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February 2024
Old Porch Swing will be at The Sound Bar on Wednesday, February 7 at 7pm.
I have rejoined the bass player rotation with Tallahassee Swing Band who has played nearly every Tuesday at the American Legion Hall at Lake Ella since 1989 from 7:30 to 10pm. I love playing with these guys and will be there once every third Tuesday. Next time is February 6.
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December 2023
Recordings of the Wednesday Night Lab Session at Blue Tavern for October 4 Happy Hour are right here. Jim Crozier with Ben Banks and Mike Stone This time Ben’s on bass and Jim on guitar, Jim’s songs and a few favorite covers.
Nearly all of the stuff that Mike Stone helped me with for the WNLS a couple months ago is here: YouTube Playlist
We had a great session back in August with Chris Seepersaud and Reo Morris jamming a bunch of great tunes with me.
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Early October 2023
We had a great Happy Hour at Blue Tavern for the Oct 4 Wednesday Night Lab Session – The Recording: Jim with Ben & Mike
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Late September 2023
Been digging playing with Tallahassee Swing Band – gotta couple dates coming up 10/24 & 11/7. Played with them a few days ago and they are totally cookin’ these days.
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Mid September 2023
Thanks Mike Stone for joining me through a concert of a bunch of my songs this month at Blue Tavern for the Wednesday Night Lab Session – July 5. Check out the YouTube Playlist
The August 2 Wednesday Night Lab Session at Blue Tavern features Chris Seepersaud and Reo Morris jamming a bunch of great tunes with me – I’ll be holding my big fiddle, Seep will be on guitar and piano, and Reo is playing whatever he deems appropriate.
On July 30, I will be back with Dr. Sinn’s Freak Island Musical Sideshow for a show in Gainesville at High Dive – yeesssss.
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Sometime in July 2023
We had a wonderful time at the Wednesday Night Lab Session for June 7 at Blue Tavern, with singer Sasha Tuck and guitarist Joel Johnson. Thank you all who were there!
Coming up for the Wednesday Night Lab Session on July 5 – Jim will sit with his guitar singing and playing a bunch of songs – mostly original. There may be a friend or two showing up to help out.
In the mean time – Magnolia South will be playing some before and after show music on Saturday, June 24 for the Mickey Faust Cabaret, and a week later at House of Music on July 1 sharing the stage with Ben & the Backups.
On July 30, I will be back with Dr. Sinn’s Freak Island Musical Sideshow for a show in Gainesville at High Dive.
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Late May 2023
Coming up next at the Wednesday Night Lab Session for June 7 at Blue Tavern, we feature singer Sasha Tuck and guitarist Joel Johnson. There will of course be plenty of songs from the Great American Songbook, and a few surprises.
Friday, June 9, I will be at House of Music with Butch Burns & David Langston 8 to 10pm
Saturday, July 1, I will be with Magnolia South Band at the House of Music.
On July 30, I will be back with Dr. Sinn’s Freak Island Musical Sideshow for a show in Gainesville at High Dive.
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Mid-April 2023
The first edition of the New Wednesday Night Lab Session at Blue Tavern will be on April 5, 2023 at 5pm until 7. Mr John “JB” Babich will be jammin’ on the big piano with Neal Goree wailing on his guitar – I’ll be on my big fiddle.
In the mean time, I will be playing with Ben Banks, Denis Hardin, and Mike Stone at Blue Tavern at the Happy Hour show for Wednesday, March 22 – and again a week later on March 29 at 5pm!
Also, I will be playing for another Musical – this time at Young Actor’s Theater for their production of “13 – the Musical”. It will run from from March 24 thru April 2. and promises to be a good show.
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Mid-March 2023
The first edition of the New Wednesday Night Lab Session at Blue Tavern will be on April 5, 2023 at 5pm until 7. My guest Neal Goree and I were planning to be playing with Charles Atkins, but Charles at age 79 is now living in Orlando with his daughter. I’ll tell you as soon as I can when we know who will be walking in those shoes – I’ll be on my big fiddle with Neal wailing on his guitar.
I totally had a Great Time playing with Ben Banks, Denis Hardin, and Mike Stone at Blue Tavern for the Happy Hour show for Wednesday, March 1 – We will do it all again on Wednesdays, 3/22, 29 at 5pm!
Also, I will be playing for another Musical – this time at Young Actor’s Theater for their production of “13 – the Musical”. I will run from from March 24 thru April 2. and promises to be a good show.
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February 2023
The first edition of the Wednesday Night Lab Session at Blue Tavern will be on April 5, 2023 at 5pm until 7. My guests will be Charles Atkins and Neal Goree – I’ll be on my big fiddle with Charles on the BT piano.
The Lab Cats had a great night at House of Music on Feb 4 – an mostly acoustic version of that band will be the show for the second Wednesday Night Lab Session on May 3.
In the mean time I will be playing with Ben Banks and Denis Hardin at Blue Tavern for the Happy Hour shows for Wednesday, March 1, 22, and 29.
Also, I will be playing for another Musical – this time at Young Actor’s Theater for their production of “13 – the Musical”. I will run from from March 24 thru April 2. and promises to be a good show.
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January 2023
My next show is Happy Hour at Blue Tavern on Wednesday, January 18, 5 to 7pm.
This show will have pretty much the same Lab Cats who helped me out for the September show which featured the songs of Bobby Charles. This one will feature the vocal trio of Jim Crozier, Ksena Zipperer and Angie Prather with support from Ben Banks and Mike Stone. We will be doing songs that I have started to learn before but never really did before – so this time will be special and Jim will be playing the big bass fiddle!
Jim Crozier and the Lab Cats at House of Music on February 4.
And with Dr Sinn’s Freak Island Musical Side Show for their 2023 Three City Tour – info & tickets: http://drsinnsideshow.com
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December 2022:
Tallahassee Swing on Tuesday, December 13,
Swing Theory with Becky Sinn, December 17, and
Sally B’s Dashing Revue, December 18.
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November 2022:
We had a Tropical Storm instead of –
My next show is Happy Hour at Blue Tavern on Thursday, November 10, 5 to 7pm.
This show will have pretty much the same Lab Cats who helped me out for the September show which featured the songs of Bobby Charles. This one will feature the vocal trio of Jim Crozier, Ksena Zipperer and Angie Prather with support from Ben Banks and Mike Stone. We will be doing songs that I have started to learn before but never really did before – so this time will be special and Jim will be playing the big bass fiddle!
In the meantime I will be playing in the pit orchestra for Quincy Music Theater’s production of Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George which runs from October 29 thru November 6.
September 2022:
Jim Crozier is at Blue Tavern for the September 22 happy hour slot from 5 to 7pm. I will have some help from my friends. Last time, Ben Banks and Mike Stone came by to help me through the night and Ksena Zipperer jumped on in on a few tunes with her great harmonies. Belle Bruno-Piverger was waylaid by an errant driver who collided with her vehicle while she was en-route so we need to make up for lost time – Looking forward to a great show – please come.
Summer 2022:
At Blue Tavern Happy Hour for August 2 (5 to 7pm), a Tuesday, I will sit with my guitar and sing songs, some of which I wrote, and some others that I just like. For the second hour I will bring out the music from “Touch” with some help from my friends.
I totally enjoyed performing in the Theater Tallahassee production of Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill during May 2022. Belinda Bruno-Piverger gave a month of amazing performances as Billie Holiday at one of the last club dates of her life.
I am working on a concert presentation of the music from Touch – here’s the story.
Early in 2022:
I will be playing in the Theater Tallahassee production of Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar &Grill in May. The show opens May 13 and runs for three weekends – Friday, Saturday, and Sunday matinee. This is a one woman show presenting one of Billy Holiday’s last performances.
In mid March I spent 3 days with the most gracious folks on the planet at the Will McLean Festival. I was there with George Gray and Michael Palecki – and enjoyed camping through rain and cold and a pesky wind. Everyone was so glad to be back, too.
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November 2021:
You can play or download recordings of last Friday’s show at the Legion Hall at:
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The NAMI – Play it Forward event had invited me to play a set. It was nice to play a solo show, it’s been a while. So here it is:
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On May 1, Current projects include:
Michael Callan and I nearly finished another music video project!
Earlier today the Magnolia South Band had a wonderful time playing at Quincy Porch Fest (Florida, not Massachusetts). It was a thrill to see so many friends out to check it out on a beautiful May day.
I will be in Pennsylvania visiting my Mother and sisters in the coming week but after I return I will have another rehearsal with Valarie Howington on my Sonata in G – this time on my newly tuned Baldwin Hamilton at my studio.
Later in the month we will travel to Dallas, Texas to hand with the grandkid, with a stop in NOLA on the return trip.
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On April 11, Current projects include:
Rehearsing my Sonata in G with Valarie Howington, one day we will get to play it for you. Next time we do it at my Studio in the Woods.
It was so wonderful to get to play at Jan DeCosmo’s 70th Birthday concert a week ago at the Hole: A Place for Healing, a new outdoor venue on the south side of Tallahassee. Thanks to so many of our friends were there to hear two different presentations of the Common ‘Taters & the Turn-ups, Saw Mill Jam, the Bog Lilies, Over-the-Hillbillies aka Magnolia South Band, and Ben $ the Backups
I have been working on a piece, The Gathered Meeting for a couple different ensembles.
And, another video music project with Michael Callan.
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Edgy Blues and Twisted Americana
Mid-April 2021
Dear Friends;
I will be back at Bird’s sometime, but not now, and probably not next month, but Jay and I have been talking and he finally put my name on the marquee
At the moment I am listening to an album from the 70’s that my brother played on, a band named Diamond Rio. I just got my turntable out and started to digitize some of this old vinyl, most of which I have not heard for more than a couple decades, and all stuff that close friends and/or I are playing on.
These have been such times as we have never known. All of our relationships changed, we all had to learn along the way. There has been a core of folks who were there to play music all along the way – a few in person, and others sharing online.
One of those ensembles has become the Magnolia South Band which will be playing at Quincy Porch Fest on May 1 (perhaps under the name Over-the-Hillbillies) with Jan D eCosmo, Ksena Zipperer, Ben Banks, Mike Stone, Dave Langston, Dennis Hardin, and me.
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I had the pleasure of doing a couple photo sessions with Bob O’Lary and Katie Clark at FOTO Studio in Railroad Square last month – you will be seeing the fruits of that as time goes on.
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I recently released a piece at https://jimcrozier.bandcamp.com/ that I call The Gathered Meeting – for two double basses and jazz percussion. Please take a listen when you have a few minutes to relax, it is NOT a rock song.
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Back in 1977 I wrote a piece called Sonata in G for Double Bass and Piano. I had never actually tried to play it before this past summer, but since nothing else was shaking, I pulled it out and started pecking away at it. Valarie Howington agreed to work on the piano part. We intend to make an opportunity to perform it for you sometime in the coming year – perhaps during a happening at Blue Tavern.
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Michael Callan has been producing some remote collaborative music videos that I have had the pleasure of participating in along with Steve Hodges, Jon Copps, and Carrie Hamby. We have been working on another one that is still in progress. But the rest of them can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTqhKtaT_vDLQpRA1n9ygPw
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Also – you can check out the YouTube Play List: Live At Bird’s
The obligatory one: Live from Quarantine
And I have been doing some serious web work at https://jimcrozier.com/
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Be well my friends, and stay safe.
Jim Crozier
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April 11, 2021
The following is what was on the home page in March 2021:
Current projects include:
Rehearsing my Sonata in G with Valarie Howington, one day we will get to play it for you.
I have been working on a piece, The Gathered Meeting for a couple different ensembles.
And, another video music project with Michael Callan.
January 4, 2021
Got our COVID-19 vaxs today at the Wakulla County Health Department in Crawfordville, Florida. Everyone was so nice and professional – it was a wonderful experience. Even those arriving with a bit of anxiety were relaxed when it was all completed – and we had waited our appointed 15 minutes before being allowed to leave.
We started the day with a bike ride together – my usual loop, out the front way 2.5 miles to the St Marks Bike Trail up to Woodville, then back into the neighbor’s access road, and in through our back gate. It comes to 6.27 miles according to MapMyRide, it includes about 1 mile of sand roads, which today were in good condition after last week’s rain and a full day to dry out – sometimes they can get deep. I figure par for the ride is 40 minutes, the fastest I ever did it was 38 minutes, today was 41 which is good. Traffic was not bad, just a few vehicles passing us – people are almost always polite with bicycle traffic, I have only had two encounters with rude, getting run off the road type situations.
I played though my Sonata in G twice this morning, but have not recorded anything yet. Yesterday I attended a really fun jam session at Ben’s back patio – The Lab Cat’s with the Dog & Pony Show – it was a bit chilly, but it was sunny and we had a fire going in the bowl – a wonderful and thoroughly needed relief. It was the first time playing music with actual people since the Old Porch Swing date last month.
JC
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January 3, 2021
I did actually get the studio back in operation by 8pm yesterday. Since I’m heading out for a jam session this afternoon, I will exercise the studio tomorrow. YaY!
Also, we go to the Wakulla County Health Department for our COVID Vaccine tomorrow. I can’t help but feel that we are crashing the front of the line, but there is no reason to believe that anyone more deserving would get it instead. Statistically, a nearly 70 year old guy with a heart condition would be toward the front of the line, but we never felt particularly vulnerable mainly due to our knowledge of Homeopathy, but of course that doesn’t figure into anyone else’s equation – and we have been following the protocols of social distancing and mask wearing.
Peace!
JC
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January 2, 2021, 10:30am
Going to set the studio back up today. A few weeks ago I finally broke down and bought an equipment rack so I could get rid of some other furniture that was taking up space and clear desktop space. That has worked wonderfully, but of course, in the process I took down the recording setup part of the studio. I plan to get that operational today, we’ll see how it works out 🙂
cheers
JC
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January 1, 2021
I have examined my ancestral heritage lately and know that there has never been great wealth in my heritage on either side of my family, but there has been a tradition spanning 300 years of stable family life and home ownership – the very elements that have been deliberately denied to those brought to this nation from Africa to labor in the fields, and to their descendants.
As one studies this history more closely it is found that the treatment of this imported labor was completely intentional and came in the form of Labor Policy. Racism is completely baked into US policy since Bacon’s Rebellion of 1676. The moneyed class learned then that the most effective way to keep the labor class dependent is to keep them disconnected from each other – if poor whites distrust and fear the other, labor will not be able to unify for the greater good. The moneyed class of that time cared nothing for the greater good – it was costing them. Thus began a system of racial classification in law. Laws against intermarriage appeared, and laws forbidding ownership of property and access to the courts.
Nearly 200 years later, and despite hopes for real change during the Reconstruction of the South after the US Civil War, it was doomed from the start. The wording of the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution did not end slavery as a practice, it merely moved it under the control of the criminal justice system.
Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
It did not take long for White governments to figure out how to write laws that would easily make it possible to incarcerate Black males. Vagrancy statutes accomplished that task easily – once poverty becomes a crime, the rest is easy. After all, there was already a well practiced system of policing organizations whose original purpose was capturing and returning runaway slaves.
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May we have a blessed New Year, and really, I do not plan to talk about this stuff all the time, but it is important.
JC
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To Begin a New Year, 2021
8pm – Dec 31, 2020
Jim’s Studio in the Woods, Wakulla, Florida
The assumption is that there may be something to say, a story to be told. What does it take to support a blog? Really need to write in it everyday – it’s a public diary.
I have come to understand that my family has never had any particular special privilege in this nation, except that of being white. Ancestors on my mother’s side had been landed gentry before the Scottish Civil War, but landless peasants in County Tyrone in northern Ireland before migrating to America in 1684. Descendants from that family became land owners in Washington County, PA in 1784 due to their service in the Continental Army during the war of independence from Britain. Others on my father’s side of the family, came from County Tyrone to southwestern Pennsylvania also in the 1790’s.
The native population of that region had been mostly driven out by then. There is some family lore about women seeing some Indians passing by in the back of the property through the kitchen window, but by then they were already a defeated people. There is nothing else in any of the family lore I have come across that speaks of any more interaction with the prior inhabitants of the land they lived upon. My people also had no interaction with Africans as far as I have heard.
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I hear fireworks going off all around me. There is happiness in the thought that this year is now all but gone.
JC
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Dec 30, 2020
There are memoirs to write, music to present, conversations to be had. I have taken stabs at blogging before, and this is yet another. Seems with everything swirling around us there must me something to say.
Also this is part of a project to finally sit down to learn how to work WordPress. I have been paying hosting rent at GoDaddy for more than a few years now and have not ever taken advantage of all the neat stuff there is to build websites with these days, And, I have simply depended on all the html I learned in 1994. So, anyhow this page should be enabled for blogging before too many hours pass, I really have no idea what I need to do to enable it, but I spent years of my life figuring out exactly how to make stuff like that work so I have confidence:)
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