Comfortable Harmonies

It was a simple set up: A blond woman in a sparkly black blouse, black pants playing a black electric acoustic guitar, joined by a man with dark-framed glasses, shaggy hair and a dark shirt with an upright double bass. They played jazz standards, the occasional blues tune, lots of laid-back melodies with note-perfect matches between the two instruments and her well-trained voice.

It was, in short, a perfect accompaniment to a rainy Saturday night in a comfy cozy restaurant.

Esther Haynes and Eric Shramek have been playing together in a regular gig at La Porta's in Alexandria for seven years, long enough to have an easy rapport that's easy to notice even among casual observers. This is a solid, albeit occasional, musical partnership that is comfortable playing together, with Haynes leading the way. She gives Shramek plenty of room to shine, encouraging him to slap out improvisational bass lines that belong to the era of Cab Calloway and big brass bands.

Haynes got her start singing when she was really little, she said.

"My first memory is actually of a song, 'Did You Ever See a Lassie'," she said, a performance she gave on Dover Air Force Base. An Arlington resident for most of her life, she was encouraged by her parents, who bought her a three-quarters sized guitar at the age of 12, and a banjo at the age of 15, after she started learning how to play in an after-school class at Taylor Elementary when she was 12.

Two of her teachers at Washington-Lee High School, Dr. Baxter and Don Rusnak, encouraged her to try out for regional choir and talent clubs, and another teacher encouraged her writing skills. Haynes is a member of the Washington Area Music Association, an organization that nominated her for an award this year for her songwriting.  

She still plays bluegrass banjo, in addition to some piano and her trusty guitar.

Haynes said her first professional gig was a surprise to her-- playing a bluegrass show in Beaufort, S.C., for which she and a friend, Janice Coe, were paid $100. She also played with Neva Trenis, a friend from Virginia Tech, at coffee houses, arts fairs and "bluegrass/old time festivals in Southwestern Virginia."

Now she plays her sets, which feature "jazz standards, vintage blues/ragtime tunes, bluegrass and bossas," which she categorizes as "a culmination of my musical background and influences, as is typical for most musicians."

In addition to her gig with Shramek and guitarist JC Veve at La Portas the first Wednesday of each month, a group called Hokum Jazz, Haynes plays periodically with Keith Grimes, a musician she'd like to work with more if the opportunity presented itself. Additionally, she has a show scheduled for March 12 with guitarist and singer Steve Little at Mainstay.
Most of her shows include a series of covers, including two Hoagy Carmichael songs, "Moon Country" and "Georgia on my Mind," Patsy Cline's "Walking After Midnight," Redd Stewart's "Tennessee Waltz," and "Lady Be Good" by George Gershwin.

"I don't have a formalized set list," Haynes said of Saturday's performance. "We drew from older set lists and my book of material that is in my vocal keys. I picked out some jazz tunes that I don't often get to do with Hokum Jazz, which is more of a vintage swing/ jug band, rootsy-type group."

Her favorite song, however, is "Dindy" by Jobin. "It has references to trees, nature, sky-- and love, of course. I also love a tune called 'Memphis in June' by Hoagy Carmichael, which I am working on in a recording with Keith Grimes that is currently unfinished."  

It's a different story for Shramek, who views himself as a "hired gun" when it comes to playing bass.

He started playing guitar in high school, but started playing electric bass when his brother needed someone to fill in in his band.

"I told him I didn't know how to play bass, and he said even a monkey could learn how to do it, it's just one note basically," said Shramek, who now lives in Rockville.

But it's the double bass, the upright behemoth not typically seen in live performances any more, that has owned his heart and musical interest for the past decade or so.

"For what it's worth, they're not a dime a dozen," he said of the upright bass. "It's a fat sound, a warm sound. You don't see it very often."

It's more physical than playing electric bass, he said, and requires more than concentration and rhythm than "just slapping three different chords."

While he does have a day job, working as an accounts manager for Cannon, Shramek said he usually plays at least a dozen gigs a month, 99% of which call for him to play the upright bass.

"By leaps and bounds," he prefers the upright to the electric, he said. However, when people ask him why he plays the music he plays, he has an answer that they might not expect.

For him, playing bass is a job, a gig, something to help take care of his three sons, ages 10, 11 and 14. He comes from a family of musicians-- his grandmother, grandfather and father all played instruments, and his youngest son just started playing viola.

When his youngest son asked him what he should play, Shramek said the viola, "because no one else plays it."

He's not schooled in the blues, or roots music or jazz, but "I get a lot of work for it," he said. He's able to figure out what to play when he gets a feel for the time signature and the key the song is written in, and "you can take it from there."

When he's not performing, Shramek said he finds himself listening to the same music he grew up listening to, classic rock bands like Earth, Wind and Fire and Ray Brown.

He enjoys his regular gigs with Haynes.

"That lady can sing," he said. "She's got a great voice. She should be playing a lot more than people who get more work, but she doesn't self-promote. But she's really talented."

And playing live is a nice break from his full-time job.

"When I'm walking around the Department of the Treasury, playing bass is an entirely different creature," he aid.

Haynes will be playing with Veve and harmonica player Roger Hart at Cassatt's on Saturday, Feb. 19. For a full list of her upcoming gigs, go to estherhaynesmusic.com. Haynes and Shramek will play together next at La Porta's, 1600 Duke St., Alexandria, on Wednesday, March 2 from 6:30- 10:30 p.m.