Big Band Night Out

The Stray Katz have played once a month at Grappa's for over 15 years

The other day my inbox had an email about a local big band called The Stray Katz who would be disbanding after 27 years and this Saturday night would be their second last performance -- the last one is April 7.

I told my colleague about it and he brought his girlfriend along and we had dinner and a show at Grappa's Cellar in the basement of Jardine House in Central.

I don't usually go out Saturday nights -- usually having dinner with my relatives, but it's good to know Grappa's Cellar has some fun events from bands to solo artists to comedians who come through.

The Stray Katz is a rag-tag group, most averaging mid to late 50s, some Caucasian, some Filipino, some Chinese, playing trumpet, trombone, saxophone, drums, electric guitar and keyboard.

On the whole they were pretty good, playing everything from Dixieland to Frank Sinatra to Stevie Wonder to even their rendition of Spiderman. One singer sounded very much like Frank with the same phrasing, though on one song he lost track of the words and apologized! No need, he had a suave voice singing Fly Me to the Moon and Under My Skin, unlike another guy who didn't have the smooth touch so it sounded more like bad karaoke.

During a break I saw JR Robertson, the owner of Grappa's and he said the band leader of The Stray Katz wasn't there tonight because he arrived so drunk that they had to send him back home to Lantau in a taxi. Does this happen on a regular basis?

Robertson is disappointed The Stray Katz is disbanding because the band leader doesn't want to do it anymore, but Robertson has already talked to some of the band members about possibly continuing again. He explained the group meets up every week to practice, and some have day jobs.

It was a good night out, though the food was hit and miss. The bruschetta was OK, the deep-fried green olives were massive and filled with chopped pork inside, while the calamari was disappointing, flat in flavour.

The margherita pizza was massive -- a long rectangular pizza with around a dozen pieces on it, the taste improved with a tiny sprinkling of chili flakes.

Good thing we didn't order mains -- I would have been too full.

It was a fun evening bopping to the music, watching swing dancers on the floor -- including a guy in a turban dancing with a Chinese guy -- and having hilarious conversation threaded throughout.

Grappa's Cellar

Basement, Jardine House

1 Connaught Place

Central

2521 2322

Pictures of the Day: Water Fountain

Kids hanging out by the water fountain in front of Wynn Macau

People who work in Macau were telling me that it's busy because many families are here for summer holidays.

But you wouldn't know it by the roads that seemed relatively free of congestion, and hardly any taxis and cars pulling up into the casinos.

I came out of Wynn Macau just as the water fountain started up and Frank Sinatra started singing Luck Be a Lady in the speakers.

Taking in the water show a la Frank Sinatra

The few mainland Chinese visitors around gathered to stare at the water fountain that seemed to dance and sway with the music.

While watching a dancing fountain was probably not new, did they know who was singing and what the lyrics were about?

Written in 1950 by Frank Loesser, the song was featured in Guys and Dolls where a gambler, Sky Masterson, hopes he will win a bet, the outcome of which will determine whether or not he is able to save his relationship with the girl of his dreams.

The song became a signature hit for Sinatra.

After the song was over and the fountain stopped shooting water, kids started leaning on the edge and playing with the water.

"很好玩的," they said. "This is lots of fun."

The good fortune of enjoying simple pleasures.

Buble Entertains Hong Kong

Michael Buble performed tonight in front of screaming fans in Hong Kong

Back in the mid 1990s, I used to listen to a radio host called David Berner in Vancouver. He would rave about a 16-year-old singer called Michael Buble who would perform weekly at the Georgia Street Bar & Grill at the then Georgia Hotel downtown.

One time I rounded up some friends and we went to see him sing in the cosy space. I just remember he was very cute, but also he liked to sing Frank Sinatra numbers with similar phrasing, though his voice was thin and didn't have the fullness of the legendary singer.

The big band was introduced like a basketball team

But I resolved to remember Buble and in the end he did become a big star. He performed at former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney's daughter Caroline's wedding in 2000, where he was introduced to superstar producer David Foster, who then produced Buble's self-titled album in 2003.

And since then the boy from Burnaby hasn't looked back.

Tonight was the first time I'd seen him perform almost 20 years ago and when he came out with a literally fiery start with Fever, he seemed to slur the words which made us wonder if he was drunk! But he seemed to over-sing the Peggy Lee song to put his own stamp on it.

Buble looks classy singing in his tuxedo

After a few songs he stopped to chat with the audience and he was hilarious. He said he went to Ladies' Market and got the best deal from a guy who was willing to sell him a "real" Prada bag for $100. "Who got the better deal?" he asked.

He asked if the audience liked the pyrotechnics in the first song and when they said "yes!" he said, "Well we used up most of the budget for that, so it's all s*** from here."

Buble also explained that he likened his concerts to first dates, where he and the audience get to know each other and then if they really like each other then they'll be some bumping and grinding.

He gave the audience at the back some closer face time

The screens immediately cut to a family with a girl about two years old with them. He also introduced the big band with him as if they were a basketball team, and say things like, so-and-so should work for Subway because he's made my six inches a foot long!

He also encouraged people to raise their hands (some did), and then put them on the lap of someone else...

Singing-wise he was good, but again the voice lacked volume in some songs, though was perfect in ballads.

Fans at the back enjoying Buble's performance

Towards the end of the concert he made his way through the excited audience to where the sound technicians were (and we were sitting two rows in front of them). There was a mini stage and the opening act, a cappella group Naturally 7 were already there to perform with him.

But everyone was thrilled to see Buble, particularly those in the nose-bleed seats who got a much closer look of him in the flesh. We hoped Buble would come to us, but in the end he was several feet away. At one point he took someone's smart phone and sang directly into the screen. Someone's never deleting that video footage!

After that Buble returned to the stage where he sang The Beatles' All You Need is Love, and a loud pop revealed millions of heart-shaped tissue paper falling from the ceiling.

Heart-shaped tissue paper falls to All You Need is Love

We left soon afterwards as it was getting late, but Buble sure satisfied his fans tonight. And we're pleased Vancouver's hometown boy is one heck of an entertainer. No wonder he has so many fans and probably converted a few hundred more tonight in Hong Kong.