Desmond at the Curtis Arboretum

If you want a picture-perfect setting with a "soiree" feeling for a jazz group,
the Curtis Arboretum is it. Located in the Philadelphia suburb of Wyncote, PA,
it was created by Mary Louise Curtis Bok, in honor of her father Cyrus Curtis,
founder of the famed Curtis Publishing Company. On a soundstage with a state of
the art sound system, vocalist Mary Ellen Desmond and her group of top-notch
Philly musicians provided a lovely early evening of standards and some
off-the-beaten-path tunes for a relaxed audience of locals who came out to hear
the music and enjoy the ideal summer weather.

Each of the two one-hour sets began with an instrumental number, "It's You or No
One" and "Just in Time." The second set, like the first, featured several songs
recorded by the late great Irene Kral. Desmond credited Kral with inspiration
for the event, and included "Experiment," a Cole Porter tune with catchy lyrics;
"Small Day Tomorrow," a funky, existential ballad that Irene Kral made one of
her signature pieces, and "I Like It Here (and This Is Where I'll Stay,"
composed by one of Kral's pianists, Loonis McGlohon along with Alec Wilder.

Mary Ellen Desmond, vocals
Robert "Bootsie" Barnes, tenor saxophone
Larry McKenna, tenor saxophone
Gary Moran, piano
Lee Smith, bass
Dan Monahan, drums

By Victor L. Schermer (allaboutjazz.com)