Whisky & Jazz V

June 22, 2010

Scotch: Bowmore 17 yr old
Musician: Art Tatum
Song: Tiger Rag

Present: Patrick (host), Ian, Aaron


It was going to be a Whisky & Jazz just like any other. Then, maybe an hour before we were to start, John calls and says there is a family issue and that he can't make it. He wouldn't give us any details, but we went ahead with our plans since Pat already had dinner in the oven.

John is the keeper of the book we read from. Since he failed to join us this evening, we had to make due with information we could find on the internet about Art Tatum and Bowmore 17yr. We may not have been as astute at finding the relationship between the whisky and jazz as Hans Offringa is, but we still learned a good bit. John eventually sent us a copy of the pages from the book, but that wasn't until we were done with the bottle of Scotch.

The three of us had finished the bottle by the end of the night. Eventually Aaron decided he should leave. As he stood up he swayed a little, then made his way towards the door. When he dropped his keys and bumped into the wall, he decided he should stay a little longer and have some water. Eventually, his girlfriend came to pick him up. When Aaron and his gf arrived back at his house, Aaron refused to take a shower to clean the smoky whisky smell off of him. He slept on the couch that night.

Oh, and we later found out that John and his wife had just found out they were pregnant. That's why John was absent. Congratulations, John!

Also, I'm sorry the pictures are kind of lame. I try to enjoy hanging with the guys instead of spending time taking pictures. At the time I took the pictures, I didn't know there was going to be a blog.

From W&J5

From W&J5

From W&J5

From W&J5

Whisky & Jazz IV

June 8, 2010

Scotch: Oban 14 yr old
Musician: Stan Getz
Song: Blood Count

Present: John (host), Patrick, Aaron, Ian

Another night of W&J. Stan "The Sound" Getz played some cool and latin jazz- I don't think anyone can help their foot from tapping when "Girl from Ipanema" plays. The smooth sounds of Getz paired perfectly with Oban, a smooth West Highland. The perfect mix of the peaty isles with the spice of the mainland, the dram was full-flavored, complex, but easy to drink. Stan Getz fit the bill- his jazz was easy to get in to, especially with the recognizable standards and vocals. If you listened a bit deeper for a second, you could hear the incredible talent and perfection in his playing.

Continuing the smoking tradition, we stepped outside and were joined by an old friend who stopped by for a bit.

Another great night, with great friends, great music, and great whisky. Almost half-way through the book!

From W&J4

From W&J4

From W&J4

Whisky & Jazz III

May 19, 2010

Scotch: Bunnahabhain 12 yr old
Musician: Chet Baker
Song: Let's Get Lost

Present: Ian (host), John, Patrick, Aaron

It was my turn to host Whisky and Jazz night. This time, we welcomed a new member to our club. I started off the evening with a dinner of fried rice and teriyaki chicken. I recall that it was incredibly delicious like it always is when I cook. Afterwards, we enjoyed some jazz trumpet and flugelhorn while drinking some delicious Scotch Whisky. Bunnahabhain may have been my favorite of the ten that we tried, but it is hard to tell when the tasting are spaced out over several months.

We would normally smoke pipes while we drink our Scotch, but someone had a surplus of cigars so we traded our usual Sherlockian image for more of a Churchillian.

The whisky was good, the jazz was good, the food was good, and the new addition of Aaron to our group was good.

From W&J3

From

From W&J3

From W&J3

Whisky & Jazz II

April 27, 2010

Scotch: Lagavulin 16 yr old

Musician: Dexter Gordon
Song: Round Midnight

Present: Patrick (host), John, Ian

This W&J meeting introduced a new semi-tradition of smoking pipes. We figured smoking pipes would add to the experience of drinking Scotch and listening to jazz. I also felt it would add to the man experience if we we had our bare chests showing while smoking pipes. I like to sit around with my shirt off anyway. Also, there was a piano that belonged to someone inconsiderate enough to store it at the apartment where there was little storage room anyway. To show our appreciation in our slightly altered state of mind, we opted to add a smokey scent to the piano. Afterwards, we continued enjoying Lagavulin, jazz, and pipes. We failed to finish the bottle until recently.

From i'll drink to that

From i'll drink to that

From i'll drink to that

From i'll drink to that

From i'll drink to that

From i'll drink to that

Whisky & Jazz I

April 13, 2010

Springbank 10 yr old was the Scotch, Charlie Parker was the Jazz.

This was the first W&J meeting and included John (host), Patrick, and Ian.

In the pictures below, Patrick has received a phone call from his xgf and has to deal with her while we patiently wait. John is obviously nervous about this first W&J ands prepares himself by rereading the pages he is about to read out loud. As we wait, I enjoy playing with John's dog Atticus. Once Pat is off the phone, John reads a brief history of the jazz musician, Scotch distillery, and their correlation. After we hear all about it, the book informs us of what we should expect from the Scotch and the jazz. We cheers the glasses and drink up.

From i'll drink to that

From i'll drink to that

From i'll drink to that

From i'll drink to that

Introductions

It started with a book.

One of the foremost commentators on all things Scotch wrote a book. Instead of only focusing on one passion, he combined two beautiful things, and the whole was greater than the sum of its parts.
Hans Offringa loves Scotch, and he loves Jazz. So he wrote about both.

Including short introductory chapters on the history of whisky and the history of jazz, he followed up with specific details about ten great jazzmen and ten great single malts. He described the story behind and the importance of each man and each dram.

This would have made a great book, but Offringa added a little lagniappe that changed things.

He suggested something novel: Whisky and Jazz can be paired in the same way as a gourmet meal and fine wine. When paired correctly, the drink brings out subtleties of the music and vice-versa.

It changed the way we thought about jazz and whisky. We learned about the great men and distilleries and enjoyed great company. Every other week, we got together, drank a specific whisky, listened to a specific artist, and discussed.

Not only did we enjoy the drinks and the music, we enjoyed catching up, and forcing ourselves to take time to relax with good friends.

Here is where the blog comes in: We are through with the book, but we've been converted by Offringa. Music and drinks go together, and when paired correctly, heighten the experience. We are going to continue, but without a book to guide us, we are going to base the rest of our series on our own thoughts.

We'll not restrict ourselves to Whisky & Jazz, but open the floor for a variety of mixes. We will select an artist (or an album) and the right drink, give a little background and tasting notes, and explain why they fit together, then get together to try it out.

We'll find some perfect matches; others might be off a bit, but we'll survive, I'm sure.

A toast then:To the things that bring us together: Good music, Good drinks, and most importantly, Good Friends!

I think I'll drink to that.