The Wednesday Residency program at Dicks Den has rolled into December led by a local native who is home for the holidays. Keyboardist Jim Maneri has a long musical history in Columbus, but left town a few years ago for other ventures, including his most recent longer-term gig playing piano and conducting the orchestra for a nightly musical on an enormous cruise ship off the coast of Florida. Before embarking on another cruising venture that will focus more on his jazz piano abilities, he is back in Columbus and picking up where he left off in the jazz scene. His four date residency began on Wednesday the 3rd with a solo piano performance that also featured an open mic for singers, with Maneri recording the results and sharing the recordings with the singers. Maneri was kind enough to sit down and talk local jazz with me, as well as provide details on his remaining residency dates:
This Wednesday, December 10th, will bring the Jim Maneri Trio to the Dick’s stage. With Aaron Scott on drums and Derek DiCenzo on bass, the band will provide their own twist on the classic piano trio.
Maneri’s band for December 17th will be the Daddy Romance Trio, a smaller version of the Daddy Romance group I detailed here. As Maneri told me, the trio formation will feature “Jim Castoe on drums, Joe Crump on sax and vocals and [Maneri] playing keys including ‘kicking bass’ -i.e. I’m playing bass as well as keys in the way they did it on E. Long St. back in the ’50s-’90s and like Alvin Valentine and the other Cbus organ trios did – that’s the music we’re paying homage to.”
Maneri also told me about the holiday treat he cooked up for his December 24th finale: “On Christmas Eve we have a special Christmas show in three parts. First set is steel drum jazz Christmas with Jim Garee on pans, Phil Maneri [Jim’s brother] on bass and Jim Castoe on drums [plus Maneri on keys]. Second set is Midnight Mass featuring Joe Ong as ‘Father Zero’ in a beatnik take on the holiday complete with choir. Lastly, we will pass out lyric sheets and have a sing-along of Christmas carols from ‘Exhibit B’ – aka The OSU Marching Band Songbook. These are the songs that got Dr. Waters fired!”
The shows start each week at 9:30, and the cover is $4. Come to Dick’s on Wednesdays this month for great jazz and rare forms of holiday cheer!