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By Tom Ineck

KANSAS CITY, Mo.—In little more than a decade, and with just four releases to her name, Madeleine Peyroux has established a reputation as one of the most original vocal stylists on the scene. Often compared with Billie Holiday, she possesses a world-weary vocal quality and an ability to slide easily across the harmonic spectrum while remaining true to the melodic line. Her choice of material—from country blues to modern folk to French chanson to traditional swing—has also made her a crossover favorite.

All of those qualities were in ample evidence during an appearance March 20 at the Folly Theater in Kansas City, Mo. She and her quartet of top-notch sidemen delivered a captivating, 90-minute set that never lagged. It was a masterful, well-disciplined performance that, nevertheless, seemed intimately informal.

Understandably, the emphasis was on her new CD, “Bare Bones,” released just 10 days before her KC visit. It represents a major step forward, as it is her first release of all-original material. On most of the 11 tunes, she shares credits with other songsmiths, including producer Larry Klein, Julian Coryell and Steely Dan’s Walter Becker. As always, it is Peyroux’s idiosyncratic style that makes the songs completely hers.

For the Folly show, her versatile bandmates included the great Larry Goldings, switching off on acoustic piano, electronic keys and Hammond B-3 organ; Jon Herrington on acoustic and electric guitars and mandolin; Barak Mori on acoustic and electric basses; and Darren Beckett on drums and assorted percussion. Peyroux also contributed some nice acoustic guitar work. The instrumental diversity kept things fresh all evening.

Before introducing the new songs, Peyroux began with her definitive version of Leonard Cohen’s “Dance Me to the End of Love,” with Goldings taking a swinging piano solo and Herrington chiming in on guitar. The new CD’s title track had Goldings on sultry organ accompaniment, as Peyroux referred to her Southern heritage—“They preached the gospel down in Metarie, they preached it in school. It never made much sense to me, wonder if it was supposed to.”  

On “Don’t Wait Too Long,” from the 2004 release “Careless Love,” the singer displayed her astounding technique of sliding up and down the scale as she caressed the lyric, creating a beguiling eroticism. The ballad “River of Tears” featured some wonderful slide guitar work and a subtle organ solo.

Dylan’s “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go” also received a unique Peyroux treatment, with Beckett utilizing soft mallets in rubato and Goldings on piano. “Damn the Circumstances” is a heart-rending original about dashed dreams and skeletons in the family closet. Peyroux attempted to lighten the mood with “I’m All Right,” introducing the tune as a “happy break-up song.” “A Little Bit” followed in a rollicking, rocking style. The last two are both from “Half the Perfect World,” Peyroux’s 2006 release.

For a brief, two-tune set, the band “unplugged” to recreate Peyroux’s stint as a Paris street busker. With Herrington on mandolin, Goldings on melodica, Mori on acoustic bass and Beckett using brushes on a pasteboard box, they launched into “La Javanaise” and “Don’t Cry Baby,” a Count Basie classic.

In rapid succession, Peyroux and company ran down six more songs from the new release—the moody “Love and Treachery,” the bluesy “You Can’t Do Me,” the haunting “The Lady of Pigalle,” the wonderful song of love and loss, “I Must Be Saved,” the easy-swinging, feel-good tune, “Instead,” and, as an encore, Peyroux’s tribute to Barack Obama called “Somethin’ Grand.”    

The lavish rococo décor of the former burlesque house was an ideal setting for Peyroux’s throwback appeal. But as a songwriter, she demonstrated a timeless talent and a sure sense of poetry in every lyric.

Canadian singer-songwriter Steve Poltz opened with a 30-minute set of quirky originals, including “Brief History of My Life,” which referred comically to his Catholic upbringing, “Everything About You,” from the “Notting Hill” soundtrack, and a whacky, dramatic parody of “Edward Scissorhands” called “Sewing Machine,” featuring a recording of friend A. J. Croce on piano accompaniment. He also displayed some fine finger-picking technique on “Silver Lining” and the instrumental “Chinese Checkers.”

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By Tom Ineck

LINCOLN, Neb.—A degree in aerospace engineering was only the beginning for Dana Hall, who went on to garner diplomas in music, music composition and music arranging and is completing his doctorate in ethnomusicology at the University of Chicago.

“It’s Not Rocket Science…” was the ideal title for Hall’s March 24 guest appearance with the Nebraska Jazz Orchestra at the Cornhusker Marriott. The versatile percussionist steered the big band through a set of challenging and frequently high-flying performances for the NJO’s final concert of the season.

The legendary Woody Herman flag-waver “Four Brothers” kicked things off with a front-line saxophone barrage led by Matt Wallace on tenor sax and Scott Vicroy on baritone. Hall first demonstrated his drum skills on “Synergy,” a tune by guest music director Eric Richards, sitting in for Ed Love, who is traveling in Italy with a group of young musicians.

A highlight of the evening was the Thad Jones composition “Us,” a funky number featuring intricate, bluesy lines and bright brass ensemble work. Maria Schneider’s “Wrygly” had Wallace wailing with soulful intensity on tenor and Peter Bouffard soaring on an inspired rock-style guitar solo.

The band returned to Earth for an exquisite reading of John Coltrane’s stately ballad “Central Park West” and a flawless version of Don Grolnick’s devilishly difficult “Nothing Personal,” with masterful playing by Wallace on tenor, Bob Krueger on flugelhorn and Hall on drums.

“Fingers,” a Thad Jones tune based on the changes of “I Got Rhythm,” was driven by Hall’s fast shuffle beat, which drew excellent solos from several players. Mark Benson delivered a rousing soprano sax statement, while other notable solos came from Bouffard on guitar, Krueger on trumpet, Tom Harvill on piano and Andy Hall on bass.

The audience of 355 also showed enthusiastic support for the opening set by the Omaha Westside High School Concert Jazz Band, joined by Hall on an Eric Richards arrangement of “Black Orpheus.” Directed by Roger Groth, the youthful ensemble also turned in a fine rendition of the Sammy Nestico-penned Basie standard “Wind Machine.” Several of the young players showed promise, but the real standout was drummer Grant McMullen, who exhibited ample technique and self-assurance, even when sharing the stage with Hall manning a second drum kit during “Orpheus.”

During the intermission, longtime NJO sponsor John Tavlin of Midwest Diamond gave a rambling, impromptu “state of the NJO” address, pleading for support for the financially strapped band, which was founded in 1975. A trumpeter and former band member, Tavlin shared his intimate knowledge of NJO history as he made a persuasive case for the survival of this musical treasure.

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Concert Review

Woodwind virtuoso leaves listeners awestruck

By Tom Ineck

LINCOLN, Neb.—Woodwind virtuoso Mike Tomaro put two generations of local jazz artists through the paces as featured guest artist for the 2009 “Learning from the Master” concert Jan. 22 at the Cornhusker Marriott.

Once a year, the Nebraska Jazz Orchestra brings in an established musician to front the professional band and to mentor the area’s latest crop of musical youth, also known as the Young Lions All-Star Band. Tomaro, who teaches at Duquesne University, left both ensembles awestruck at his considerable instrumental prowess.

After a short set with the younger ensemble, the NJO primed the pump with a rousing rendition of “Writer’s Block,” a bluesy tune featuring trumpeter Bob Krueger, tenor saxophonist Paul Haar and some nice unison playing by the brass section. Tomaro then joined the NJO for “You and the Night and the Music.” His up-tempo take and astounding tenor playing served notice that he is a force to be reckoned with. His extended solo drew from a deep well of ideas.

Switching to alto sax for Billy Strayhorn’s lush and lovely “A Flower is a Lovesome Thing,” Tomaro set the mood by reading the lyrics before playing the romantic ballad. His arrangement of “Bluesette” transformed the tune into a samba, with Tomaro on soprano sax and trombonist Todd Thatcher and Haar on tenor contributing solos.

In another unexpected interpretation, the NJO played Tomaro’s version of J.J. Johnson’s “Lament.” Usually performed as a ballad, it emerged as a mid-tempo waltz that also proved a perfect vehicle for the arranger’s octave leaps and high-register foray on the tenor sax.

From the extensive pop songbook of Stevie Wonder came “Send One Your Love,” first recorded on Wonder’s largely instrumental LP of 1979 entitled “Journey Through the Secret Life of Plants.” This lesser-known tune featured Tomaro on flute and the sax section in a unison interlude.

For his own “Del Corazon,” Tomaro turned to the Electronic Wind Instrument (EWI) in a stylistic nod to the music of guitarist Pat Metheny and pianist Lyle Mays. The breezy fusion tune had pianist Tom Harvill, drummer Greg Ahl and bassist George Bryan bravely keeping the driving beat.

The band closed with the flag-waver, “Dodo’s Dance,” a tune by pianist Dodo Marmarosa based on the standard “Cherokee.” Tomaro took it at a blazing tempo and improvised with ease over the whole range of the tenor sax, giving the rest of the outfit a chance to burn and inspiring a standing ovation from the crowd of 250.

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