Hull heats up Tuesday nights

Sweet, shoe-tapping sounds of jazz drift through the bar as people congregate with beers in hand.

The romantic resonance of the saxophone fills the room. The soft touch of the piano, the deep hum of the bass and the drums add a soothing backdrop for friends chatting at the bar. The tempo of each song varies from fast-paced rhythmic energy to a mellow resonance that's warm enough to scramble eggs.

The band nestled into the back corner accentuates the relaxing atmosphere of the bar at Bobby McGee's.

Bobby McGee's Food and Spirits, located on Main St. across from South campus, houses the relaxing melodies of jazz every Tuesday night, featuring the jazz group Dan Hull and Friends.

Highlighted this week was John Sandfort on saxophone.

"John Sandfort is amazing on the saxophone," Hull said. "He is a world-class saxophone player."

From the look and sound of this band, it seems is if they have been playing together for decades.

Amazingly, the band only gets together about once a year to jam in front of an audience.

"This could be the fourth time we have all played together," said Jones. "This is our annual get-together."

Once a musician knows the fundamentals of jazz, it is easy to join a group and immediately start playing together.

"The beauty of jazz is once you pick a bass line and the key of the song, the rest is all solos," Jones said.

Dan Hull not only maintains the backbeat for the annual get-together, he plays the drums for every band to grace the Bobby McGee's stage.

"Danny's here every week," Sandfort said. "He's always playing the drums."

The other members of the band have played together regularly on different occasions.

John Sandfort, Michael Jones, and Paul LaDuca performed this summer for the John Bacon Jr. concerts, among other shows.

Not only does Hull play the drums for every band but he is also the brains behind every get-together.

"I get different groups together for every Tuesday night jazz night," Hull said. "I try to feature a different instrument and a different sound every week."

The featured instruments range from the saxophone to guitar to vocals.

"Next week, a band called Natural Element is playing here," Hull said. "Their sound is featured around a guitar."

Not only do the sounds and instruments change but the size of the bands differ continuously.

"Last week we had a ten-person trombone band come in," Hull said. "We had to call the fire department because it got so hot in here."

Hull, a Buffalo native has gotten to know a lot of musicians in the area.

"I know enough people to keep a good rotation going," Hull said.

Aside from just local musicians, Hull has brought instrumentalists from far and wide to come and perform at Bobby McGee's.

"Not everyone who plays here are local, just the majority," Hull said. "People come from Toronto, New York City, Cleveland, or Chicago."

Although Hull does listen to an array of different artists, the elementary school band teacher says that playing jazz is his favorite.

"Jazz is where my heart lies," Hull said.