IN A TIME when a band which has been around for more than two years is considered to have longevity, the Two Decades of the Jim Small Band has to be considered phenomenal. There was a time when my weekly routine consisted of seeing the JSB at the late and sadly missed club The Dakota Rose. Every week I would promise myself there would be one set, one beer and then home to bed. Every Friday morning would consist of a near death experience with a razor, a handful of aspirin, and a fervent search of my mind for an excuse that my boss hadn’t heard for being late.

The place was J.P.’s Island Grill in Farming-dale, a place where the food is as good as the entertainment. The entertainment was of course, the JSB, probably one of the classiest bands ever to perform for a bunch of drunks, playing out again and sounding better than ever.

Starting the evening with Little Feat’s classic “Let It Roll” and moving right into “B Movie” the band proved to be as tight as I remembered with John Boyle on lead vocal. Moving on to a cover of “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You), a song that will usually evoke Marvin Gaye or James Taylor, but did neither, giving it the unique JSB treatment. Taking the bass from Mike Guido who played clarinet, and featuring Boyle on alto sax and flute, the band went into a jumping version of “Built For Comfort.” Next tune out of the bag was a Phil Reilly original “Sunday Sailor.” Phil played a lot of acoustic this evening although the old black Strat did a lot of talking

too. Phil’s voice has mellowed a bit, still as good as ever with a slight growl. The acoustic incidentally is a gift from Small, a token of friendship that has to be one of the main reasons for the band’s extraordinary track record. For those of you who have seen this band, you must be wondering about Rick Silecchio. This man, who was the heart and soul of the legendary Stanton Anderson Band, (Mark Fowler was the lungs) has changed very little. Still patrolling the back area like a protective mother while effortlessly setting fire to the room. Silecchio hasn’t lost a bit. Still an awesome guitarist, he was turned loose several times, most notably on “Ventura Highway”, always a showcase for this band, and a huge crowd pleaser. Other highlights were “Lay Down Sally” with Silecchio’s guitar sounding like a Steinway being played with a sledge hammer, and the Allman Brothers’ “Blue Skies” conjuring up a mixture of the Brothers and the Grateful Dead. The last two pieces of the organization were Jimmy Varelas on conga and bongo drums as well as hand percussion, along with new kid Vinnie Cimino who has only been with the band about ten years. Melding seamlessly with Small and Guido the tag team bassists, keeping it as steady as a rock.

This band is not playing out as much, doing two or three gigs a month. The band which has always seemed to be more of a family all have families of their own, but the music will always be part of them and all of us will be richer for this. The JSB Hotline is active, call it at 516-888-4JSB to check out their schedule. There is also a CD of JSB originals due out soon. It won’t be as good as one of their shows, but then what really could be.