Fred Hersch - My Old Man, All I Want, River: Some of has have already heard Fred do My Old Man, so we know of his supreme accomplishments and abilites as a jazz pianist. He intro's his set by saying that he was one of the lucky first musicains contacted about the gig, and he immediately jumped at the chance and picked 3 songs from the masterpiece Blue. Fred's love for these compositions really shone through, as he played the familiar melodies, augmented the chords with jazz notes, and played tasteful solos that always complemented and never showboated. I could listen to him all night, he was simply fabulous. The standing O he received made me think that others felt the same way.
Greg Osby - Tax Free, Ethiopia: I had no idea what to expect with this one. I didn't know that Greg is a fixture on the jazz scene and is based in St. Louis. He played alto sax, and led his trio (stand-up bass and guitar) in classic jazz treatments of these two never-before covered DED tunes. After playing the basic melodic line, Greg would solo and then Mike Moreno, his guitarist, would solo. Very clean & melodic solos, and they knew when enough was enough and when to turn it back over. Greg proved the musical viability of these oft-neglected melodies. Tamar-Kali - Silky Veils Of Ardor: OK, I admit it...I don't recall much about this one, so it must not have been very memorable. A pity too, because I love 'Veils'. Julien Fleischer - The Last Time I Saw Richard, The Circle Game: Julien's 2nd appearance, back on guitar but this time with Tom Murray on clarinet and Matthew Fries on piano. Both of these were top-notch, the addition of clarinet on 'Richard' was a very welcome color. With 'Circle Game', Julien coaxed the audience to join in on the chorus, reminding us "the more out of tune voices, the better". Again, his naturally warm vocals suited the song and raised it above the cliche it can sometimes be. Sussan Deyhim - Jericho: This one was tough to take. As has been stated, Sussan sang this one in a middle Eastern wail with her chin at a quiver, and it was not comfortable to watch or hear. Not that it was bad, far from it. it's just that it was a style that most of our ears were not accustomed to hearing. Still, I was relieved that she only did the one number. Brandon Ross - Off Night Backstreet: Brandon was Sussan Deyhim's guitarist, and he stayed onstage and was joined by another dreadlocked guy on the bass. This was an effective piece, Brandon played his own arrangement, and seemed to avoid some of the trickier chord progressions in the song. Still, it was very soulful and enjoyable. OK, closing this one for now, because the Mingus Big Band is up next!! Bob NP: Billy Joel, "Josephine"
