Oh, the angels were jealous Thursday night as they looked down from the heavens and listened to the songs being sung at Wanda Stafford’s Birthday Bash at the Panama Hotel in San Rafael.

Wanda, a legendary jazz singer who has a regular Thursday night gig at the Panama Hotel, was celebrating her birthday by packing the house with friends and some incredible singers, most of whom sat in and sang with her jazz trio, Si Perkoff on piano, Max Perkoff on trombone, a drummer who’s name I didn’t get, and a flutist who’s name I didn’t get either. They were all amazing.

I was there with my ultra-talented, fireball-of-a-singer friend, Terese Genecco, who blew the roof
off that place when she got up to sing "Unchain My Heart" which she features in  her show, "Drunk With Love — A Tribute to Francis Faye." By the way, if you haven’t seen that show, you must. It’s coming to Jazz at Pearls on November 3,4, & 5, and you simply cannot miss this show.

Wanda looked great and sang wonderfully. She is a master jazz singer who sings with such ease, style and sass that it’s always such a pleasure to hear her.

When I wasn’t running around taking photos, I was chatting with my friends Linda Kosut and Pam Edelstein, or eating. The food at the Panama Hotel was quite fine, but man, I never want to spend $12.50 on a glass of wine again.

I was probably the only singer there that didn’t sit in with the band. Why? Well, to be honest, I didn’t have a tune that matched the high-flying spirits of the room that was also charted in a way that the band could read. I mean, I could have sung "The Nearness of You" but no on was in the mood for a ballad.

But this only inspired me to write about this issue of having 2-3 songs ready to go when sitting in on my Wild Voice blog, yet another blog that has been sorely neglected but is about to spring back to life.

By the way, both Terese Genecco and Pam Edelstein will be sitting in with me on November 11 at my Soho gig in Petaluma. I’m also in the process of begging Max Perkoff to join us so I can sing along to that fat, rich sound he gets from that trombone. Wish me luck.