Boptism

Rich Willey on Berglund EVI* Adam Rose on Guitar Live at Antidote, in ¾ until it’s in 4/4. As it happened, warts and all. 🥸 Video by Janet Willey (ran out of memory) *Electronic Valve Instrument

Live at Antidote, Asheville NC 5/18/2023 Rich Willey on the Steiner-Crumar EVI* Adam Rose on Guitar Video by Janet Willey *Electronic Valve Instrument

Blue Lightning Bugs (and friends): The Very Thought Of You Nathan Hefner on piano Rich Willey on trumpet Bruce Lang on upright bass Justin Watt on snare drum with brushes

Blue Lightning Bugs Medley: Hello Ma Baby | Waiting For The Robert E. Lee | Give My Regards To Broadway | You’re A Grand Old Flag Nathan Hefner on piano Rich Willey on trumpet Justin Watt on snare drum with brushes

Blue Lightning Bugs - Medley: And The Band Played On - Bicycle Built For Two - Let Me Call You Sweetheart - School Days Nathan Hefner on piano Rich Willey on tuba Justin Watt on snare drum with brushes

My Blue Heaven It Had To Be You Back Home Again In Indiana Nathan Hefner on piano Rich Willey on trumpet Justin Watt on snare drum with brushes

Ain’t She Sweet? Five Foot Two Baby Face Nathan Hefner on piano Rich Willey on tuba Justin Watt on snare drum with brushes (and cowbell!)

Recorded at Big Creek Studio, Barnardsville NC by Bruce Lang, engineer. The band was all in the studio together on January 26, 2023. This is not a “remote” lockdown-era recording. Rich Willey on Trumpet and Tuba Walt Kross on Clarinet Bill Reichenbach on tuba and Trombone Russ Wilson on Banjo and Vocals bluelightningjazz@pm.me for booking information.

Rich Willey on Trumpet and Tuba Walt Kross on Clarinet Bill Reichenbach on tuba and Trombone Russ Wilson on Banjo and Vocals bluelightningjazz@pm.me for booking information.

Rich Willey on Tuba and Trumpet Walt Kross on Clarinet Bill Reichenbach on Trombone and Tuba Russ Wilson on Drums and Vocals bluelightningjazz@pm.me for booking information

Rich Willey on trumpet and tuba Bill Reichenbach on trombone and tuba Walt Kross on clarinet Russ Wilson on tenor banjo, drums and vocals The Blue Lightning Jazz Band is based in Asheville, NC. Please email bluelightningjazz@pm.me for booking information. _____________________________________________________ Fun-loving trumpeter and tuba player Rich Willey leads the Blue Lightning Jazz Band, well-armed with over a half-century of professional experience. Born and raised in Florida, he spent three years as a U.S. Army Bandsman before going to North Texas State University. He moved to Philadelphia, playing in jazz small groups and big bands as a bass trumpet and valve trombonist. He later moved to New York, playing and recording with the Mel Tormé Big Band among many others. Rich went back to school in 1996 and got a degree in music education from the University of South Florida, then a masters in Jazz Performance/Trumpet at the Manhattan School of Music. Since then he has toured with Maynard Ferguson’s Big Bop Nouveau and The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and has learned from the best in the business. When not playing music, Rich wrestles alligators and designs solar-powered snowplows. Master trombone and tuba player Bill Reichenbach, from Takoma Park MD, is a graduate of Eastman School of Music. After touring with the Buddy Rich Big Band, he moved to Los Angeles in 1975 and was a featured soloist with the Toshiko Akiyoshi Big Band and the Don Menza Big Band and Sextet. Bill recorded and toured with Jaco Pastorius and the Word of Mouth Big Band and also toured with Elvis Presley. Active in the L.A. studios since 1975, Bill has played on over 900 motion pictures and more than 1000 records. Bill has also been an arranger and composer for TV, records, films and commercials and has recently “retired” to Fletcher NC where he is about to kick everybody’s ass playing trombone and tuba with The Blue Lightning Jazz Band. Bill appears on bass trombone on Rich’s 2019 CD, Rich Willey’s Boptism Big Band: Down & Dirty, and for fun likes to spend his afternoons tightrope walking over the Grand Canyon and Tallulah Gorge. Multi-reedman Walt Kross of Trenton NJ studied at Indiana University School of Music before touring with Motown singer Eddie Kendricks. After moving to Atlantic City NJ Walt played for the top acts in the casino orchestras for twelve years before spending ten years on the road playing with the Glenn Miller Orchestra followed by sixteen years playing on riverboats up and down the Mississippi River. Walt “retired” in Hendersonville a decade ago and has been a steady member of The Asheville Jazz Orchestra and Russ Wilson’s Famous Orchestra, putting his sixty plus years of professional playing experience to good use. Walt’s hobbies include bullfighting and hang gliding. He also moonlights as a diesel mechanic. Russ Wilson is a popular local bandleader and a native of Hendersonville NC. His singing and drumming are impeccable (he plays tenor banjo pretty well, too) and he has toured the country as a favorite artist for only the very best swing dance societies. His forty-something year professional playing background includes jazz, rock, country, gospel, blues, R&B and symphonic music, but he is the most at home playing and singing the music of the early twentieth century, the perfect vocalist and tenor banjo player for The Blue Lightning Jazz Band. Russ, who considers himself an “amateur historian,” has amassed a collection of over 5000 records (33s, 45s, 78s), 8000 orchestrations dating from the turn of the century to the 1960s, and also owns an impressive collection of early twentieth century phonographs. Russ recently returned from his fourteenth successful climb to the summit of Mount Everest and is in training to run the Boston Marathon. _____________________________________________________ Rich uses Clary Woodmutes made by Tom Clary.

Presenting arrangements and compositions by Rich Willey as played by Rich with some of Chicago’s finest players: Paul Mutzabaugh, Larry Kohut, George Fludas, Neal Wehman, Mike Pinto, Jeremy Kahn, Carey Deadman, and Jim Massoth. Also presenting three originals featuring stellar players: Andrew Synowiec, David Mann, John Swana, Wally Minko, Matt Bissonette, Gregg Bissonette, and vocalist Zeke Listenbee. CD sequence (CD, USB and LP available through boptism.com/store): 1. *Poor Butterfly (by John Golden/Raymond Hubbell) Solos: Rich Willey, bass trumpet & EVI ◊ Paul Mutzabaugh, piano 7:06 2. *If I Should Lose You (by Leo Robin/Ralph Rainger) Solos: Rich Willey, trumpet ◊ Paul Mutzabaugh, piano 5:56 3. *I’ll Be Seeing You (by Irving Kahal/Sammy Fain) Solos: Rich Willey, trumpet and EVI 5:34 4. Puttin’ On The Ritz (by Irving Berlin) Solo: Rich Willey, trumpet 4:35 5. *My Melancholy Baby (by George Norton/Ernie Burnett) Solos: Paul Mutzabaugh, piano ◊ Rich Willey, trumpet 5:30 6. † Holy Trinity — Radio Edit (by Rich Willey) Solo: John Swana, EVI ◊ high trumpet notes by Carey Deadman 6:15 7. *Song For Janet (by Rich Willey) Solos: Paul Mutzabaugh, piano ◊ Rich Willey, bass trumpet and trumpet 7:44 8. Uncle Remus (by Frank Zappa/George Duke) Solos: Rich Willey, trumpet ◊ Mike Pinto, guitar ◊ Paul Mutzabaugh, Hammond B3 Organ ◊ Rich Willey, bass trumpet 7:30 9. *Sweet Lorraine (by Cliff Burwell/Mitchell Parish) Solos: Rich Willey, trumpet and bass trumpet 6:31 10. *Hard Hearted Hannah (by Jack Yellen, Milton Ager, Bob Bigelow & Charles Bates) Vocalist: Rich Willey ◊ Solos: Rich Willey, trumpet and bass trumpet 5:42 11. ‡But For The Grace Of God (by Rich Willey) Vocalist: Zeke Listenbee ◊ Solos: Rich Willey, bass trumpet ◊ Paul Mutzabaugh, Rhodes piano 6:05 12. †Holy Trinity — Full version (by Rich Willey) Solos: David Mann, soprano sax ◊ Andrew Synowiec, guitar ◊ Rich Willey, bass trumpet ◊ John Swana, EVI ◊ high trumpet notes by Carey Deadman 10:45 Puttin’ On The Ritz and Uncle Remus arranged by Rich Willey *Arranged by Rich Willey, strings arranged by Carey Deadman †Arranged by Wally Minko and Rich Willey, strings arranged by Carey Deadman ‡Arranged by Mike Abene and Rich Willey Recordings made at Crystall Recorders, Lombard, IL, and Palisade Studios, Chicago, IL — Jim Massoth, engineer Mixed by Jim Massoth, Carey Deadman and Rich Willey Produced by Carey Deadman Cover art by Chris Kemp