By Slim Man
Hello there you Good-Looking People of Slimness!
Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Slim Man. You might not know about me (most people don’t!) but I’m a jazz singer, songwriter, and I’ve just finished my first cookbook, “Slim Man Cooks”.
I’ve been in Palm Springs for about 2 years. I’m just getting to know the place. I came here from Nashville by way of Baltimore.
The first time I performed here Fitz (Jimi Fitzgerald, DJ/promoter/music man) brought me in from the east coast for an outdoor jazz concert. My first impression was…wow, this place is really beautiful!
My second impression? After the concert, a pregnant woman asked me to autograph her stomach. I said, “Sure, why not!”
She was going to the hospital the following week for a C-section. I wrote, with my Sharpie, in big black letters, “Doc! Be Careful!”
True story! That was my first experience in Palm Springs. It was an incredibly beautiful place, and I signed a pregnant woman’s belly.
Little did I know back then that I would be living here ten years later.
Most people don’t think of jazz when they think of Palm Springs. They think of Frank Sinatra. They think of the Coachella Festival. Maybe the Stagecoach Festival or Desert Trip. But they don’t think about jazz.
But there’s a lot of that kind of music going on out here. And there are some really good musicians in the area.
I’m new here, and I’m still learning about places that have jazz.
Michael Paulo is a sax man who promotes a concert series here at the Westin. Fitz has been promoting concerts at the Jazz Café at the McCallum Theatre for quite some time, and there’s a big smooth jazz fest at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden every year.
Patte Purcell, who usually writes this column, promotes a celebrity jazz series in the area, most recently at Desert Willow Country Club. She is currently on vacation for a few weeks so I will be writing her column.
Shanghai Red’s in downtown Palm Springs also has some jazz guys and gals playing every once in a while.
One of my favorite jazz clubs in Palm Springs is Woody’s. It’s an old bus station that was converted into a burger joint/jazz club. The burger place is in front, it has a small, curved counter where folks sit on stools and eat and drink.
There’s a door at the end of the counter. It’s like a door you might see in a speakeasy. You open it up, expecting to see the bathrooms, but suddenly you’re in a cool, dark room that holds maybe 75 people, with a small stage surrounded by tables.
Woody’s has live jazz 7 days a week. There’s no cover charge. I’ve played there a few times. It’s nice playing an intimate setting like that; jazz lends itself to a place like Woody’s.
The Palm Springs Women’s Jazz Festival is coming to the Annenberg Theatre September 2nd-4th. Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ann Hampton Calloway, and Pamela Williams are playing.
Lots of good stuff going on out there, my Slim People! Jazz it up!
Slim Man has a cooking class/mini-concert this Saturday at Kitchen Kitchen in Indian Wells.
More info at slimman.com. Send Mr. Man an email! slim@slimman.com
