road trip to jazz in the Poconos--- The Deer Head Inn

Yes there is a deer head, but there is also a very cool stained glass (again me without my camera) of the Delaware Water Gap, a geological wonder which we drove through to get to the Deer Head Inn. It has been a home of Jazz music for over 60 years. The current owners have spruced the place up and turned it into a Bed and Breakfast. The last time we drove up there we stayed over and we would recommend the place highly for the rooms, the food, and the jazz.

It was some what spontaneous. Mosaic Woman is on their e-mail list and when an e-mail came last weekend I opened it and went to their website. At first I noticed that living legend Phil Woods was doing a mostly Billy Strayhorn show Labor Day weekend, but then my eye caught this name... Virginia Mayhew. Women in Jazz who don't sing or play piano are growing and here was the opportunity to see an amazing sax player coming over from NYC.

So a dinner reservation was made and we drove up route 611 along the Delaware River stopping at the Canalside Cup just south of Easton, PA, which features 24 flavors of soft ice cream, including the chocolate banana which I consumed and the malted milk chosen by Mosaic Woman.

Before the show Ms Mayhew stopped by our table asking if we were Jay's parents. We aren't. She proved to be a humble person with amazing talent. We were tempted to stay for the third set, but left after the second in an attempt to get home before the Honda Fit turned into a pumpkin.

The tune of the night, hmmm How about her arrangement of Lets fall In Love, talk about evolution. Still easily recognizable, however, it had been turned into a Latin rhythm in 7/8 time. I bought the CD featuring it at the first intermission.

But here let me highlight her immersed in tradition... playing Duke Ellington's wonderful ballad, Don't You Know I Care. Take a listen.

support music ----- buy a CD, applaud for brilliance, tell a youngster they have talent, go to the Deer Head Inn.........