Sensational on the South Side of Chicago

photo by: Jan Mullen, WNPR, Conneticut

Lionel Frederick "Freddy" Cole

When I saw Freddy Cole, a native son of Chicago in 2017,  at the Logan Center I loved him even more. 

He is smooth as glass. Swinging two sets, his piano playing perfection . What a treat!  From his signature “Sensational” and other familiar favorites, to a well known for some of the audience, “On the South Side of Chicago”, (a tune I’m going to add to my song list!) he was just that - sensational. His second set was dedicated to  his brother, Nat.  His delivery of “The Best Man” was perfectly funny - a great song.  Then he sang the blues – “Going Down Slow.” The story is reminiscent of some people we have known and lost.  He ended the show with Bill Withers’ Lovely Day. I’m sure others in attendance felt as I did about this and all his appearances – a lovely show!  [For more info on Freddy’s upcoming appearances check out   http://freddycolemusic.com/ .    9/27/2018

“After You’ve Gone …”

Remember when Ella sang about regret? In the past, while traveling around the country with confidence,  knowing that wherever there was a public radio station, I could hear great jazz programming at night, I never imagined jazz stations going silent.  Now, that era is gone. Many jazz stations have vanished. One notable exception is our own local station WDCB. It's Fall Pledge time for WDCB, our only dedicate full-time public jazz radio station in Chicagoland.  So, go to http://wdcb.org/  and contribute. Then call family, friends, colleagues and acquaintances and encourage them to donate, too. Let's keep jazz going strong!

Thought for today:

“At the end of the day, let there be no excuses, no explanations, no regrets.”

― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

image created by Alexis and is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.

A New View

Here's me in today, ready to sing!



















Here's a portal to my family's musical past ... what a swinging blast!
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