Ready? Let’s all say it together:
Awwwwwwwww!
Isn’t that the sweetest picture?
The Texas Community Music Festival continued on Wednesday, and moments like these reminded me why I love the TCMF so much! The stage acts are so far-reaching — they spanned three vastly different genres in the same night. You might head out to the Cafe saying, “Boy, I really love jazz… can’t wait for that set to start!” only to find that it’s in fact the POLKA group that takes the crowd by storm!
And that’s pretty much how it went down on Wednesday.
We started off the night with the TCMF debut of the Classics ‘N Jazz Brass Quintet. This five-piece ensemble is made up of two trumpets, a french horn, a trombone, and a tuba. And their set was really quite lovely. And talk about diverse! They played the Beatles’ “Here, There, and Everywhere” as well as the oldest known ragtime two-step tune, the 1897 “Mississippi Rag.” My favorite of their set was their own arrangement of Herb Alpert’s “Taste of Honey” with its multiple key changes.
Next up was the Austin Polka Band, recently honored in the Austin Music Awards as ranked the EIGHTH BEST IN THE WORLD… ahem, World Music Category, that is. 🙂
They played all of your stein-raising favorites, and drew all the night’s dancers off of the playground and onto the deck. Of course, the famous Austin musician and kid-magnet Oliver Steck’s accordion was the biggest draw of all.
The children weren’t the only polka fans, as evidenced by this decades-wide spread of dancers.
A polka set would never be complete without a Chicken Dance, and that was great fun to film from within!
Wednesday night ended with an amazing performance by the Austin Jazz Band, led by Bobby Davis, and featuring vocalist Lisa Clark. The temperature on the deck was cooling down, but the band was HOT. Photos alone can’t possibly suffice in demonstrating the talent of the group, so here’s another video:
This band is comprised or both professional and amateur musicians — and many of them are music educators around Austin. In a few short years (they’ll go fast!) your musical child might be under the wing of one of these fantastic jazz giants!
Sad you missed them? Fret not. They’ll be playing a free show (21+) at the Elephant Room on Monday, April 28th!
The Texas Community Music Festival will be taking a break for the Easter holiday weekend, but we’ll be back on the Central Market deck on Tuesday, April 22nd all the way through Sunday the 27th! Make sure you get it on the calendar! I’ll be there!
Ms. Kat's Music & Movement 
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