Tuesday at Rehearsal
Private Location

Familiar Faces
This rehearsal was packed. When I arrived, Godfather was at the front, talking on a cell phone. Stomp was also talking on a cell phone, sitting in the dark in another room. When I walked into the main rehearsal room, DP with his two sons, Donnell, and Charlie were there. A PA of last Wednesday's performance was played - Donnell talked about how he liked the improv conversation by Mike during I Dreamed You. Donnell asked me how my exam went. Over the course of time, everyone else arrived - there was a packed house.

This was the first practice I attended with Halima (only her second rehearsal). Everyone was there eventually: Godfather, BJ and Duane all set up their keyboards (I don't think I've seen all three set up in this practice room before), Dwayne, Doc, Jacques, Smoke, and Mike. Doc said to Charlie: "In September, I'll have been in the band for two years, and I've never seen you here before." Donnell answered for Charlie, "He doesn't work nights anymore."

Donnell talked about the Erykah Badu songs Halima sings: Cleva and Didn't Cha Know. He said she really brings it all when they do Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart's My Funny Valentine. She's good with all her songs, but she really brings it extra with that song. He is hoping she can transfer that to other songs.

There was ongoing joking between Donnell, Stomp, and Charlie throughout the practice. At one point, Halima played a song that she wants to do, Stomp sang along in a falsetto voice. Halima said she wants to remix it, putting in an elaborate intro "like church." Stomp said, "He (Donnell) doesn't know church." Donnell said, "You public school guys don't know. In high school, I played behind Lena Horne. If you don't know who Lena Horne is, ask your mom."

DP had a flugelhorn; he said both the horn and the case are twenty years old. They also worked on Amerie's 1 Thing, which they will now do with Halima on vocals instead of instrumentally. Donnell said they would do a live recording tomorrow.

Nephew was there at the end. Donnell talked about the Mother's Day show with L!ssen and Publicity at LaPearla - which used to be the Mad Chef. Nephew asked if they still did catering. I talked about how when I went to the Mad Chef, they told me the kitchen was closed and I said, "I'm not here for that." They laughed. Dwayne and Stomp worked on the music from a commercial.

I emailed Halima the lyrics to Stevie Wonder's As when I got home.