George Washington Slept at the Morris-Jumel Mansion

I may have mentioned once or twice that there is a mansion in my neighborhood. But this is not just any mansion; this is the oldest house in Manhattan, and was George Washington's NY headquarters during the Revolutionary War. A couple of Sundays ago some friends and I went to the museum, and I saw George's actual bedroom. In a way, it was very awe inspiring to think that a Founding Father lived and slept in that actual house--a house that is a stone's throw from mine. Other famous residents include Aaron Burr (the guy who shot Alexander Hamilton in a duel).

While at the house my friends Adam and Steve (a picture of Steve is found in this blog, but FYI he is just a friend with a girlfriend in Utah) saw a sign advertising a jazz festival at the mansion in August. Adam and Steve are huge jazz fans, and were talking about how cool the jazz fest would be when the museum concierge overheard them. She informed them that the lady who puts on the event lives across the street (on the other side of the mansion--not my street) and every Sunday afternoon she invites her jazz musician friends to her house to jam. And this event is open to the public. My two friends were giddy with excitment and I knew we would be heading there after our tour of the museum.

So on we went. I posted the picture of the event above. I tried to get it right here, but I am still figuring this thing out.

Anyway, I like jazz, but not nearly as much as Adam and Steve who have visited many a jazz club this summer, nonetheless this mini-jazz concert was probably the coolest thing I have done in New York thus far. It was the quintessential New York activity. This lady's apartment was by no means lavish (it is in Washington Heights), she had very little artwork on her walls--mostly just newspaper clippings about various jazz artists in the area. Fans were blowing to keep the audience cool. There was quite an audience, too. The little flat had folding chairs and benches packed into every nook and cranny so that everyone could have a seat; good thing too, as every seat was full. The audience was a rather diverse crowd of all ages, races, and salary level. It looked like there were even a couple of tourists. Our hostess was friendly, and made certain everyone had a good time.

That particular Sunday she invited a bass player, trumpter, and flute/saxaphone player. She accompanied them on the piano. They started out with some gospel stand-by's like Amazing Grace and This Little Light of Mine, and then they switched to jazz standards that I had never heard before, but my friends sure had. They were enjoying themselves immensely, and I was extremely glad that we found out about this place. To all my readers who eventually come out to see me, I intend to take you to this place, whether you like jazz music or not. It is just something that you have to do.

Last week I was able to hear a new British band. As many of you know this is my favorite genre. A guy in my ward, Richard, told me about a band called The Feeling. Their sound is classified as 70's soft rock with an edge. I checked out their MySpace site, and heard a few songs before Richard and I went to see them. Their songs were a little on the cheesy side, but totally catchy. I knew I had to see them to know that they were a good band. For me, if a band is not good live, then they are not a good band. So a week ago Wednesday, Richard and I went down to the Mercury Lounge to see them. This lounge was probably the tiniest venue I have ever been to (besides the jazz lady's flat), and I think there were only 50 other people at the show. For all those who didn't make it, they totally missed out. What a fun band. First of all, they were dressed nice. They came out wearing nice trousers, button downs, and the lead singer even wore two-toned wing tip shoes. They were great live. Everyone played/sang on key and their energy was contagious. Their songs seemed more edgy live than the 70's soft rock sound on the disc. Check them out!

Good news folks. I get to see Keane in September. My boss Ian told me about the show, and said he would buy my tickets if I got two more editors to come to our event last Tuesday. I completed my task, and I get to see the band. You can imagine that I am super-ecstatic about the show. They are actually going to play two nights, so I may try to see them both nights. You may think that it is overkill, but I don't...it's Keane! It could be taken as a sign that I have been working with Ian too long. He saw every Madonna performance in NYC (about five + shows), Philly, and Vegas. He also plans to see her in England. Now that is obsessed. I'm just borderline obsessed. Ha! Get the joke? Madonna has a song called Borderline.