Comments on: On The Hunt For A Bass Clarinet, Legendary Guitarist Herb Ellis Passes at 88

By: Amanda Zhao

Amanda Zhao — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 21:31:05 +0000

I saw Quincy Jones in JZ Club in Shanghai 3 years ago and i shook hand with a guy who just shook hands with him 5 minutes ago. Does that count?:-) Quincy Jones did said something to me though.”Excuse me.” Because i blocked his way.:-(

By: John Doheny

John Doheny — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 13:17:16 +0000

I saw Diane Krall at the Alma, in a duo with Russ Botton. Most of the customers ignored her and chattered through the ballads. No doubt some of those same people pay a hundred bucks a ticket to see her at the Orpheum now. Go figure.

By: james

james — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 21:03:28 +0000

Yes, the Alma Street Cafe, what a gold mine for up and coming musicians. Special mention goes to June Katz (and to Jeff later on) for making young students of the music feel so welcome even though, as you said, we weren’t spending shit. How did we make a cup of tea and a piece of cheesecake last for 3 hours?!

By: Chops Grande

Chops Grande — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 18:08:11 +0000

I think I remember the other time you saw Herb Ellis because I was there. Didn’t we see him at the Alma Street Cafe? Man that was such a great place for few years in the late 80′s early 90′s. What were we 14, 15 years old, sitting five feet from the music spending no more than 5 dollars on tea and a piece of cake. No wonder that place didn’t make any money, they let kids like us sit there all night not spending any money. We would have our parents drop us off (we were barely in high school) and literally sit there for 3-4hours and spend 5 bucks. It was great for us, not good for business. We saw Oliver Gannon, Fraser McPherson, George Robert, Seamus Blake (he must have been 19-20) Hugh Fraser, Campbell Rega, Ross Tagart,and the list goes on. Those were formative years. Did anyone else reading this post go to the Alma? Better yet, did anyone else see Herb Ellis there? If you did, James and I were the two spindle-shanked teenagers in the corner sipping tea. Ah….good times.