Renee & Jason Wedding at Timberlakes

I played unaccompanied acoustic cello solos for a small wedding earlier today, out past Agate off Highway 3 just a bit north of Shelton. Penny got some good directions off of the internet and I didn't have much trouble finding it. The setting at Timberlakes was really beautiful: an outdoor gazebo on a small island surrounded by a small lake complete with water lilies and reflected trees. Thank you Jon!
It rained on and off all day, so my program was a bit shorter than it would normally be so people could dodge the weather, but it didn't rain a drop during the ceremony, which was absolutely beautiful. Another thing that I thought was cool were the matching Hawaiian shirts and dress slacks the groom and groomsmen wore. The bridesmaids looked great, and the bride looked absolutely breathtaking in her dress.
As the wedding party were taking their seats, I played:
Don't Be Cruel (To A Heart That's True) (excerpt) Otis Blackwell & Elvis Presley, 1956
Underneath It All (David A Stewart & Gwen Stefani 2001)
When I'm Sixty-Four (Beatles)
Take My Breath Away (Love Theme from "Top Gun,") (Giorgio Moroder & Tom Whitlock 1986)
---I had to cut one or more of the following for time, but they were in the original program: Till There Was You (Meredith Willson 1950), And I Love Her (Beatles), Unforgettable (Irving Gordon 1951), Fly Me To The Moon (Bart Howard 1954), I Will Remember You (Sarah McLachlan, Seamus Egan & Dave Merenda 1995), I'll Have to Say I Love You In A Song (Jim Croce 1973), I Will (Beatles 1968), Landslide (Stevie Nicks 1975)---
When everyone appeared to be present and seated, I played classical selections from G.F. Handel's Water Music, and was ready with plenty of Bach Cello Suites and other classical music, depending on how things were going; many times, a critical member of a wedding party gets delayed in one way or another. Things went very smoothly today. Everyone was in their places and bridesmaids were well on their way; I saw the bride in the distance and began the Bridal Chorus. With the long distance from across the bridge, it actually took two stanzas of the Wagner, which I thought was great because indoors, I play about a measure of it before the bride is standing up front and everybody's patiently waiting for that song to end. Playing weddings, I've seen quite a few brides and I have to tell you, Renee looked like a celebrity or a model, and her dress seemed to be perfect as she came up the eisle and stood up front. The young pastor included Jason's new son in the service, joining the whole family together at once in God's love. It was truly beautiful.
Anyway, after the ceremony, which was shorter yet sweeter and more complete than most, I played Mendelssohn's Wedding March, then J. Clarke's Trumpet Voluntary. By the time I finished the Trumpet Voluntary, the last of the group was already across the arc of the white-railed bridge, almost out of view, so I cut I Married An Angel (Richard Rogers & Lorenz Hart, 1938).
It was really a great service, and I enjoyed playing. Thank you Renee & Jason, Jon and everyone!
--Dave
cellodad@juno.com

Union Bay Cafe, September 4

Since Candy Noll bought the Union Bay Cafe from Kathy Brown, a lot of improvements have been made. I would like to thank her, as well as Jesse and Sara for having me out there. You won't find a better deal on better fish and chips anywhere on the canal that I know of. Next time you get a chance, give this place a try. Jesse is an accomplished musician himself, working on his second CD, and he arranges the entertainment (though Candy has the final say).
Today I played a special Sunday lunch performance that was originally going to be outside, but everyone was inside when I started, and thunderstorms had been in the weather report so I set up on the stage and Jesse did the sound. My program of unaccompanied cello solos included the following songs:
I've Got You Under My Skin (Cole Porter 1936)
Can You Feel The Love Tonight (From The Lion King) (Elton John 1994)
Unwell (Rob Thomas 2002)
Underneath It All (David A. Stewart and Gwen Stefani of No Doubt, 2001)
When I'm Sixty-Four (The Beatles)
Take My Breath Away (Love theme from "Top Gun") (Giorgio Moroder, Tom Whitlock 1986)
Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay (Steve Cropper & Otis Redding 1968)
The Lady In Red (Chris DeBurgh 1986)
Fly Me to The Moon (In Other Words) (Bart Howard 1954)
I Will Remember You (Sarah McLachlan, Seamus Egan & Dave Merenda 1995)
Lullaby (Shawn Mullins 1998)
From A Distance (Julie Gold 1986)
Forrest Gump - Main Title (Feather Theme) (Alan Silvestri 1994)
Fields Of Gold (Sting 1993)
Colors of the Wind (from Walt Disney's Pocohontas) (Alan Menken 1995)
Penny Lane (the Beatles) (John Lennon & Paul McCartney 1967)
Landslide (Stevie Nicks 1975)
The Game Of Love (Rick Nowels & Gregg Alexander 2002)
Love Is Here To Stay (George & Ira Gershwin 1938)
Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree (Irwin Levine & L. Russell Brown 1972)
I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire (Ink Spots: Benjamin, Seiler, Marcus, Durham 1941)
Just The Way You Are (Billy Joel 1978)
You're The Inspiration (Peter Cetera & David Foster 1984)
A Day In The Life (John Lennon & Paul McCartney 1967)
Till There Was You (From "The Music Man") (Meredith Willson 1950)
What A Wonderful World (george David Weiss & Bob Thiele 1967)
Don't Know Why (Jesse Harris 2002)
You'll Be In My Heart (From Walt Disney's Tarzan) (Phil Collins 1999)
Across the Universe (John Lennon & Paul McCartney 1968)
Spanish Eyes (Bert Kaempfert 1965)
In My Life (John Lennon & Paul McCartney 1966)
Time In A Bottle (Jim Croce 1971)
Always On My Mind (Wayne Thompson, Mark James & Johnny Christopher 1971)
Too Darn Hot (Cole Porter 1949)
Star Dust (Hoagy Carmichael & Mitchell Parish 1928)
Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (John Lennon & Paul McCartney 1968)
The Look Of Love (Burt Bacharach & Hal David 1967)
If I Fell (John Lennon & Paul McCartney 1964)
I Love Paris (Cole Porter)
Georgia On My Mind (Hoagy Carmichael & Stuart Gorrell 1930)
It Might As Well Be Spring (From State Fair) (Richard Rogers & Oscar Hammerstein II 1945)
Take The 'A' Train (Billy Strayhorn 1941)
All My Loving (John Lennon & Paul McCartney 1963)
Save The Best For Last (Phil Galdston, Jon Lind & Wendy Waldman 1989)
Puttin' On The Ritz (Irving Berlin 1928)
I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song (Jim Croce 1973)

Though it was a short performance, I didn't take any breaks so I got a lot of songs in. Also, remember that most Beatles songs are only a couple minutes long. The audience was not huge, but the cafe was pretty full at the peak of the lunch hour. They were appreciative (applause is a dead giveaway of that) and unusually quiet for a restaurant and lounge at lunchtime -- I think a lot of people were really listening to me play.

Lately I've been noticing people out of the corner of my eye tapping their feet as I play, or hearing people gently singing with some of the familiar melodies; I can feel the very moments when I have an audience in the palm of my hand. I can't really explain it, because I have been playing for a long time, but I really live for those little moments. At times in the past, they made me nervous because I would over-think what I was playing or lose my place in the music, but that happens only rarely now. Today had a lot of great little moments, and I feel like I kept my cool through nearly all of them. I've probably mentioned it before, but playing at restaurants is great for me, because I feel like I am adding something special to people's experience. Here they are, actually getting out of the house and meeting other people, and I get to be part of their reward for doing that.

Loners On Wheels September 1

I had a great time playing for this RV group at the Mason County Fairgrounds. Though gas prices were a concern, I played to a full house. I would like to thank Audrey for hiring me to play to this highly appreciative audience. The large indoor stage was the exact same one I performed on at the Mason County Fair, so I was very comfortable, and everyone was very friendly and enjoyed my unaccompanied cello solos greatly. My program included the following songs:
Wonderful Tonight (Eric Clapton 1977)
Get Happy ( Ted Koehler, Harold Arlen 1929)
Scarborough Fair/Canticle (Paul Simon 1966)
Ain't Misbehavin' (Thomas "Fats" Waller & Harry Brooks, Andy Razaf 1929)
A Hazy Shade of Winter (Paul Simon 1966)
It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) (Duke Ellington, Irving Mills 1932)
Bridge Over Troubled Water (Paul Simon 1969)
Unforgettable (Irving Gordon 1951)
Dance In F (David Vincent Pierik 2005)
Volare (Nel blue, Dipinto Di Blu) (Domenico Modugnno 1958)
Human (James Harris III & Terry Lewis 1986)
Just One Of Those Things (From "Jubilee") (Cole Porter 1935)
Stand By Me (Ben E. King, Mike Stoller & Jerry Leiber 1961)
The Way We Were (Alan & Marily Bergman, Marvin Hamlisch 1973)
Saving All My Love for You (Gerry Goffin & Michael Masser 1978)
Spinning Wheel (David Clayton-Thomas of Blood, Sweat & Tears, 1967)
By The Light of the Silvery Moon (Ed Madden & Gus Edwards, 1909)
Whatever Will Be, Will Be (Que Sera, Sera) (Jay Livingston & Ray Evans 1955)
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ral--That's An Irish Lullaby (J.R. Shannon 1913)
Five Foot Two, Eyes Of Blue (Has Anybody Seen My Girl) (Sam M. Lewis, Joe Young 1925)
True Colors (Billy Steinberg & Tom Kelly 1986)
Don't Get Around Much Anymore (Bob Russell & Duke Ellington, 1942)
Allenabde (2nd movement from the 1st of 6 Suites for Cello) (Bach)
Minuet No. 2 (Bach)
Sonata in G (David Vincent Pierik 2005)

Having such a receptive audience made this performance especially enjoyable for me, and I really look forward to more like this one.