Emily Asher’s Garden Party Takes Midwest Tour

A small but attentive and appreciative group of jazz fans welcomed Emily Asher’s Garden Party to the Bop Stop in Cleveland, Ohio on June 4th for the kick-off to their five-city Midwest tour. Despite the size of the audience, Asher and her quartet did not disappoint. They gave a rousing and swinging performance of music associated with Indiana-born songwriting legend Hoagy Carmichael, one of Asher’s idols. Asher is a multi-talented powerhouse of jazz. As a leader, singer, composer, and trombonist based in New York City, she most often performs with a larger group of musicians under the Garden Party name. However, for this tour Asher left behind her drummer and went without a pianist. The lack of musicians at those positions did nothing to lessen the hot swing of selections from the Carmichael canon. The smaller ensemble also allowed for more soloing from some of the best sidemen in the business. Midwest audiences were treated to the ever-reliable Mike Davis on trumpet, Rob Adkins on bass, and Adam Moezinia on guitar. This tour isn’t the first time Asher has tapped into the Carmichael songbook. Back in 2013, she and her Garden Party released a well-received six-song EP titled Carnival of Joy! featuring many of the songs performed on this tour. For the Cleveland gig, the band started with a short burst of the upbeat “Jubilee,” followed by the cute and happy “Small Fry.” T