By Cynthia Mullis

Last Sunday, after being out in the rare brilliant sunshine of the day, I decided to go to Tutta Bella on Stone Way for dinner—I haven’t been in a restaurant with that many children since I ate at the Eckstein Middle School cafeteria on a break from teaching! It is a friendly, family oriented venue, perfect for dinner with the kids before heading into a busy week of school, work and activities. Of course, I have no kids but I dig the pizza and I was curious to check out the weekly gig of Casey MacGill’s Blue 4 Trio.

The Blue 4 Trio performs old-style swing jazz from the 1920s, ‘30s, ’40s and ’50s. I heard tunes by Nat “King” Cole, The Mills Brothers, Slim Galliard, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller and others who stradle the line between the jazz and pop standards of the day. The band consists of Casey McGill (piano, ukelele, cornet, lead vocals), Mike Daugherty (drums) and Matt Weiner (bass). All three musicians contribute to the three-part vocal harmony.

I enjoyed the craft and professionalism that the band presents, as well as hearing some of the older standards that have not been worn out in more modern jazz settings. The music was a good fit for the room and, when the band was on a break and the stereo was on instead, it made me appreciate how much live music can change the vibe of a room. It’s also a good place to take kids to hear and see great musicians up close, and that, combined with the excellent food, makes for a fun evening.

Casey McGill’s Blue 4 Trio plays every Sunday from 5:30-8:30pm at the Tutta Bella on Stone Way. They also play at other venues around town and more information can be found at http://www.blue4trio.com/. Take the kids and the spousal equivalent some Sunday soon or better yet, stop by for some great Neapolitan-style pizza and old time swing on your way over to EMP to catch the Golden Ear Awards tonight.

Category:
Live Jazz