I saw her Portland appearance advertised after I'd already made plans to go to Walla Walla for the weekend. We drank some great wine and ate some terrific food there. Still, I wish I could have been in two places at once.
Melody Gardot in concert she's in Seattle 6/19
Melody Gardot played Portland's Aladdin Theater last night, and her performance was nothing less than jaw-dropping. I've been a fan since hearing two cuts from her album in a New Years Eve countdown of the year's best releases on Portland's KMHD, but nothing could have prepared me for the power of her live performance. Twelve or fifteen songs from her two releases, most of which were done in a completely different style from the albums, and a band--drummer, bass, and a sax/flute player--with an astonishing range. THE most remarkable combination of vocal talent and songwriting ability that I've yet enountered.
Waiting for my wife outside the theater after the concert, I watched people come out of the theater in near disbelief: did we just hear that? Most concerts you come of of, people are talking afterward about where to go for a drink. The people I saw were all talking rapturously about the performance they'd just seen. Seattleites out there, do yourself a favor and get to the Moore Theater tonight. I'm sorely tempted to get on the road and see her a second time.
Waiting for my wife outside the theater after the concert, I watched people come out of the theater in near disbelief: did we just hear that? Most concerts you come of of, people are talking afterward about where to go for a drink. The people I saw were all talking rapturously about the performance they'd just seen. Seattleites out there, do yourself a favor and get to the Moore Theater tonight. I'm sorely tempted to get on the road and see her a second time.
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Thanks again, Stewie - I saw the Seattle show - outstanding! I was awestruck that she's only 25 as she's just too damn wise beyond those few years. If you weren't actually seeing her, you might think you were listening to a 40-something seasoned jazz singer performing original introspective songs, and interacting with an audience with charm, and wit, and a streetwise wisdom. Anyone who doesn't know her story, well, that's another remarkable aspect of her...but the voice, the music, the songwriting and the spirited energy behind all of it! ...Not to mention legs that go on forever! And damn, that sax player was taking names, the entire backing trio were all outstanding young musicians...but the guy on Sax (and flute, and was that a clarinet or oboe?)...just amazing! At one point I was wondering why he was wearing a second sax around his neck while playing another...until he started playing both...at the same time...very well, I might add!! The entire production is vibrant, creative, soulful...unforgettable. She's heading to Greece and then to Europe after that. Don't miss her if she plays nearby. If you can't see her, do pick up one of her last two CD's, which are both outstanding (though as Stewie said, her stage show is a bit of a departure and stands alone as a must-see experience). Think Eva Cassidy meets Diana Krall...with perhaps a bit of the spirited, youthful creativity of Maddeline Peyroux. |
Jax2: glad it lived up to the billing! One thing I'd add emphasize in connection with your post. Her story is amazing, as are her looks; but you're right, it's not her looks or her story that make her great. In fact, I'll go further and say those things can very nearly distract you--well, not you exactly--from what is just an extraordinary talent. As for the trio: the sax player is Antony Ware, and he's just one of the best I've heard, and fairly young I do believe. The drummer is Charles Staab, early twenties, Princeton grad. The bass player is the extraordinary Charnett Moffett, whose father, Charles Moffett was the drummer for Ornette Coleman (hence the name "Charnette"). There's not a weak link in the chain. |
I completely concur - only a few minutes of her on stage and one forgets almost instantly that there is any 'story' at all - one is struck by a refined and confident and unique talent generously offered, with absolutely nothing holding her back. The story is more of a remarkable aside, and is no small stepping stone to where she is today, but it entirely apart from her talent. Thanks for the insight into the backing trio. Absolutely - no weak links there, and the four of them were magic together. |
Regarding Stewie's info on the lineup, I believe the sax player was actually Irwin Hall, who joined the band in October 2009 during its tour of Japan. He and Charles Staab graduated from Princeton in 2007, which would make them both 25 -- the same age as Melody herself. Hall is also a sideman on Charnett Moffett's 2010 release, 'Treasure', and speaks fluent Japanese. About their mentor at Princeton, Anthony Branker: http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S16/67/20S19/ (..and the comment on http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=34535) Anthony Ware is indeed a talented young sax player (now 26) who performed with Irwin Hall while they were in college; Ware was a student at Rutgers. He joined Hall and the band for Melody Gardot's appearance with the New York Pops on June 1 at SummerStage in Central Park, NYC. Here is a video of them performing together at another outdoor event in New York, a May 2009 tribute to Max Roach: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8-CTj2Bb-M |
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