ERNIE KRIVDA ENDED A FOUR NIGHT STINT AT THE DIRTY DOG JAZZ CAFE WITH MUSIC FROM 'REQUIEM FOR A JAZZ LADY'

Saxophonist Ernie Krivda

Saturday night the Dirty Dog Jazz Café was full with people celebrating birthdays and wedding anniversaries. More than the café has experienced in its eight-year existence. The general manager, Willie Jones, spent a good ten minutes before introducing tenor saxophonist Ernie Krivda’s band giving birthday shout-outs. Krivda ended a four-night stint at the DDJC by gifting the celebrants and the others attendees, who came out to hear some authentic red-blooded American jazz, an hour of music from his album “Requiem for a Jazz Lady”. Krivda is a central figure on Cleveland’s jazz scene who stylistically bears a kindred likeness to greats like Coleman Hawkins and Sonny Rollins told the audience the album wasn’t available for purchase after the show because they sold out after Thursday’s performance. Krivda made up for not coming to Detroit with extra boxes of “Requiem for a Jazz Lady” by performing extended versions of “Emerald,” “Great Lakes Gumbo,” and “Requiem for a Jazz Lady,” three stick-to-your-ribs cuts from the album. Krivda had a terrific band. Renell Gonsalves played drums. Glenn Tucker was on piano, and Jeff Halsey had his bass speaking in tongue. The sidemen took Krivda wherever he desired to go musically. Hands down, Halsey served the tastiest solos. The people who frequent the DDJC are too classy to dance around the club, but when Krivda soloed on the shake-your-money-maker tempo selection “Great Lakes Gumbo, “ there seemed to be this collective urge from the audience to cut loose.