Ed"s November Dates
posted at 04:51 on Oct-31-2008

11/28/08 Whitaker Center Harrisburg, PA with Southside Johnny & the Asburt Jukes
11/29/08 Keswick Theatre Glenside, PA with Southsie Johnny & the Asbury Jukes Ed Plays Baritone Sax on Southside Johnny's new cd Grapefruit Moon - The Songs of Tom Waits
posted at 12:03 on Sep-03-2008 The musicians: Southside Johnny (vocal, harmonica), Tom Waits (guest vocal), Richie LaBamba Rosenberg (orchestrations, conductor, trombone), Frank Elmo (alto, soprano, flute), Baron Raymonde (alto, flute), Erik Lawrence (alto, flute), Jack Bashkow (alto, flute, bass clarinet), Jerry Vivino (tenor, flute, alto flute, clarinet), Sam Bortka (tenor, flute, clarinet), Timmy Cappello (tenor, soprano), Eddie Manion (baritone sax, clarinet), Brian Pastor (trombone), Nathan Mayland (trombone), Matt Bilyk (bass trombone), Jeff Bush (trombone), Ben Williams (trombone), Clarence Banks (trombone), Art Baron (trombone), Jonathan Shubert (bass trombone), Aaron Johnson (bass trombone), Marcus Rojas (tuba), Howard Johnson (tuba), Mark Pender (trumpet), Chris Anderson (trumpet), Mike Spengler (trumpet), John Barry (trumpet), Stu Satalof (trumpet), Scott Healy (piano, harpsichord), Michael Mancini (piano), Glenn Alexander (guitars, mandolin, dobro), Mike Merritt (bass), Shawn Pelton (drums, percussion), Ray Marchica (drums), Jeff Kazee (hammond B3), John Ballesteros (percussion), Sue Hadjapoulos (bongos), Sean Grissom (cello), Charlie Giordano (accordions), Bobby Bandiera (additional guitar).
Produced by Dan Gralick and Southside Johnny
Springhouse Block Island August 3rd 2008
posted at 07:18 on Aug-02-2008 Springhouse Hotel (outdoor concert) Block Island, Rhode Island
Sunday, August 3rd, 2008
Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes
Ticket Price is $25.00 in advance, $27.00 day of show.



Jukes Play in Casablanca July 20th 2008
posted at 08:13 on Jul-10-2008
« Casa Music » Festival :

A bunch of national, arab and international stars will be part of the 4th Festival of Casablanca, “Casa Music”, which will be held from 17 till 20 July of this year.

This multidisciplinary cultural meeting, which is meant to be an opportunity to develop more dialogue between the citizen and art and re-visit the history and legends of Casablanca, will be animated by a group of stars among which the Lebanese Myriam Fares, the Nigerian Seun Kuti, and the Lebanese rap singer Rayess Bek. Even Saida Charaf and Barry, announced the organizers, on Monday in Casablanca during a press conference.



“Casa Music” presents a program of different music types going from classical song with Hayat Idrissi and Ahmed Alaoui, to chaâbi bidaoui with Mustapha Bourgogne, Daoudi and the Tagada group, passing by several modern music groups such as Fnaïre and H-Kayne.

Big international and Arab artists will be part of the Casablanca’s evenings, among them: Cheb Najim, Houari Dauphin, Jimmy Ouahid (Algeria), King Barra (Senegal), Southside Johnny (USA) and Sin Papeles (Spain).


About 400 artists will present more than 60 concerts, divided on 12 open-air stages, 8 others for music and 4 dedicated to breakdance, besides a caravan of animation.

These concerts will take place at Al Hank, Sidi Bernoussi, Place Rachidi, Ben M’ Sick to which are added this year Ben Abid (Nouceur), Tit Mellil (Médiouna) and a stage in Mohammedia.

In parallel, a competition of breakdance will be organized for the young people of Casablanca.

The festival of Casablanca is organized by the Forum Casablanca Association, in partnership with the wilaya of Big Casablanca, the Council of the city, the Council of the Region and the Prefectural Council of Big Casablanca.




Jukes play Hearts of Stone track by track July 3rd 2008
posted at 20:55 on Jul-03-2008 A classic album of Jersey Shore rock 'n' roll will be brought to life, track by sweaty track, when Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes return to The Stone Pony today.

What better way to commemorate the 30th anniversary of "Hearts Of Stone," the third and final album the band recorded for the Columbia label?

Released in 1978, "Hearts Of Stone" remains a source of pride to Southside Johnny Lyon, who calls it "the apex of the early Jukes" and "the culmination of everything we tried to do," as quoted on the fan site www.asburyjukes.net.

"We'd learned enough to make a professional record," Lyon said, "but weren't too jaded!"

Rolling Stone magazine agreed, ranking the album among its Top 100 of the '70s.

"Hearts Of Stone" is as much a credit to E Streeters as it is to the Jukes. Of the album's nine songs, Steven Van Zandt penned six, Bruce Springsteen two, and they collaborated with Lyon for the remaining song. Max Weinberg plays drums.

What makes "Hearts Of Stone" so good is what makes Southside & the Jukes stand apart from other blue-eyed-soul singers and horn-driven R&B bands. It is sincere, unprocessed and un-slick. It's full of heat, a summertime record featuring musicians with serious chops. The album is for real. The cover photo depicts the young Lyon without his trademark shades, which is enough to stop you in your tracks.

The 1978 line-up for the Jukes featured Billy Rush, lead and rhythm guitars; Kevin Kavanaugh, keyboards; Aland Berger, bass; Max Weinberg, drums; Steven Van Zandt, vocals and rhythm and lead guitar; Bob Muckin and Rick Gazda, trumpets; Stan Harrison, tenor sax; Richie "La Bamba" Rosenberg, trombone; and Ed Manion, baritone sax.

Kelly Jane Cotter
Asbury Park PressJukes Co-billed with Little Feat in New Hampshire and Mass.
posted at 02:11 on Jun-22-2008 06/20/08 Hampton Beach Casino
with Little Feat Hampton Beach, NH
06/21/08 Cape Cod Melody Tent
with Little Feat Hyannis, MA
06/22/08 South Shore Music Circus
with Little Feat Cohasset, MA

*******Juke Horns Played Spanish Moon with Little Feat at Hampton Beach Casino Friday June 20th 2008
Ed Manion Baritone Sax, Chris Anderson Trumpet, Neil Pauley Trombone and Joey Stann Tenor SaxJukes play Wash. DC June 7th and New York City June 13th &14th
posted at 07:41 on May-28-2008 06/07/08 Birchmere Alexandria, VA
06/13/08 BB Kings New York, NY
06/14/08 BB Kings New York, NY
DVD REVIEW: SPRINGSTEEN SHINES IN CONCERT DVD
posted at 06:09 on Jun-10-2007 BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN WITH THE SESSIONS BAND
"LIVE IN DUBLIN"
(Columbia Music Video)

New Jersey's favorite son stretches far beyond his usual fare in this concert DVD done live in his ancestral homeland, which captures his adventurous (and ultimately brilliant) foray into music most closely associated with folkie Pete Seeger. By the time Springsteen and his 17-piece ensemble reached Dublin last November, Bruce and the band had greatly extended their range and repertoire ? completely reworking vintage Springsteen favorites such as "Atlantic City" and "Growin' Up," while pumping new life into real, real oldies such as "O Mary Don't You Weep" and "Mrs. McGrath."

The 57-year-old Springsteen, often bathed in simple blue light, is the focal point ? but his all-acoustic band is the driving force in these performances. From guitarist Marc Anthony Thompson to saxophonist Eddie Manion to banjo player Greg Lizst, everyone gets their chance to shine ? Springsteen is generous with the spotlight and his approving smiles. The Boss also brings along wife Patti Scialfa; the pair harmonize on a gorgeous version of "If I Should Fall Behind" that revisits the song as a waltz.

"Open All Night," from Springsteen's sparse "Nebraska," becomes a bit of jumping jive, complete with an Andrews Sisters' vocal break courtesy of Scialfa and E Street Band member Soozie Tyrell.

Springsteen sings with his sleeves rolled up ? he's working, but it's clear this is a labor of love. For those who prefer Bruce and his E Street Band running full throttle down some Jersey highway, this set provides a reminder that Springsteen does some of his best work while visiting the exits along the road.

Arriving in stores today, the DVD includes two bonus tracks not included on the companion CD release: "Love of the Common People" and "We Shall Overcome."

Larry McShane
The Associated PressBruce at the Basie May 7th 2008
posted at 23:20 on May-09-2008 Bruce at the Basie
Friday, May 09, 2008
BY JAY LUSTIG
Star-Ledger Staff
In more than 20 years of writing about Bruce Springsteen, I've heard some absurdly far-fetched rumors. Like the one, in 1996, that he would present a concert at his old grammar school gym in Freehold. Or the 2006 whisperings that he would devote his next album to Pete Seeger songs.

Both those rumors turned out to be true. So I shouldn't have been skeptical when I first heard that Springsteen might devote his Wednesday night concert at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank to two of his classic albums, played in their entirety. But I was. And I was wrong again.

Backed by his E Street Band, he played 1978's "Darkness On the Edge of Town" -- every song, in their original order. Then, after a 13-minute intermission, he ran through his 1975 "Born To Run" album in the same way, before high-spirited encores of "So Young and In Love," "Kitty's Back," "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" and "Raise Your Hand."

Even with a standard setlist, it would have been a special show: the group's first full-length theater concert since 1980, and their first Jersey show since the April 17 death of keyboardist Danny Federici. But the opportunity to hear live versions of two of Springsteen's best albums in such an intimate setting made it the kind of show you can only describe in clichés, like "dream come true" or "once-in-a-lifetime experience."

Springsteen and the band are on a break from their arena/stadium tour, which has already stopped at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, and comes to Giants Stadium on July 27, 28 and 31. The show at the Basie, which holds 1,500, was a benefit for the theater itself. Tickets were $500-$15,000, and more than $3 million was raised for a renovation project that begins in July.

The benefit was the idea of Springsteen's wife and E Street bandmate Patti Scialfa, who is on the theater's board of directors. She briefly addressed the crowd at the start of the evening, before "NBC Nightly News" anchorman Brian Williams introduced the band.

"I knew I was in trouble when I came home and Patti said, 'Guess where you're playing?'" said Springsteen.

Springsteen outlined the show's format, saying they would play the sometimes despairing (but ultimately hopeful) "Darkness" first, "so we don't send you home suicidal."

The band flubbed the opening to the first "Darkness" song, "Badlands." Before starting it over, Springsteen said, "I knew there was a reason why we never did this." But this was the evening's last mistake.

Some songs from "Darkness" and "Born To Run" -- like "The Promised Land," for instance, or the "Born To Run" title track -- are staples of Springsteen's concerts. But others, such as "Darkness" tracks "Streets Of Fire" and "Factory," aren't, and they show up on the same night even more infrequently. Hearing all the songs together underscored the fact that these albums are cohesive works of art, with certain musical and lyrical themes reappearing, and adding up to something.

The songs, simply, have more impact together than apart. The final "Born To Run" track "Jungleland," for instance, is perfectly powerful on its own. But on Wednesday, it was even more intense, drawing on the momentum of the previous songs -- in effect, capping a song cycle.

The point of the show wasn't to re-create the albums, note for note. Generally, Springsteen and the band presented the songs as they play them now -- the non-album coda to "Badlands," for instance, was left in. All 10 musicians played on virtually every song, even though the albums' arrangements are much sparser.

Throughout the show, audience members responded rapturously, singing and clapping along at every opportunity. And the musicians were clearly excited, too. Springsteen dropped to his knees at the start of "Tenth Avenue Freeze-out," punctuated "So Young and In Love" with some high kicks, and leaped into the audience, and onto Roy Bittan's grand piano, several times. Guitarist Nils Lofgren took a long, dramatic solo on "Prove It All Night," spinning as he played.

Saxophonists Jerry Vivino and Ed Manion, trumpeter Mark Pender and trombonist Richie "La Bamba" Rosenberg joined the band for "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out," and Pender played atmospherically on "Meeting Across the River." All four horn players returned for the encores, and were given ample room to solo on a long, celebratory "Kitty's Back."

Springsteen didn't talk much between songs, probably because he didn't want to interrupt the song-to-song flow. But he did take the time, before the "Born To Run" segment, to talk about how that album represented a "do-or-die" moment in the band's history, as they were in danger of being dropped by their record company. And at the start of the show, he mentioned that, backstage, he had been looking at photos of himself playing the theater in 1976, when it was called the Monmouth Arts Center.

Scialfa also talked about her warm memories of the now-demolished Mayfair Theater in Asbury Park, and about how she wanted to make sure that what happened to the Mayfair doesn't happen to the Basie. When taking his final bow, Springsteen made a point of pulling Scialfa over from the side of the stage, so she could take it with him.



Jay Lustig may be reached at jlustig@starledger.com or (973) 392-5850.A Night to Remember, Benefit for Count Basie Theatre May 7th 2008
posted at 18:05 on May-07-2008
One of those real special nights
Posted by Stan Goldstein May 08, 2008 1:43AM

Wednesday night's benefit show for the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, was one of those real special Bruce Springsteen performances, one that will go down in the history books as a great, great show.
For the first time, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band performed a whole album from start to finish, in the order the songs appear on the album.
But it wasn't just one album, it was two. Fans were treated to the entire "Darkness on the Edge of Town" album, then the entire "Born To Run" album. To cap off the night, Bruce played four fun, fun encores.
Before the show started, Patti Scialfa came out to talk to the audience. She said she goes back more than 25 years with the Count Basie Theatre. She told the crowd that she grew up in Deal, just north of Asbury Park and the movie theater she remembers was the Mayfair Theater in Asbury Park. "It was so beautiful. It has this arched ceiling with the stars and the sky. And they had little love seats in the balcony that everyone got their first kiss in. Not me though!," said Scialfa.
She said how it was so sad when the tore down the Mayfair in the early 1970s and she wants to make sure what happened to the Mayfair Theater doesn't happen to the Count Basie.
Scialfa then introduced Brian Williams of NBC News. Williams, a native of Middletown and a graduate of Mater Dei High School, said he goes way back with the Jersey Shore, to the Stone Pony and to the Tradewinds. Said he spent many a night seeing the band Fresh and hitting those places after hearing rumors that Bruce might show up and play.
He talked up Jack's Music Shoppe in Red Bank, as "they sold more rolling papers than records in the 1970s."
Williams said: "I've been all over the world and there's no better place to be than right here."
Williams then introduced Bruce who came on at 8:39 p.m.
"Good evening" Bruce said to the packed house. He said: "We're going to do something different tonight. We're going to take the Darkness and Born To Run albums and play them in sequence for you.
"So that should be interesting."
Bruce said he was going to play the Darkness album first, so "we don't send you home suicidal."
He talked about writing the Darkness album. How in 1977 he was livining in a house on farm in Holmdel and it was a tough period in his life. "
When the band broke into "Badlands" the first song from the album, things were a bit messed up and Bruce said: "We ******* it up already."
The setlist:

1. Badlands
2. Adam Raised A Cain
3. Something In The Night
4. Candy's Room
5. Racing In The Street
6. The Promised Land
7. Factory
8. Streets Of Fire
9. Prove It All Night
10. Darkness On The Edge Of Town

They took a 15-minute break and came back to play the "Born To Run" album.
Bruce talked about how it took him six months to write and record the song "Born To Run" and another six months to finish the rest of the album. He said it was make or break time for the band, as they were in danger of being dropped from Columbia Records.

.

11. Thunder Road
12. Tenth Ave Freezeout
They brought out a four-pience horn section for the song. Mark Pender, La Bamba, Jerry Vivino and Ed Manion played.
Bruce jumped into the crowd during the song. He jumped off the front of the stage in front of Little Steven, then walked over, past N.J. Gov. Jon Corzine, to the left side and jumped up on seats. As the crowd swarmed him, they lifted him up a bit. It was like a 1976 show again!

13. Night
14. Backstreets
15. Born To Run
16. She's The One
17. Meeting Across The River
Beautiful trumpet on this song by Mark Pender.

18. Jungleland

Encores:
19. So Young And In Love
Bruce had a lot of fun in this. He told the band to remind him that there was an instrumental part in there some where.

20 Kitty's Back
All the horn players did solos.
21. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
22. Raise Your Hand

Show ended at 11:14 p.m.

Bruce also jumped up on Roy Bittan's piano several times and did some dancing up there.
Bruce didn't talk between songs, he just right into one song after another.

New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine was sitting in the front row, just off center. He left during the start of the encores.
Great show, great night. One of my top Bruce Springsteen shows of all time.
To see Bruce in a 1,500-seat theater at this stage of his career is phenomenal.
A very special night.

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