Hi Folks,

 

We almost never send out more than one letter a month, so please forgive this 2^nd email for May.  But – we just landed what could turn into a regular weekly show for us, and best of all, it’s free to the public!  So tell your friends and come on out on a Wednesday night and support this new venue in Walnut Creek.  

 

Plus we wanted to update you on the benefit dance concert this Sunday.  We’ve added more giveaways, prizes and raffle items, see below.  Further updates will be added at http://www.swingtalk.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=7669  If the link doesn’t work, go to www.swingtalk.com and search on all or part of Benefit for Rhumba Bum Scotty Dog Petersen.   Also look for information in the press from Jesse Hamlin of the San Francisco Chronicle and Paul Liberatore of the Marin Independent Journal, many thanks to them and others for promoting the event. 

 

The musicians are coming out of the woodwork to play for Scotty this Sunday.  You’ll be listening to the hottest jazz players the Bay area has to offer – players that not only know how to swing, but also work with Santana, Destiny's Child, Tito Puente, Tony Toni Tone, Etta James, Boz Scaggs…the list goes on.  And guess what?  May is National Cystic Fibrosis Month, so what more do you need to celebrate? 

 

And it looks like Scotty himself will be able to participate, unless his new set of lungs comes in before Sunday night!

 

We’ll see you out there!

 

Just Added:

 

STEVE LUCKY & THE RHUMBA BUMS

featuring Miss Carmen Getit

Wednesdays May 14, 21, June 11, 18, July 9

Bing Crosby's Restaurant & Piano Bar

1342 Broadway Plaza

Walnut Creek, Ca. 94596

925-939-BING (2464)

No cover charge!

7 - 10 pm

Dancing, Dining, Full Bar.

Wood dance floor.  All Ages.  Certified Green Business.

www.bingcrosbysrestaurant.com/

 

Here is a press blurb from the www.ashkenaz.com website:

 

Scott Edog Petersen Benefit Dance Concert

Sunday May 18

This event is a rare and special one that brings out the two top Bay Area swing dance bands – Steve Lucky & the Rhumba Bums and Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers – to share the evening in a medical fundraiser for beloved local saxophonist Scott “Edawg” Petersen, www.scottpetersen.org. Petersen has been a busy player on the local scene, performing in both bands and many others including the Mike Vax big bands and the Stan Kenton Alumni Orchestra, despite suffering from the congenital disease cystic fibrosis. His career has included a long stint with legendary jazz drummer J.C. Heard’s band, and he performed with Hammond organ greats Shirley Scott and Brother Jack McDuff, as well as a who’s who of pop from Aretha Franklin on down. Now the time has come for Petersen to receive a double lung transplant. Tonight’s bands raise money for his operation, joined by special guests.

 

The Rhumba Bums have been one of the West Coast’s most popular, to say nothing of most entertaining and fun, bands since composer-pianist-leader Steve Lucky assembled the group back in ’94 in the early days of the swing dance revival. The Rhumba Bums continue to play and sing just about the most irresistible dance tunes extant. They mix some well-known ’40s and ’50s jump blues and swing charts with rare and nearly forgotten gems that deserve to be resurrected. The band’s trump card is singer-guitarist Miss Carmen Getit, who offers vocal sparring matches with Lucky and guitar playing that, whether swing, blues, or even some bebop licks, is inspired, fast, and faithful to the genre. In pre-Rhumba Bums years, Lucky discovered Getit (who had played piano before she could read and has played guitar since shortly thereafter), bought Getit her first electric guitar and introduced her to the music of T-Bone Walker, Ruth Brown, and other swing-R&B legends, and they formed a piano-guitar duo in New York City. www.luckylounge.com

 

Before swing became a national craze, jazz vocal stylist Lavay Smith and her band were making music as sharp and irresistible as her period costumes that recall the pinup girls of the Forties. More than a decade later they are still the Bay Area’s hottest swing attraction, as well as that rarity that sounds as good as it looks. Big, bluesy-voiced Smith has deservedly raked in national attention from network television to NPR, and Johnny Otis proclaims that “she and her band are a breath of fresh air!” Multiple award winners, Smith and her Skillet Lickers present not only the best-dressed but also one of the most exciting shows of East Coast Swing and Lindy Hop dance music, as well as sultry torch songs. www.lavaysmith.com

 

SCOTT “EDAWG” PETERSEN TRANSPLANT BENEFIT DANCE CONCERT

WHO:  LAVAY SMITH & HER RED HOT SKILLET LICKERS, plus.

STEVE LUCKY & THE RHUMBA BUMS featuring Miss Carmen Getit, plus.

THE SCOTTY PETERSEN BENEFIT BIG BAND playing Basie-style big band charts featuring a who's who of Bay Area jazz musicians, including vocalist KIM NALLEY.

Plus special guest Celebrity swing DJ Jesse Miner.

Emcee radio personality Pete Fallico.

WHEN: Sunday May 18

Doors: 6 pm

6:30 Swing Dance Lesson with Nick Lawrence

Showtime:  7 pm  Lavay Smith & the Red Hot Skillet Lickers

8:15 The Scotty Petersen Benefit Big Band

9 pm Steve Lucky & the Rhumba Bums featuring Miss Carmen Getit

WHERE:  Ashkenaz Music & Dance Community Center

1317 San Pablo Avenue

Berkeley, CA 94702

www.ashkenaz.com

Show line/Venue Phone: (510) 525-5054

PRICE:  $15 minimum donation.

Advance tickets available from the Ashkenaz front desk on show nights or online from Ticketweb or call 1-866-666-8932.

Beer & Wine, food available.

Easy to get to from Highway 80.

On San Pablo Avenue just South of Gilman, across from R.E.I.

All Ages admitted, Kids 12 and under receive free admission.

Ashkenaz has ample free parking in the lot across the street.

Celebrity swing DJ Jesse Miner spinning tunes in between band sets. 

The Ashkenaz is wheel-chair accessible.

Door prizes, Raffle, Possible Live Auction: but we’ll keep it brief to keep the music happening!

 

Raffle items so far:

**Dance Pass (Value $55) or Competition Pass (value $75) to the SF Balboa Fest and North American Open Swing Championships http://www.SwingChampionships.com, Thank you Burnie!

**Free admission to 4 week series swing dance class on Mondays Side-room Swing at Julie's Supper Club in San Francisco.  Value: $35. http://www.SwingChampionships.com

 Thank you Burnie!

** a Private Tour & Tasting at Arrowood Vineyards & Winery for up to four people with a complimentary bottle of wine from their classic wine list to take after the tour and tasting.  The value of the package is $165.  Thank you Cindi Gehrke!

http://www.arrowoodvineyards.com/

**2 passes for Free admission for 2 people to 4 week series swing dance class on Friday nights at The Works exercise studio on Telegraph in Berkeley; Beginner class at 7:30 and Intermediate at 8:30.  Each pass has value of $64.  http://www.eastbayswing.com/ , Thank you Stacey & Vaughn!

 

And the following courtesy of CURTIS & DIANE UEJO OF BLUE FLAME PROMOTIONS, thank you Curtis & Diane!:

** Bushnell Binocular w/digital camera 8x30 3.2 megapixal Value $250.

**Leeds Digital photo frame 3.5" 32MB w/MP3 & MP4player Value $180.

**5 in 1 Digital photo, photo frame, alarm clock, calendar, & thermometer. Value $60.

**Royce leather tan jewelry box Value $50.

 **Millennium Leather jewelry box black Value $50.

 **Victorinox Swiss Army Laptop Briefcase Value $80.

 **Victorinox Swiss Army Laptop Briefcase Value $80.

**Port Authority Urban backpack(for laptop) Value $50.

 **Gem Legend backpack(for laptop) Value $35.

 

PLUS we’ll have lots of door prizes – you can win simply by paying admission, too many to list here but includes:

**CDs from musicians…including NYC's George Gee & the Jump Jiven Wailers Swing Orchestra.

FOR UPDATES:  check the thread at http://www.swingtalk.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=7669

 

***It’s not too late to donate goods and services to the raffle and/or auction!

 

Send a note and/or make a donation to help Scotty now:

Scott Petersen Transplant Fund

P.O. Box 1010

Novato CA 94948-1010

 

Here are the rest of our upcoming shows, in case you didn’t receive our May newsletter:

 

STEVE LUCKY & THE RHUMBA BUMS

featuring Miss Carmen Getit

May 23, 24, 25 & 26

Sacramento Jazz Jubilee

Sacramento CA

Various locations in Sacramento.

Fri 5:00 pm: Crest Theater, K St. Mall area.

Fri 8:30 pm: Swing Dance Emporium, Convention Center Area.

Sat 10:00 am: Freeway Gardens, Old Sacramento.

Sat 4:00 pm: Swing Dance Emporium, Convention Center Area

Sat 7:00 pm:  Hyatt Ballroom, Convention Center Area

Sun 10:00 am Gus & Joan's, Convention Center Area

Sun 5:30 pm: The Depot, Old Sacramento

Sun 8:30 pm: Swing Dance Emporium, Convention Center Area

Mon 1:00 pm: Hyatt Ballroom, Convention Center Area

Mon 3:00 pm: Swing Dance Emporium, Convention Center Area

 

Benefit Concert for Candye Kane

Candye underwent major surgery for Pancreatic Cancer two weeks ago.

Date TBA

Probably Sunday June 8

Earlier show, afternoon/evening.

Exact date and Talent Lineup TBA

Biscuits & Blues

San Francisco, CA

401 Mason St.

Club: (415) 292-2583. All Ages Welcome

Full Bar, Southern Cuisine

                    

Coming Up…

June 14, Steve Lucky & RB @ the North Beach Street Festival Grant St @ Green St Stage 12:00 p.m.

June 15, Steve Lucky & RB @ DadDay in the Plaza, Concord CA, Todos Santos Plaza 2 – 4 pm

June 24 -26 Steve Lucky & RB @ Shangri-La Hotel Beijing, China

July 4 Steve Lucky & RB @ Midtown Stomp Eastern Star Ballroom, Sacramento CA

July 11, 12, 13 Steve Lucky & RB @ Mammoth Lakes Jazz Jubilee, Mammoth Lakes CA

July 22 Steve Lucky & RB @ Concert, University at Buffalo SUNY downtown campus, Buffalo NY

August 9 or 10 Steve Lucky & RB @ Burlingame Art & Jazz Festival, Burlingame CA

August 22 Steve Lucky & RB @ TGIF Jazz in the Parks, Carlsbad CA

August 23 Steve Lucky & RB @ PBDA Fellowship Hall, Pasadena CA

September 6 Steve Lucky & RB @ Kendall Jackson Heirloom Tomato Festival

October 10, 11, 12 Steve Lucky & RB @ Medford Jazz Jubilee, Medford OR

One Week TBA October/November 2008 Steve Lucky & RB @ Half Note Jazz Club, Athens Greece

November 21, 22, 23 Steve Lucky & RB @ Sacramento Harvest Fair, Sacramento CA

 

 

Web links for most shows are on our website. 

 

Cheers!

 

Miss Carmen Getit & Steve Lucky

 

Join our Luck-E-Letter,

write to subscribe@...

(Receive it every month, or

only when we're performing near you.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.luckylounge.com

Steve Lucky & the Rhumba Bums

Hammond Cheese Combo

The Steve Lucky & Carmen Getit Show

Carmen Getit! (the band)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For Booking Contact: 

The Berkeley Agency

510 843 4902

mail@...

 

Pick up a copy of Steve Lucky & the Rhumba Bums "Come Out Swingin'!" on

Rumpus Records, product number RR-65902. ( **** 4 stars in DownBeat

Magazine and Blues Access magazine.) And Steve Lucky has an earlier release

with his New York based band called Steve Lucky, "Smack Dab in the Middle".

 

Our next release, "Some Like It Hot" is available without artwork at our live shows only.

When the artwork is finished in May 2008 we’ll send it to you. It will be available for purchase on-line and at stores July 15, 2008. 

 

"STEVE LUCKY & THE RHUMBA BUMS" deliver '40s & '50s-style jumpin' R & B,

blues and swing and lots of original tunes featuring Steve Lucky on piano & vocals,

Miss Carmen Getit on guitar & vocals, Scott Edog Petersen and Doug Rowan

on baritone, tenor & alto saxophones, upright bass and drums.(sextet) 

 

"CARMEN GETIT!", the band, is a quartet featuring Miss Getit on lead vocals

and lead guitar, Steve Lucky on piano and vocals, Lukas Vesely on bass and a

drummer. Original songs and covers in the '50s - '60s roots R & B and blues traditions. 

 

The "STEVE & CARMEN SHOW" is a duet (unless due-ly noted) featuring Miss

Getit on vocals and guitar, and Steve Lucky on piano and vocals, performing

original songs and covers from the '20s - '60s in the roots R & B, blues and

The quartet version features bass & drums.   

 

Steve Lucky's "HAMMOND CHEESE COMBO" is a quartet featuring Lucky on the Hammond B3 organ,

Miss Carmen Getit on guitar, Scott Edog Petersen on tenor saxophone, and drums cookin' up original songs in the groovy soul-jazz tradition & kooky '60s sounds.

 

Let us know if you'd like to be un-lucky and not receive the Luck-E-letter.  You can choose to receive it only when we're performing near you, or every month.  Just let us know.