This blog entry is from guest writer Bill Flowers, board member and immediate past board president of Chicago a cappella.  He is writing of the recent "Abundance" concert by Chicago a cappella, which will be repeated February 20th in downtown Chicago and Feb. 21st in Evanston.  Bill is an avid fan of both Chicago a cappella and the Count Basie Band -- this is an account of a sort of battle of the bands in his life last weekend!
 
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Bill writes:
 
OK.  Do I leave work early Friday and drive for 5 hours to Stevens Point, Wisconsin to see the Count Basie Orchestra or do I drive to Naperville for Abundance?  Normally, it's not a choice for me.  Any conflict between Basie and CAC (or anything else for the last thirty-five years) is decided in favor of Basie.  But I was off all last week visiting my brother in California.  And the Band will be in Winnetka Saturday night and Berwyn Sunday night.  But I haven't seen them live since December 4---I have passed my 8 week tolerance limit.  And I've attended two full rehearsals of Abundance in the last two weeks and attended the runout in Lake Forest last Sunday.  But my wife prevailed and Michelle sent an e-mail saying she was ill, so they needed another board member in Naperville.  So I went to Naperville.  It was wonderful!

In my rush to locate the venue in Stevens Point and secure the tickets for Fitzgerald's in Berwyn Sunday night, I neglected to get tickets for the Band on Saturday in Winnetka.  But they're playing at a high school.  There will be seats.  No.  The New Trier High School Jazz Festival has been sold out for weeks!  Before I headed for Naperville, I sent an email to the Music Director at New Trier H.S. explaining that I'm Bill Flowers and I see the CBO 15-20 times per year and have traveled as far as Fukuoka, Japan with the Band.  I can always get in free, but when the Band is in the Chicago area, I insist on supporting them and could he help me get a ticket.  "Please call me!"  While driving to Naperville, I get a call from the Band Manager in New York.  The Music Director had called her to ask if this guy is legit.  She instructed him to place me on the guest list for Saturday and he called shortly to ask how many seats did I need.  Then I got greedy.  I tried to reach Helen Gagel and Bob Linn and others to invite them, but too short a notice.  But the concert was great.  The New Trier kids made beautiful music and the Count Basie Orchestra topped off the evening. 
 
My wife, Jeanetta was attending another function that evening.  She loves the Band, but once a weekend is enough for her.  We spent our honeymoon in Milan, Italy touring and shopping during the day and then two shows a night with the CBO.  I tried expose her early.  When I invited Band Leader Bill Hughes and his wife to breakfast Sunday morning, I didn't know they would accept OR want us at their hotel at 9:00 a.m.  I text messaged Jeanetta at 1:00 a.m. telling her to enjoy her function, but be aware that we had to leave the house at 8:00 for our breakfast date at 9:00.  We slept for about three hours after feeding and walking the dog and took off again Sunday morning.  I promised Jeanetta that we'd come back and take a nap before heading for Berwyn to meet Maria Suarez, Linda Mast and her husband for the Count Basie Orchestra.

My plan was to have Go Down Moses playing in the car Sunday morning so that the leader of the Basie Band would hear the other music I love.  Yes, I had given him the Eclectric cd a couple of years ago and often spoke of CAC, but I didn't think it had registered.  Go Down Moses registered.  "Who is this group that's singing?  They're wonderful!"  Well, I happen to sit on their board.  "You have to invite us to come hear them."  Well, if you really want to, they're performing at 2:00 this afternoon.  I can arrange it.  Mr. Hughes, who joined the Count Basie Orchestra in 1953, had to be in Berwyn at 3:00 for the sound check with the Band.  But his wife, Delores,  insisted the SHE could come.  There goes our nap.  I called Maria and Linda to advise them that I might be late.  We returned to their hotel after breakfast, allowed Delores (Doe) to change clothes and headed for Joliet.  The concert began at 2:00.  We arrived at 1:55.  Often live performances do not compare to the recordings.  As with the Count Basie Orchestra, that is not a problem for Chicago a cappella.  Doe was thrilled.  Jeanetta was thrilled, but sleepy.  Doe greeted Patrick and all the singers.  She has promised to seek runouts for CAC in New York and Washington.  She also suggested that I invite a friend and V.P. from the Jazz Institute of Chicago.  I will try to get her to one of the Abundance concerts.

CAC finished at 3:30.  We made it to Berwyn at 4:45.  The doors opened at 5.  Doe sat with Maria, Linda, husband Bart, Jeanetta and me not fifteen feet from the stage. She praised the performance of CAC and vowed to share the CDs she purchased.  The Band was phenomenal, as always.  We headed home at 10:30 and the Band headed for Casper, Wyoming.  An entire weekend alternating between Chicago a cappella and the Count Basie Orchestra.  That's ABUNDANCE!

Bill