Mondays with Mike: Louie Louie

As I write this on a Sunday afternoon, the snow’s falling at about an inch an hour in Chicago, with accumulations possibly reaching 16”, and all that snow blowing around in 25-40 mph gusts.

At least that’s what it says online—I’m looking over my computer screen at a grey, but by comparison, mild day in downtown Louisville, Ky. We were scheduled to fly home right about now, but snowstorm Linus has us staying an extra night here in bourbon country.

There could be worse things. For one thing, did I mention the bourbon? Ridiculously smooth bourbon, oaky bourbon, smoky bourbon, caramel-infused bourbon, bourbon with a bite, bourbon…OK. Let’s just say they serve flights of bourbon the way other places do flights of craft beer.

We’re staying at The Brown, one of Louisville’s grand dame hotels. That would be enough for Beth to call it heaven, as we know how much she likes a nice hotel and all that goes with the experience.

That’s the University of Louisville Jazz Ensemble I (L) and the Ballard High School Jazz Band (R)

But even better: We’ve been able to hang out with Beth’s brother Doug and his wife Shelley—and that has meant going to a couple of Doug’s jazz gigs. He’s a trombonist about whom Beth’s written before. He retired from his day job a while ago and learned that when you reach a certain age, you can take classes at the University of Louisville. Beth’s mom raised no fools, and Doug took the opportunity to formally study in the jazz program. He’s been at it for a couple years. And—I wouldn’t have imagined saying this before because he’s always been a fantastic musician who produced the very best tone I’ve ever heard from a trombone—he’s better than ever.

Friday night we saw him with the University Jazz Ensemble I at a campus concert hall. It was a fantastic big-band experience made all the better because the University band director had connected with a local high school program. On stage, the college band and the high schools band set up side by side, alternating numbers, and then coming together for a bluesy piece that saw players on both sides of the stage, including Doug, take solos.

Doug takes a solo on the last number.

It was fantastic—and the high school band was pretty incredible considering they were all in, err, high school. Saturday night Doug and Beth talked a little piano jazz chord changes after we were treated to a terrific dinner by Shelley at their house. And Sunday morning we went to The Highlands Tap (The Highlands is a trendy area of Louisville chock full of little clubs and restaurants). Doug played with a trio while we sipped on Bloody Marys and Mimosas (Beth behaved with a Virgin Mary) and ate some good southern breakfast food.

In between performances, Beth and I managed to get to the Louisville Slugger Factory museum and took the tour—and checked out the Muhammad Ali Center.

The Louisville Slugger museum and tour is terrific. We saw them making some major-leaguer’s bats. And we stopped, here, for the special exhibit on Cuban-born MLB players. Beth’s next to the photo Minnie Minoso, a Cuban-born White Sox great.

Like I said, there are worse things than having to stay another night. (Except for having to leave at 4:30 a.m. to catch our Monday flight. I expect we’ll be asleep by half time of the Super Bowl, which is fine—not much of a Katy Perry fan anyway).

All in all, I’m left with these thoughts:

• A trip to Louisville is well worth the effort. Stay at The Brown if you can scrape together the shekels (or, in my case, the air miles that seem never to do me any good when I actually want to use them for air travel). And have some bourbon when you’re there.
• Everyone, please: Resolve to see more live music. The number of incredibly talented musicians that are out there doing it full time or on the side is an embarrassment of riches in our country. Don’t gripe about cover charges—think about what you spend on bad movies, bad cable, bad food, or pretentious coffees. Don’t do it out of obligation—do it because it’s way more fulfilling than lots of other crap that we get hypnotized into doing.
• Take my brother-in-law Doug’s experience as an example and inspiration—he’s getting older and better. That’s a pretty cool thing all you jazz cats.