy Jazz is the name of a pretty fine western swing group out of the Pacific NW some years ago and if they showed up in Fairfax regularly that would be something, now wouldn't it?

As I read your post, however, it appears that you are talking about the Lone Star Retrobates, did I get that right?

Keep on pickin' that thing....

dg

Mylos Sonka · Post by **Mylos Sonka** » 1 Jul 2009 2:11 pm

Yep, you are correct. I was simply using the term "Cowboy Jazz" as a genre description. Just for fun I googled "Cowboy Jazz" and got 42,000 hits, so I have some company.

Actually the band was called just Lone Star for many years (since around 1978) and we didn't care when another band took the name. We figured there were probably Lone Stars before us, too.

I don't think anybody ever hired us thinking we were the other Lone Star band. But if they did, they sure forgot to pay us appropriately.

Boogie

Jeff Hyman · Post by **Jeff Hyman** » 1 Jul 2009 5:42 pm

I didn't recall any other band named Cowboy Jazz other then the one from Baltimore. Barry Sless played PSG. They were on the Rounder label.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaTG74ID5w0

Mylos Sonka · Post by **Mylos Sonka** » 12 Jul 2009 5:02 pm

bump up for July

Ted Smouse · Post by **Ted Smouse** » 13 Jul 2009 10:53 am

Thank you Jeff Hyman for adding that about Cowboy Jazz, ...as I recall, they were a nationally touring group, quite excellent at that.

Dave Grafe · Post by **Dave Grafe** » 14 Jul 2009 8:20 pm

That's the one, Jeff, Barry Sless, Arthur Steinhorn and other players from the SF Bay and Pacific NW areas were involved when they were around here in maybe 1987?