Album review: Tracie Bennett Sings Judy: Songs from the Broadway Production of End of the Rainbow

The theatrical subgenre of celebrity impersonation has always been an odd duck. It’s easy to do badly, damned difficult to do well, and gets the impersonator little respect in any case. In fact, duplicating a performer’s on-stage persona in a way that will allow audience members to suspend disbelief and react as they would to the original is quite a challenge, especially when the performer in question is well represented on audio and film/video.

Judging from the praise she has received for her performance as the late Judy Garland in Peter Quilter’s play with music “The End of the Rainbow”, Tracie Bennett has risen to the challenge. In the New York Times, Ben Brantley praised her “electrifying interpretation”. The Huffington Post’s Mark Kennedy) said she was “so stunning that she manages to raise the dead”. Others have had similar praise for her performance even when they have found the play itself a bit monochromatic.

I haven’t seen the show, but judging from the original cast recording now available on Masterworks Broadway, Ms. Bennett has eerily captured not just the sound of Garland, but more specifically the sound of Garland towards the end of her career, when drugs and drink were taking their toll. To quote the Times again:

“In her terrifyingly manic, Ritalin-fueled “Come Rain or Come Shine” you hear not only the music but the rage that produces it.”

You don’t really hear that in Garland’s recordings from the period, in my view. But then, this isn’t an attempt to duplicate those recordings. It’s a look (albeit fictionalized) at the pain they masked. And on that level I think it works perhaps a little too well. At times, it’s difficult to listen to—not because Ms. Bennett has done her work poorly but rather because she has done it so very well.

The album consists of songs from the Broadway production of the play, fleshed out with new recordings by Bennett and members of the on-stage band of Garland classics not in the stage version, including “Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart”, “San Francisco” and “When The Sun Comes Out” (full track list below). If you’re a Garland fan you’ll probably want to add this to your collection; ditto if you have seen and enjoyed the show. For the rest of us it’s an interesting curiosity. The CD is available from the usual music outlets. You can also purchase the MP3 version at iTunes.

Track list:

  1. I Can’t Give You Anything But Love/Just In Time (Dorothy Fields, Jule Styne, Betty Comden, Adolph Green, Jimmy McHugh)
  2. I Could Go On Singing (E.Y. Harburg, Harold Arlen)
  3. Smile (Charles Chaplin, John Turner, Geoffrey Parsons)
  4. Medley: The Bells Are Ringing For Me And My Gal/You Made Me Love You/The Trolley Song (Joseph McCarthy, Ray Goetz, Hugh Martin, George Meyer, Edgar Leslie, Ralph Blane, James V. Monaco)
  5. Zing Went The Strings Of My Heart (James Hanley)
  6. The Man That Got Away (Ira Gershwin, Harold Arlen)
  7. Come Rain Or Come Shine (Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen)
  8. When You’re Smiling (Mark Fisher, Joe Goodwin, Larry Shay)
  9. Somewhere Over The Rainbow (E.Y. Harburg, Harold Arlen)
  10. San Francisco (Walter Jurmann, Gus Kahn, Bronislaw Kaper)
  11. When The Sun Comes Out (Ted Koehler, Harold Arlen)
  12. Get Happy/By Myself (Ted Koehler, Arthur Schwartz, Howard Dietz, Harold Arlen)
Posted by | May 17, 2012 | Album Reviews, Culture, Music | Comment 

Concert review: Alan Evans Trio and the Rhythm Section Road Show throw funk fiesta at the Old Rock House, Saturday, May 5

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The opening act went on an hour later than announced; presumably waiting for the Cinco de Mayo crowd to bring their fiesta to the Old Rock House with them. Once the party got started though, there was funk for all.

Alan Evans is the drummer from the band Soulive, which was founded by his brother Neal Evans and himself in the late 1990s. Their upbeat, power grooves gained them notoriety on the funk/jazz scene, and Soulive still has a strong following. The Alan Evans Trio is Evans’ own offshoot project consisting, again, of an organ, guitar and drum lineup but with Evans in a leading role with Danny Mayer on guitar and Beau Sasser on the Hammond organ.

It’s a comfortable setting for Evans and that comfort shows in their music, which never falls far from Evan’s roots. Mayer comes from the On the Spot Trio, which has an established position of its own on the funk scene. Sasser has played with no less than Maceo Parker, Melvin Sparks and Medeski, Martin, and Wood among many others. Currently, when not playing with Alan Evans, Sasser leads his own organ trio.

Led by 88.1 KDHX DJ Andy Coco, the Rhythm Section Road Show opened with a set of jam rock funk, that brought everyone off their feet and onto the dance floor. The Roadshow this night was Teddy Presberg on guitar, Coco on bass, Kyle Honeycutt on drums and Chris Stevenson on organ. Songs featured in the set included “Flash Mob” by Teddy Presberg and a funkified rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “Your Time is Gonna Come.” They did a great job of opening the night and warming the crowd up for the Alan Evans Trio.

Once the Alan Evan’s Trio hit the stage and were ready to play, Evans called out to the crowd: “Do you want us to play quiet or loud?” The audience yelled out, “Loud!” in reply, which brought on a drum fill opening and the trio’s first song. They followed the opening song with “Authoritay,” the first track from their new album “Drop Hop.” This was followed by the crowd getting together and dancing while the grooves propelled a meager but very-involved audience while being blasted by some very loud funk.

The night went on and we were bombarded with explosive drumming, soulful guitar solos and masterfully orchestrated organ playing. The Cinco de Mayo spirit seemed to be in effect among the crowd as well as on stage. My initial expectations going into the concert were to find a serious funk jazz trio laying down some serious music. It being Saturday and Cinco de Mayo it seemed they might have sacrificed the seriousness a bit to bring the party to the Old Rock House. Not particularly my cup of tea, but it’s what worked for the crowd so I cannot fault them for it. It was definitely a fun night for everyone there.

Posted by | May 6, 2012 | Concerts | Comment 

Concert review: Willie Nelson mixes it up at the Pageant, Tuesday, April 17

Willie Nelson at the Pageant, April 17, 2012

Nate Burrell

Don’t let the oversize Texas flag hanging behind the stage or the unfortunate Toby Keith collaboration fool you. Willie Nelson is not simply a country artist.

One only had to look at the crowd that packed the Pageant last night (tax day, ironically) to hear him and his Family play to know the truth of this statement. From bankers to bikers, transexuals to tweens, Nelson’s appeal crosses, and erases, all lines of social demarcation, and his followers were out in force last night to see and hear him do his thing.

Anyone who might still have doubted Nelson’s transcendence of the “country” label after surveying the audience last night was undoubtedly convinced after he picked up his trusty guitar, Trigger, and played the first notes of the obligatory opening song “Whiskey River,” strumming with an off-kilter sense of time that took the straight-ahead rollicking tune into territory that was more be-bop than honky tonk.

Backed by a bare-bones band that included just a bassist, harmonica player, drummer and his sister Bobbie on piano, Nelson made the rounds of his huge catalog, from the outlaw country odes “Me and Paul” and “Mommas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys,” to sparkling gems of pop song-craft like “Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain” and “Crazy.” Nelson also took several songs from other artists, like Billy Joe Shaver, Kris Kristofferson and Hank Williams and made them his own. His delicate version of Ray Charles’ “Georgia On My Mind” was a particular highlight.

Willie Nelson is one of those artists who never plays a song the same way twice, and he took obvious pleasure in mixing up time signatures and phrasing, improvising his way though his songs while keeping just enough of the melody intact to remind the audience where he was coming from. Being the guy keeping time for Nelson has to be one of the toughest jobs in music, and the fact that Paul English only used a snare drum to take care of business was mind-boggling. Equally amazing was the sound that Nelson got out of Trigger, a beat-to-hell Martin N-20 classical guitar that by rights should have no business making those dulcet tones.

With his huge recorded output and proclivity for experimenting in musical genres from jazz to hip hop to reggae, though, it was a bit disappointing that the set list didn’t include some of Willie’s more esoteric offerings. The only time he really strayed from the hits was for a spare rendition of “I Never Cared For You,” from his vastly underrated late ’90s record “Teatro.”

At 78 years old (he turns 79 on April 30) with 50-plus years in the business and umpteen records under his belt, I doubt anyone would fault Willie for sticking close to the recorded versions of his songs, throwing some souvenir bandanas to the crowd and calling it a day. The fact that he continues to perform with such creativity and abandon elevates him above most of his peers, and definitely the majority of musicians out there. Just call him “artist.”

Opening act the Pernikoff Brothers played a short but tight set that featured a mighty drum sound and soaring vocal harmonies that made them sound much bigger than a trio. It can’t be easy to open for someone who’s achieved “living legend” status, but they handled the job with major aplomb.

Posted by | April 18, 2012 | Concerts | Comment 

Concert review: Béla Fleck and the Flecktones reunite at the Sheldon, Thursday, March 29

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The lights dimmed to darkness in the Sheldon Concert Hall to signal the Flecktones making their way to the stage. A moment of quiet settled in.

A couple of whoops rang out, an audience member yelled, “God Bless Earl Scruggs!” and Béla Fleck was off in a flurry of rolling picking on the banjo. Soon Howard Levy followed and the rest of the Flecktones joined in, beginning their set in an exciting whirl.

The Flecktones are a six-time Grammy-winning band — and a many more time nominee. Their original music continues to evolve around the talent of ever-changing members. The current band is comprised of the original Flecktone members who have not toured together since 1992. Béla Fleck is a prodigious banjo player as well as the band leader. Victor Wooten is the renowned bassist whose ability to play expressive and technically challenging parts has made him a bass hero to musicians globally. Roy “Futureman” Wooten plays an instrument of his own design: the drumitar, which in essence comprises all of the group’s percussion. Howard Levy, who has returned to the group after an almost 20-year hiatus, is on piano and harmonica.

The Flecktones followed the opening number with a beautifully melodious song allowing for bit of release from the tensely engaging introduction, and then their odd-time signature song “Life in Eleven,” which is in different 11-count time signatures. Of course this might only be noted by frustrated musicians trying to count it since the song is aesthetically pleasing as well as the 2011 Grammy Award winner for Best Instrumental Composition. It is definitely one of my favorites.

Victor Wooten amazed the audience with a performance on bass and loop pedal. At this point in our culture looping is no longer a novel product; overdubbing dates back several decades. So what Wooten was performing was well understood by the audience, yet remained a fresh component of the performance overall. Wooten composed a medley of songs and his own improvisations; at one point we were surprised with the bass line to the theme music of the movie “Shaft.” Later in the performance he played each note in a melody, delayed by the time for the overdub loop to come full circle, adding a single note to the previous each time around. All during Wooten’s solo performance I felt in awe of how technically challenging yet musically satisfying the performance was. His ability to push the boundaries of the possible with his performance and keep it feeling musical was inspiring.

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Posted by | March 30, 2012 | Concerts | Comment 

‘Our lives, our home, our musical community’ An interview with Jeff Raines of Galactic

facebook.com/Galacticfunk / David Lee

Before kicking off the West coast leg of Galactic‘s latest tour guitarist Jeff Raines shed some light on what it’s like to have been “touched by Treme.”

Joe Duepner: Hey how’s it going?

Jeff Raines: Good, we’re home for about a week here. A little break between the East and the West. As you know St. Louis is the Gateway to the West so we’ll be starting there on Wednesday. Go out through the mountain states and then the rest of the coast.

How was Mardi Gras this year?

Mardi Gras was the kick-off of our tour. We released our new record “Carnivale Electricos” the day of Mardi Gras actually.

“Carnivale Electricos” is Brazillian themed. Have you guys ever been down to Carnival in Brazil?

No. As much as we would love to have done first-hand research for the record we did not make it down there. There’s the distance and time and you have to wait for the carnival to come by so logistically lining those all up can be difficult. So we drew upon our deep knowledge of New Orleans Mardi Gras and we got the Brazilian carnival side vicariously through the guest artists and friends here in New Orleans. Friends like Casa Samba and Al “Carnival Time” Johnson.

The one time we had a gig in Brazil it didn’t work out. After playing our show in Argentina we all gathered in the lobby of our hotel and piled into a shuttle van. Somewhere along the ride from the hotel to the airport Stan realized his backpack was missing. Of course in his backpack was his passport and his work visa. So there went Brazil. So that’s why to this day we’ve never performed in Brazil. That was a bad day.

How do you feel about the way the HBO show “Treme” depicts the current New Orleans music scene?

It’s good, it’s the best thing anyone’s ever made about New Orleans in television or film. Hands down. Anything that’s been made prior has been cheesy and silly. “Treme” has broken that losing streak. David Simon knows what he’s doing and he’s made a great show about New Orleans. It’s as close as you can get on television.

Do you have any character you especially relate to on the show?

Well you know the trombone player. We always laugh about him. We’re usually watching it on the bus with Corey “Bo Money” Henry, who’s a trombone player from the sixth ward, from the Treme, played in all kinds of bands. We’re always laughing at him like “That’s you bro, they’re telling your story on HBO.” We have an expression down here “touched by Treme.” You know, it’s our lives, our home, our musical community. For us it’s kind of a strange blending of the real world and the television world.

If you had to recommend where to eat in New Orleans, what would you choose?

Oh man there’s so much food. It’s so hard to pick. One of the things that I love that is not a quintessential staple is some of the Vietnamese food. There’s nothing like a Vietnamese poorboy. It’s a Vietnamese New Orleans thing. And the french bread it comes on, you can only get the best french bread in New Orleans and France. It makes the sandwich so much better.

88.1 KDHX welcomes Galactic to the Pageant on March 14.

Posted by | March 13, 2012 | Interviews | Comment 

Concert review: Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey (with Something in the Water) incite a musical riot at 2720 Cherokee, Saturday, March 10

jfjo.com / Jeremy Charles

There is an old joke that jazz is five musicians playing five different songs at the same time. Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey managed to both prove and disprove that statement during their set at 2720 Cherokee on Saturday.

Miles Davis’ “Bitches Brew” was in full swing over the sound system when local rockers Something in the Water took the stage and did a brief sound check before beginning their set. They ran through a 45-minute set of jazz-tinged blues-rock. Often sounding like a cross between Stone Gossard and Jimi Hendrix, Wayne Kimler handled his guitar like a pro. I was impressed with how clean the guitar tone was throughout the set, especially with some of the fuzz-laden and overdriven sections.

Drummer Kevin Helmsing pounded the skins as well as handled the vocals, keeping great time and adding some nice fills without overpowering the rest of the group. Bassist Ben Wheeler had the groove well in place, but some of his high-end sound was lost in the mix. He was knocking out some tasty upper register notes and four string chords, but everything above the 12th fret on the A and E strings was inaudible.

Despite some minor power issues (it looked like the bass/drums were vibrating the leads for Wayne’s pedal board out of the power strip), Something in the Water knocked out a pleasant, groove-laden set.

After a short delay, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey set up shop and proceeded to blow minds and offer new perspectives for the next two hours. JFJO has been in existence for 18 years and has 21 albums under its belt. Despite having such a long history and catalog of music, it is still nearly impossible to describe them. You can call their performances experimental, improvisational or avant-jazz, but those terms don’t even begin to scratch the surface.

Musically, the band is made up of some of the finest musicians on the planet. Pianist Biran Haas literally threw himself into his Fender Rhodes with every note. Bassist Jeff Harshbarger plucked and bowed his bass like a man possessed while Chris Combs worked his lap steel with precision that would put Speedy West to shame. Drummer Josh Raymer looked like a double-jointed puppet being operated by an over-caffeinated puppeteer. Guest horn player Mark Southerland was at center stage, honking and squealing on his tenor sax, clarinet, and homemade horn like a king before his court.

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Posted by | March 11, 2012 | Concerts | Comment 

Concert review: Chucho Valdés and the Afro-Cuban Messengers animate the Sheldon, Saturday, February 11

Chucho Valdés

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A year and six months after the release of his Latin Grammy award-winning album “Chucho’s Steps,” Chucho Valdés continues to leave an indelible impression on Latin jazz.

His performance at the Sheldon Concert Hall was more than proof that he and his band the Afro-Cuban Messengers make music that will most certainly be recalled by future musicians as a landmark in the progression of Afro-Cuban jazz.

The 70-year-old Cuban pianist, composer and bandleader describes the Afro-Cuban Messengers as being between Irakere and a quartet in size. This flexibility allows the Messengers to add members as the sounds they want go outside the immense talent and ability already present in the band. Such as the case with the addition of Dreiser Durruthy, who at one time toured with the French Young Ballet but was called upon by the Messengers for his vocal, batá and percussion abilities. Chucho himself is a an eight-time Grammy award winner (five Grammy awards and three Latin Grammys). The rhythm section is comprised of drummer Juan Carlos Rojas, percussionist Yaroldy Abreu and bassist Lázaro Rivero. The horns, or metals as they are referred to in Cuba, are manned by Reinaldo Melián Alvarez on trumpet and Carlos Manuel Miyares Hernandez on tenor sax.

As I drove home after the concert, I couldn’t help but think of the enormity of the task I had taken on. How would I be capable of describing what I had just witnessed? I was still in awe and felt as if I had been at ten concerts all wrapped into one.

The Afro-Cuban Messengers are most definitely Latin jazz with a focus on Afro-Cuban rhythms; however, the band seamlessly shifted between rock, swing, bop, classical and countless other styles throughout the set, while yet retaining their own sound. Every song they played had a particular feel, theme and style transitioning through several rhythm changes, none feeling odd or out place. Early in the set, during a softer portion of a song, the band halted and Dreiser leapt up from his stool and moved over the batá like lightning. When he finished, the house erupted in excitement. Jazz concerts are usually somewhat reserved, but in this case the audience could not sit still or contain themselves.

The night continued in similar fashion with each performance showcasing the amazing group Valdés has assembled. Not one song performed failed to hold everyone’s attention, and the only disappointment of the night was that it could not go on indefinitely. I left the concert feeling gorged with music, elatedly still trying to process it all and wanting to go back to hear more. This was a performance I will recall for the rest of my life; it redefined the borders of all music styles for me.

In the music of Valdés and the Messengers, the old, the new, the in-between and their boundaries are all present and accounted for. In a recent documentary called “The Making Of,” Chucho indicated (paraphrased from the Spanish), “This is our best work to date, which makes me very happy because I feel our music is still progressing and we have not stagnated.” Drummer Juan Carlos Rojas in the same documentary said (paraphrased from Spanish), “Between the percussionist and myself, we are doing new things in Afro-Cuban rhythms that the next generations of musicians will find and use.”

These claims were more than validated by Valdés and the Messengers’ astounding performance at the Sheldon.

Posted by | February 12, 2012 | Concerts | Comment 

Concert review: Ramsey Lewis Electric Band graces Jazz at the Bistro, Wednesday, November 30

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There is something about the opening number of a jazz act that is timeless. On the first night of a four-night stand in St. Louis, Ramsey Lewis Electric Band kept it cool with electric jazz that captured that feeling all through the night.

Wednesday night I attended the performance of Ramsey Lewis Electric Band at Jazz at the Bistro located on Washington Street across from the Fox Theater. Lewis is the current feature for the Jazz St. Louis 2011-2012 season. His career spans over five decades and includes three Grammy awards. Pianist Ramsey performed with his newly assembled quintet that includes Henry Johnson (guitar), Tim Gant (keyboards), Joshua Ramos (bass) and Charles Heath (drums). The electric band is in town for a four-night series that includes both 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. sets.

Jazz at the Bistro is a common venue for the St. Louis jazz scene. Many jazz acts, local and national, frequent the wedge building in Midtown. St. Louisans that enjoy a combination of jazz and casual dining are likely to be familiar with the location. For those who are not familiar with it, Jazz at the Bistro is a two-story restaurant and intimate concert venue with a small stage located on the ground level.

Ramsey Lewis and his electric band came out for their second set at 9:30 p.m. sharp. To the stage walked five well-dressed gentlemen who were ready to perform. Five suits inched their way across the narrow stage before separating between the scattered instruments to take their places. Without delay they jumped right into the night.

The opening was luscious. There is something about the opening numbers of jazz performances that never ceases to amaze the audience. It seems as if the band pulls some magical collection of chords and notes out of thin air to create a mystical melody that you replay in your thoughts throughout the entire night. However that process works, Ramsey and his electric band accomplished it. Their introduction blended traditional jazz with contemporary style to produce the perfect balance of smoothness and rhythm.

Speaking into the microphone, Mr. Lewis welcomed the crowd to the “midnight, not quite” set. After making his opening statements he led the band into the selection “Love Song.” The piano-driven tune evoked a calming effect with the grace and tranquility that is synonymous with love. By the end of the piece the crowd was feeling the joy. “That’ll work!” uttered an attendee in approval. The nice thing about small intimate performances is that you can see and hear each audience member making a personal connection to the music.

The quintet carried on with their rendition of “Oh Happy Day.” Ramos on bass reminded me of how small the Bistro’s stage was as tried to groove in a stiff posture to prevent from bumping into Johnson who was to his right. A full-sized piano, a second piano, two keyboards, bass and guitar complete with separate amps, additional audio equipment and five musicians doesn’t leave much room for movement in a corner the size of an SUV and a half. Nevertheless, their performance did not suffer from the cramped space one bit.

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Posted by | December 1, 2011 | Concerts | Comment 

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