Vegas isn’t big enough for veteran saxophonist
Keeping up with legendary jazz saxophonist Jimmy Mulidore, a fixture in the Las Vegas music scene for more than 50 years, isn’t easy. But we try.
Mulidore’s next major engagement is out of town, which is common these days because many of the local jazz haunts are disappearing. He’ll perform with another jazz saxophone legend, Richie Cole, at the annual Temecula Valley International Jazz Festival in California on July 11.
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Jimmy Mulidore adjusts the mouthpiece on his saxophone in his Las Vegas bedroom, which doubles as a music room. |
If you’d like a sneak preview of what you’ll hear coming out of Mulidore’s horn, drop by the Stirling Club in Turnberry Towers (across from the Las Vegas Hilton) from 6 to 9:30 p.m. July 4. Mulidore and his New York Jazz Band will be performing for the club’s “Jazz Under the Stars” series. They’ll be back Aug. 1.
Mulidore has been a frequent guest at the Anthology Jazz Club in San Diego the past few years.
When the 400-seat club decided to stay open on Thanksgiving eve, the owners asked Mulidore and New York saxophonist Eric Alexander, one of the hottest young musicians in the country, to perform.
“Musically it was a historical day,” Mulidore says. “We had all the saxophonists from the L.A. area come in because of Eric and me playing together. It was phenomenal.”
The two musicians had never met until they stepped onstage for a sound check. “We knew each other by reputation,” Mulidore says.
There was no rehearsal. They just stepped in front of the band and began playing. There were no retakes or mixing or overdubs. But the performance was captured on DVD and CD, “Jimmy Mulidore with Eric Alexander” (available at jimmymulidore.com).
“I’ve learned that first-time takes are usually the best,” Mulidore says. “What we did, this was one time only. You live with what you have. This is why the CD is so phenomenal.”
He and Alexander struck up an instant friendship and expect to play more engagements together.
When Mulidore isn't traveling the country, he’s busy working on the rerelease of classic recordings he’s made over the years with the likes of drummer Shelly Manne and pianist Dolo Coker.
“I guess I’m kind of bypassing Vegas,” he says, “but I wish it would happen here.”
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