Saturday, May 2, at noon on 88.1 WVPE
Wild Rose Moon hosted our guests, Patti Shaffner and the Buddy Pearson Trio (Buddy Pearson, Stefan Hess, and Mike Shell).
Patti Shaffner, a crowd favorite at Merriman’s Playhouse in South Bend, is a dynamic
presence on the Indiana jazz scene, known for her warm tone, expressive phrasing, and
deep reverence for the jazz vocal tradition. Whether interpreting classic American
standards or breathing new life into beloved jazz repertoire, Shaffner's performances
consistently captivate audiences with their intimacy and authenticity.
Joining Shaffner is the Buddy Pearson Trio, a cornerstone of the Indiana jazz
community. Their seamless musicianship and intuitive accompaniment provide the
perfect backdrop for an unforgettable evening of live jazz. Buddy has performed as a
solo opening act for music legends such as Robert Cray, Wayne Newton, and Gladys
Knight. The trio also features Mike Shell on Drums and Stefan Hess on piano.
The evening opens with Patti and the Trio performing a beautiful rendition of Irving Berlin's “Blue Skies.”
Blue skies smiling at me Nothing but blue skies do I see Blue birds singing a song Nothing but blue skies from now on Never saw the sun shining so bright Never saw things going so right…
After some light banter with our host, George Schricker, the band comes back with “Dream a Little Dream of Me.”
Stars shinin' bright above you Night breezes seem to whisper, "I love you." Birds singin' in the sycamore tree Dream a little dream of me
After the first break, the Wild Rose Moon house band “John Bahler and the Moon Rockers” perform an original piece that John wrote, based on watching his kids grow up called “Old Time Record”
Like an old-time record, under the needle spins
Sometimes I see the past rolling round again.
A child on a distant hill makes me believe that I'm living still.
…Take me home again.
As the applause fades, the attention turns to a fan favorite radio show activity, the comical game show, “Shoot The Moon”, where audience members Andrea Canacci and Jeff Detterline attempt to answer four questions very loosely based on Patti Shaffner and her group.Topics include, history of the city of Gary, Indiana, the art of piano tuning, drum head makers, and famous song involving the bass guitar.After answering all four questions with a bit of help from the band, Andrea and Jeff both receive WRMRH Mugs and Stickers.
Host George Schricker and Patti Shaffner have a nice conversation about a song that Patti wrote called “Dattsallottawatta”. Patti shares that the studio where the song was taped was actually her living room. The song was a family effort, including her sons, her daughter in law to be, some friends and her husband all performed together, playing bottles and other percussion instruments.
The band fires up, for an instrumental Jazz piece highlighting the skills of Buddy Pearson on bass, Stefan Hess at the piano and Mike Shell on drums, that is an absolute hit with the audience.
Patti and the band close the show with Patti’s original piece called “Sink or Swim,”
They say it's sink or swim.
What you got to do is dive right in.
We hope you make it to the other shore like you've done every time before.
And they say, they say it's sink or swim.
And they say, take it slow.
What they really need to say is go, go, go.
The Wild Rose Moon Radio Hour is recorded before a live studio audience. Dates and tickets for these live shows can be accessed at www.wildrosemoon.com.