Upcoming Performances:

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The first Sugarfoot Jazz Band CD was released on July 28 at the Great Connecticut Festival and was sold out that same day! We have now obtained more copies; they are available for $15 apiece. The music was recorded digitally by Phil Hovey during rehearsals in July, 2007.

The recording begins with the Muppet Show Theme, followed by Arab Strut, By and By, Fidgety Feet, See See Rider, The Jazz Me Blues, Melancholy, Chelsea On Down, Song For My Father, Joe Avery's Piece, Sugarfoot Strut, Tenor Madness, Why, The Dallas Blues, After You've Gone, King Bolden On Parade, and Watermelon Man. (The blue lettering indicates downloadable sample tracks; just click on those titles.)

To order your copy please send $15 by PayPal to ahovey2@gmail.com, or mail a check to Art Hovey, 35 Housatonic Avenue, Milford, CT 06460-3417.

On February 24 (2008) the band provided music for Reverend Carl Christensen's 10 AM Sunday service at the Ivoryton Congregational Church, 57 Main Street in Ivoryton, Connecticut. A rousing good time was had by all.

On December 2 (2007) the band braved the weather to perform at the new Marlborough Arts Center. This performance was recorded by Suite Audio Studios of Clinton.

The band performed for a large and enthusiastic crowd at Essex Meadows on November 25, 2007; we hope to return some time next year. map:

On September 9 (2007) the band was featured in the Sunday morning service at the Marlborough Congregational Church, earning a long and well-deserved standing ovation. MAP & DIRECTIONS:

Members of the band sat in at Bill's Seafood in Westbrook on August 17 and again on November 9, 2007.

The band performed Friday through Sunday (July 27-29) at the GREAT CONNECTICUT TRADITIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL in Moodus, earning a lot of well-deserved attention and praise from other musicians as well as the general public.

On July 18 (2007) the band performed for a very appreciative Rotary Club at Angelico's Lakehouse Restaurant in East Hampton.

On June 23 (2007) the band performed a rousing set for a sophisticated and very appreciative jazz audience at the HOT STEAMED JAZZ FESTIVAL in Essex. Later in the evening some members of the band sat in with the pros at the late-night jam session, where they impressed everyone with their musicianship and learning skills. The cartoon at the right was drawn at the festival by Bob Nilson:

On June 2 (2007) the band performed at the SHORELINE ARTS ALLIANCE SHOWCASE in Guilford. Immediately after that performance the band joined forces with members of the Community Music School Jazz Ensemble (from Centerbrook) for a jazz workshop directed by Chris and Dan Brubeck, along with guitarist Mike Dimicco and pianist Chuck Lamb. Later in the evening the students were part of the Brubeck Brothers Quartet concert, performing a big-band arrangement of Dave Brubeck's "Blue Rondo a la Turk". All of the members of our little band accepted the invitation to stand up in front of the band and take a couple of solo choruses! The confidence that they have gained during the past year by sitting in with the Bill's Seafood All-Stars was clearly evident; the Brubeck Brothers were clearly impressed, and the audience responded with a long standing ovation!

About The Band:

In the spring of 2006 a very enlightened board of directors for the Great Connecticut Traditional Jazz Festival asked me if it would be possible to assemble a youth band, using students from many different schools in the area, to perform at this summer's festival. I replied that I would love to do it if somebody could help scare up suitable participants. They put the word out and found a wonderful group of kids for me to work with, and also lined up a big air-conditioned room in a community center for us to rehearse in. We ended up with three trumpets, two reeds, two trombones, two tubas, piano, guitar, and drums. I dug up some of my old traditional jazz arrangements, and the kids loved them.

We had five rehearsals on Monday nights, starting right after school got out. My experience with other youth bands had shown that you can never expect all of the kids to show up at rehearsals, but they always make it somehow to the performances. This group was no exception; they all showed up for all three performances at the festival, in spite of a colossal thunderstorm on Friday afternoon and power failure on Saturday.

After their final set on Sunday several of the band members found a place to jam near the pool; I've been told that members of other bands came to join them for a spell. Apparently during that session the students and their loyal parents passed the hat; they sent a delegation into the Club House during my last set with the Galvanized Jazz Band to present me with a very generous gift to replace my wristwatch, which had been soaked during the rainstorm. In my thank-you letter I expressed gratitude for that gift, but pointed out that no timepiece could ever mean as much to me as their performances did. I am especially grateful to the parents, who were very supportive in this project; they put a lot of time and effort into getting the kids to the rehearsals and to the festival.

After hearing the band, Bill Sinclair asked me if they would like to play during his band’s intermission on any Friday evening at Bill’s Seafood in Westbrook. On August 11 we took him up on that kind offer. Replacing the sax and piano players, who were unavailable on that date, we had two amazing young students who had participated in the Neighborhood Music School Jazz Camp in New Haven during the week after the festival; I was able to convince them to sit in without rehearsal.

-Art Hovey-

VIDEO CLIP 1 (Arab Strut)

VIDEO CLIP 2 (C. C. Rider)

The Hartford Courant recently ran a nice article about the group. (Click HERE to see it.)

Here’s a photo montage of last summer's group:

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The band has returned to Bill's Seafood several times since then, sounding better than ever. Members of the group are always asked to sit in with the house band; they have a ball trading fours with the pros! We are all grateful to Bill Sinclair for the invitation. (Please scroll down for more photos.)

Ken Chant had this to say about one of those visits:

If you couldn't get to Bill's Seafood in Westbrook last Friday (12/8/06), you missed a FANTASTIC evening of jazz!

In addition to the Bill's Seafood Jazz All-Stars (Steve Bulmer on bass, Charlie Weyant on reeds, Bill Sinclair on piano, Tom Boates on trombone) and special guest drummer Jim Oblon, seven young musicians played between sets and sat in during the second set. It was AMAZING! These young men and women give me hope for Our Kind of Music for my twilight years!

All seven, with five others, participated in the first Great Connecticut Traditional Jazz Festival Youth Jazz Camp in June and July 2006 and played at the Festival in July. All seven are talented musicians. They are: Adam Clark, trombone, Emma Sayles, trombone, Emily Pecoraro, clarinet and alto sax, Julie Blum, soprano and alto sax, C J Tomasevich, trumpet, Carly Villa, tuba, and Molly Sayles, drums. Adam, Carly, and Emily are from Guilford, CJ is from Madison, and Emma and Molly are from Colchester. Julie hails from Westbrook.

During their set, accompanied by "Little Billy Sinclair" on piano, the kids played tunes including "Chelsea On Down, "Bye & Bye", "Melancholy", Smokey Mokes", and "Arab Strut". Led by Art Hovey, bass and tuba player for the Galvanized and Heartbeat Jazz Bands and retired physics teacher, the band members have learned arrangements and improvisiation. Their talent showed clearly when they were called to the bandstand to sit in on "Watermelon Man", “Lester Leaps In", "Silent Night", and "C Jam Blues". It was especially fun to see the three trombones (Tom B, Emma, and Adam) playing off each other, and the three saxes (Charlie W, Emily, and Julie) doing the same. All the way through Molly did a tremendous job on drums.

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As Charlie Weyant noted, the All-Stars are always glad to encourage young musicians. He extended an invitation, on behalf of the band, for these youngsters to return and sit in anytime. A comment overheard at Bill's: "...the best set I've heard..." It should also be noted that Bill’s Seafood in Westbrook has been very supportive of young musicians and our kind of music.

The Great Connecticut Jazz Festival is hoping that 2006's successful Youth Jazz Camp is the first of many. For 2007, the Festival is planning the Second Annual TGCTJF Youth Jazz Camp. For details, contact TGCTJF, P. O. Box 548, Branford, CT 06405-0548.

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