Live at the Via Della Pace

Best of 2005

Live At the Via Della Pace 5/12/05

1.	Aubrush Variations	17:34
2.	Adagio Reflections	11:47
3.	Toro Bravo	7:36
4.	Intercession and Towards the Final Rose	19:54
Total Playing Time 56:51

James Finn	tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, and wood flute
Warren Smith	drums - right channel
Newman Taylor Baker	drums - left channel

Gingko Leaf Records GLR - 003

This live album was recorded two weeks after Into the Afterworld and features James Finn with Warren Smith and the "new man" in the ensemble - Newman Taylor Baker. This gig has become the most talked about date around town because the authorities had threatened to shut the restaurant down unless the band stopped playing. The band was playing in the basement of the restaurant and Finn wasn't even using amplification (as usual). At the end of track four, you can hear the owner running up to the band exclaiming that "the cops are outside - that is it!" and ordering the band to stop. Apparently, he had been shining a laser beam penlight in James' face during the performance of the final song, but James always plays with his eyes closed...good thing! This recording is of the entire first set. To add to injury... Dominic Duval with son Dominic Jr. had shown up at the end of the set to play the scheduled second show. The little Italian owner, seeing these two large men each carrying double basses, must have flipped when he realized that the band was about to enlarge.

* The art of weaving Moslem prayer rugs is one that has a tradition going back thousands of years. As a dedication to God, the weaver attempts to make the most beautiful and "perfect" rug that he can. But, because only God is perfect, he purposely sews an imperfection into his rug. This is the practice known as aubrush. On Aubrush Variations the listener is left with an obvious imperfect cadence, to be later resolved by the first melody note of the following piece - Adagio Reflections.

Toro Bravo is on the album Plaza de Toros. However, this time the melody is played on a wood flute in a different rhythmic context which brings an Egyptian flavor to this piece and puts it in a completely different context than the original recorded version.

Compositions by James Finn (Voluble Horn Music, ASCAP)

Recorded live in stereo *

Produced by James Finn

Cover art and layout design by JF

* Neither reverb or EQ is applied. Only "fade out" after applause is applied to each track. Due to the length of this performance exceeding a CD's capacity, this CD does not contain the entire performance.