In the last chapter, Terri and I were offered a steady house gig
at Harrah's Casino in Reno, Nevada. We decidied to go for it and
packed up our lives in California and made the move to Reno. It
was 1986. It has been hard to reconstruct the timeline after so
many years. All I have to go on is dates on the cassette tapes
and some newspaper articles I still have.
Harrah's 1986
At
the time we moved to Reno, in 1986, there was entertainment
in just about all of the cluibs/casinos on Virginia Street in
Reno as well as nearby Sparks, Nevada. Our gig was in the Virginia
Street casino of Harrah's. There was this little raised stage
and we were one of three shifts of duos performing on that stage.
There was a duo called Brown and Diamond and another duo called
Stan and Gloria that we shared the stage with. We stayed there
for several months and this is also where I developed enough
keyboard chops to eliminate the pre-recorded tapes and switch
to entirely live MIDI sequencing. The money was great and we
continued to improve.
Unfortunately,
soon things would abruptly change. One annoying thing about
this gig, and for that matter, every casino, was the smoke.
There was no such thing as a non smoking area, and because our
stage was so high, we were constantly breathing in second hand
smoke, sometimes enough to make you cough. We had little fans
up there to try and fend it off. On my side of the stage, below
on my left, really close, was a bar and waitress station.
One
night, a customer sat at our end of the bar smoking a cigar.
It stunk so bad it was killing us! I finally leaned over and
asked the guy to please put out his cigar. He got pissed and
left the bar. Noticing this, the bartender got mad and complained
that I chased away one of his regular customers. He yelled up
to me, "If you can't handle the smoke, you shouldn't be
in this business." This really infuriated me. The following
week, the same bartender called up to me and asked me to turn
the music down. My response to him was, "If you can't handle
the volume, you shouldn't be in this business!" Boom! In
two weeks were gone as he complained to the management!
Moving On
After
the experience at Harrah's, I learned real quick that you don't
mess with the bartender! Although our agent wasn't happy about
our losing the gig at Harrah's, he went ahead and started booking
us at other casinos in the Reno area. We worked at Fitzgeralds
Casino, The Horseshoe Club, The Pioneer Inn and Casino, The
Reno Ramada, Harold's Club, Karl's Silver Club in Sparks, to
name a few. Below is some of our repertoire at that time.
Songs
with an * feature trombone solo.
La
Isla Bonita
*Bei
Mer Bist Du Schon
*Route
66
Smooth
Operator
Meet
Me In Montana
Careless
Whisper
Part
Time Lover
I
Only Wanna Be With You
In
My House
Stream
all tunes here >>>>
Joe
And Terri at Fitzgeralds
1988-1993
The
Birth of Rhythm and Motion
In
1988, Terri and I went our separate ways. She returned
to California and ran a succesful business as a singing
DJ. I renamed the duo "Rhythm and Motion" and
over the next couple of years, I had 3 different female
vocalists work with me. The sound and repertoire of the
duo evolved with each new vocalist. The new vocalists
over this period of time were Jan Curtis, Debra Clark,
and Lynne Colvig. Each one brought their own style into
the show.
As
a side note, during this entire period of time, I would
often perform with a strolling Dixieland band at Caesars
Palace and other Casinos in South Lake Tahoe during the
day, and come back to Reno to perform with the duo at
night. The old jazz never left me! There was so much music
happening in Reno/Tahoe back then. It's really a shame
that those days are gone.
Rhythm and Motion - with Jan Curtis
Jan
Curtis was the first vocalist that worked with me under
the new name of the duo. Jan had a very powerful and dynamic
voice. Below are some tracks from a performance at the
Gold Dust West Casino in Reno, NV.
Songs
with an * feature trombone solo.
Sweet
Love
*Pink
Cadillac
Don't
You Want Me
More
Today Than Yesterday
Boy
From New York City
Breakout
*So
Emotional
In
My House
Stream
all tunes here >>>>
Joe
And Jan at the Gold Dust
Rhythm
and Motion - with Lynne Colvig
Lynne
Colvig performed in another duo. She occasionally worked
with me filling in during some of the transitions from
one singer to the next, but also became a regular part
of the duo for a period of time. Lynne was a great jazz
and blues singer and brought an entirely new feel to the
duo. This performance was at the Pioneer Inn and Casino
in Reno, NV.
Songs
with an * feature trombone solo.
Caribbean
Queen
Nursery
Rhyme
*Promises
Giving
You The Best That I Got
Undercover
Agent For The Blues
Card
Carryin' Fool
Nothin's
Gonna Be Alright
I'll
Always Love You
Been
Around The World
Stream
all tunes here >>>>
Joe
And Lynne at the Pioneer
Rhythm and Motion - with Debra Clark
Debra
Clark and I had a fairly long partnership. We worked together
from 1988-1993. Her voice had a very smooth quality and
she could really move you with her ballads. It's kind
of ironic that this segment of my career ended where it
started years before at Harrah's Club in Reno. We performed
a steady gig at the new (at the time) Rendezvous lounge.
This would be the end of Rhythm and Motion, at least for
awhile, which you will see later on. This is also where
I met the future mother of my son, Brandon.
Songs
with an * feature trombone solo.
You're
a Friend of Mine
For
the Love of You
Love
Potion #9
Make
It Real
Never
Gonna Give You Up
Too
Much Fun
La
Isla Bonita
Forever
and Ever Amen
Get
Here
*Bei
Mer Bist Du Schon
Thing
Called Love
*Moondance
*Choo
Choo Chooboogie
*Promises
Walkin'
After Midnight
More
Today Than Yesterday
Don't
You Want Me
Grandpa
Good 'Ol Days
Meet
Me In Montana
Words
Get In The Way
Straight
Up
Two
Hearts
Tonight
I Celebrate
One-Two-Three
Play
Column 1
here >>>>
Joe
And Debra at Harrah's #1
Play
Column 2 here >>>>
Joe
And Debra at Harrah's #2
Play
Column 3 here >>>>
Joe
And Debra at Harrah's #3
1993-1997
The
Lelands
After
Debra and I went our separate ways, I started performing
as a solo artist to keep the money coming in. My son was
born in February of 1993 so I had to keep working. I was
also in the process of rehearsing in a new vocalist to
take Debra's place. While performing as a single at the
Pioneer Inn in Reno, I received a call from Leland Henricksen
from a group called The Lelands
asking me if I would be interested in playing keyboards
in his band. The Lelands were a popular group that regularly
toured around the State of Nevada. It was steady work,
so I decided to do it and put any ideas of continuing
the duo aside. The new vocalist that was rehearsing with
me was understandably disappointed. I had no choice. I
was a Dad now and needed to work.
In
the pic from left to right is: Lee Henricksen, lead vocal;
Jet Kanani, Bass; Dave Sturtz, drums; Tom Davis, guitar
and sax, and myself on keys and trombone.
Unfortunately
I have no recordings of the Lelands when Iwas a member,
but, the drummer, Dave Sturtz, was into writing his own
songs and brought me in to record some trombone and trumpet
parts on two of his albums. The albums were "Smell
This" and "Pictures and Conversations".
The tracks below are from those recording sessions. I
especially like the song "You Smell". It's a
great little tune!
The Lelands at John Ascuaga's
Nugget
"You
Smell" by David Sturtz
"A
Long Tale" by David Sturtz
"Pigs
and Pepper" by David Sturtz
Las Vegas,
Sidro's Armada, and Beyond
I
had several life changes while with the Lelands. While
performing at the Nugget in Sparks, Nevada, I met Rebekah
Holman (Now Rebekah Chase). My son and his Mom had moved
to Washington State. Rebekah was a talented vocalist
and when I left the Lelands, we decided to re-boot Rhythm
and Motion. We performed at casinos all around the state
of Nevada. Rebekah and I ended up getting married and
soon after that, I was offered a job playing trombone
with Sidro's Armada, a
Vegas show group based in Las Vegas. We eventually moved
to Las Vegas. The following track is from a gig with
Sidro's Armada performing at the Palace Station in Las
Vegas. (Two tunes and I sing the second one).
Sidro's
Armada Palace Station
Unfortunately my run with Sidro's Armada didn't last
very long. We bought a 32' travel trailer and went on
the road as the newest version of Rhythm and Motion,
performing in Nevada, California, and the Pacific Northwest.
We hit the Seattle area, Lincoln City, Oregon and went
as far east as Blackhawk Colorado to play at the Fitzgeralds'
Casino there.
The
tracks below were recorded at the Hyatt Lake Tahoe and
the AVI Casino in Laughlin, Nevada
Songs
with an * feature trombone solo. (also
trumpet on Sheik of Araby)
I
Got It Bad
Margaritaville
Have
Mercy
*Route
66
Thunder
Rolls
Thing
Called Love
Time
Of My Life
Motown
Medley
Does
Anybody Know What Time It Is
*Just
a Gigolo
I
Feel Lucky
Love
Potion #9
*Bei
Mer Bist Du Shon
Somebody
Done Somebody Wrong
Put
Yourself in My Shoes
Don't
Be Cruel
Come
To My Window
Nothin's
Gonna Stop Us
Something
to Talk About
I
Wanna Be Rich
Danny's
All Star Joint
Strong
Enough
I
Swear
Hey
Bobby
Rodeo
*Sheik
of Araby
We
Didn't Start The Fire
*Choo
Choo Chooboogie
Black
Velvet
Sometimes
Love
Ain't Enough
Lovin'
Feelin'
Chain
of Fools
Play
Column #1 >>>>>
Play
Column #2 >>>>>
Play
Column #3 >>>>>
Play
Column #4 >>>>>
This
was our home while in Lincoln City, OR.
Performing
in Lincoln City Oregon.
This
was our home for two weeks at Mammoth Lakes, CA.
Yep!
What you see is a decommissioned ambulance that I bought
for $1000 in Reno! They told me it wouldn't start. As
it turned out the engine computer had been unplugged.
I plugged it in and it started right up. It was a 1985
Ford Econoline E350 1 ton van with a big 460 V8. That
truck pulled the trailer with no effort, but got only
12 miles per gallon! The trailer was 32 ft. long and my
two cats and a dog travelled with us. When we worked at
a casino, instead of getting a hotel room, they would
pay for our RV space. Was a cool way to travel. Never
had to unpack!
The
End of Rhythm and Motion
After
months on the road, we found ourselves playing at a restaurant
in Salem, Oregon. When our contract expired, it wasn't
renewed. I ended up going back to work as a mechanic and
we sold the travel trailer. There was no music work for
us there. Rebekah and I soon divorced and I decided to
go back to the San Francisco Bay Area. Rhythm and Motion
would cease to exist. The next chapter of my musical career
would take place in California. Click the link below for
Chapter 4 "Back to California"
