Conway–The Rebirth of Slick

OK, is the Armageddon nigh?  Did I just spend an evening in Conway, having a good Italian meal at a real restaurant, then heading up to the rooftop of said restaurant to order wine and watch actual real live black people play crazy jazz ‘neath the stars?  In Conway??

Yes I did!

Much love to Conway for shaking off most of its 19th Century mores and gettin’ after it.  Last night: dinner at Michelangelo’s and music upstairs by Rodney Block & The Real Music Lovers.   CheckOneTwo was utterly blown away by this bunch:  Block on mad trumpet, Oliver Thomas on bass (standup and six string), Michael Chandler on drums, Sam Carroll just killin’ it on keys…with DJ Swift on the side and an older white guy named Gil on guitar.  Deadly combination.

I’m telling you, this was the place to be last night.  Rodney Block is simply devastating on the trumpet.  I’ve never heard anyone even close to his level.  Block and his group brought the serious funky jazz, adding their own spicy flavorings to the mix all night long.  My highlight moment was when Block threw in a coupla trumpet lines from the Notorious B.I.G. just for kicks.  The additional highlight involved Block gettin’ his Pied Piper on and leading a bunch of tipsy white women around the rooftop in a spontaneous trumpeting conga line.  Alcohol is just what Conway needed, my friends. 

Word around the campfire is that Block and the gang are going to try and make this a monthly event.  Stay tuned, and get on up to Conway when you get a chance.  Next scheduled gig:  at the AfterThought on the 29th.