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The Jazz Mandolin Project
Thursday · Jack Quinn’s
When discussions arise concerning the qualities and merits of Jazz/Fusion, rarely does a side debate break out over the most effective use of mandolin in a Jazz setting. If it does, the conversation is generally shorter than a Carol Moseley Braun presidential bid. The only serious horse in the limited field is Jamie Masefield, who uses the traditionally Bluegrass-oriented instrument to front his surprising and distinctive Jazz outfit, the Jazz Mandolin Project. Of course, there was a time when the mandolin had a place in all music, but Bill Monroe hijacked it for his fledgling Bluegrass genre in the 1930s and was so spectacularly successful with it that it has become almost exclusively associated with the Country/Mountain hybrid. Perhaps that’s why Masefield feels compelled to reclaim the instrument and restore its reputation outside of its now relatively limited consideration. JMP’s surprises are not isolated to its unorthodox choice of lead instrument; Masefield is a contemporary musical chameleon and peppers his sets with a wide array of genres to show off his manic versatility. Recent audiences have witnessed JMP breezing through Jazz challenges like Weather Report’s “Black Market” and Sonny Rollins’ “St. Thomas” with an ear for both reverence and innovation before launching into jaw droppers like Neil Young’s “Powderfinger” and Jimi Hendrix’s “Third Stone from the Sun,” as well any number of selections from the band’s latest album, Jungle Tango. It might be difficult for some to separate the mandolin from the sawdust-floored hoedowns that it has overseen for the past 70 years, but Jamie Masefield has arrived with his exquisite vintage Gibson and a wildly gifted Jazz combo to provide the doubters with powerful reasons to try. (Brian Baker)
Griffin House
Friday · Stanley’s Pub
Earnest singer/songwriters are as ubiquitous as bus stops and in Nashville the number rises exponentially every time one encounters a talented, struggling waiter with the notes for a surefire hit song tucked in the back of his order pad. But (and there’s always a “but”) Griffin House distances himself from the usual pack of desperate sleevehearted mopemongers with a sound that is warm without being maudlin, engaging without being showy and direct without being obvious.
The central Ohio native tried his luck in Philadelphia before heading down to Nashville where he honed his style by applying liberal coats of Rock, Pop and Folk to his already broad-based musical foundation, arriving at a sound that smacks of Americana but encompasses a little bit of everything he does well. House’s debut album, Upland, was released last fall to local and regional acclaim, and he continues to draw praise from the understandably jaded Nashville press by virtue of gigs on his own and at a regular songwriters’ round table known as “Go Folk Yourself.” House’s songwriting hook is a penchant for classic storytelling, an old convention but one that is often overlooked in favor of cryptic metaphor or trendy soapbox sloganeering. This is one of House’s infrequent returns to his home state so catch him and prepare for an evening of well-crafted story/songs presented by a young master with nothing less than a lifetime of potential ahead of him. (BB)
French Kicks with Ambulance LTD and Frankenixon
Tuesday · Southgate House
When the French Kicks released One Time Bells, their debut full-length album two years ago, it was greeted with nearly universal acclaim and at least a little consternation. The well-traveled Brooklyn, NY-based band had generated comparisons to The White Stripes and The Strokes with their initial EPs, comparisons that weren’t impossibly far off the mark but didn’t begin to address the other cross-currents that swirled through the Kicks’ complex sound. With One Time Bells, the Kicks sought to correct the situation by incorporating as many different genres into the album as they could manage, from garagey D.C.-to-N.Y.C. Punk to spiky Pop to high octane Soul. At the time, drummer/vocalist Nick Stumpf described the seemingly scattershot approach that he and the Kicks took on their first full album as being completely calculated. “The way we recorded it, it’s not fed to you in any way at all,” Stumpf noted. “There’s no theatrical production of any kind. It’s not intentionally lo-fi, but it’s not tarted up. The way we construct songs is with the hope that every time you listen to it, you’ll notice something different.”
That strategy has proven to be a lasting one; haul out a copy of One Time Bells and you’ll find it’s as bafflingly listenable now as it was when it was new. And the Kicks’ new album, The Trial of the Century, promises to be every bit as challenging and fascinating as its predecessor, with an emphasis on muscular guitars, poppy synths and an appropriately soulful vibe with sweeping waves of dissonance and melodicism competing for the listener’s attention. A lot of the new material was showcased to wildly enthusiastic acceptance during the band’s recent residency at the Mercury Lounge in New York, as was the Kicks’ new live configuration, as Stumpf left the drum kit behind to take his rightful place at the front of the stage. It’s always a surprise with the French Kicks. (BB)
Split Habit with Allister, Punchline and Hidden In Plain View
Tuesday · Jillian’s
Chicago’s Split Habit has come to understand the delicate wire walk involved when attempting the chemical bonding of Pop and Punk. The trio’s first round of releases (the full-length Rockstar 101 in 1999, the EPs E to the P in 2000 and Broken Strings, Broken Sticks, Broken Hearts in 2002) were all given high marks in Pop cleanliness if not Rock godliness and relegated to the dreaded middle ground limbo of non-threatening niceness. But with the addition of guitarist Frankie Cacciato and the release of the band’s sophomore album, Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is, Split Habit has discovered the secret of both mixing and mutating influences while adding just a touch of grit to the polish in order to make a Pop/Punk sound that sticks in the ears. Bassist/vocalist Travis Brown and drummer Chris Michaels are a propulsively sinewy rhythm section and Cacciato provides a poppy-but-crunchy guitar texture for the pair to play against. “Rebel” kicks off Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is like a potent cross between the Get Up Kids, Cheap Trick and the Knack, while “City Girl” and “Hundred Dollar Guarantee” swirl a gentle Beatles groove into a more forceful Weezer vibe, ultimately creating an edgy sonic palette that is frenetic and melodic in the right proportions and at the right times. And for elegant cheese appeal, the band throws in a spectacularly punked-out version of Hall & Oates’ hit “Maneater” and a slightly too well-hidden track that finds Split Habit giving free rein to their rampaging Midwestern Beastie Boys id with Hip Hop/Rock abandon. There’s plenty of this kind of cross-pollinated Pop/Punk out in the world right now so anything with the slightest edge to it will help its bearers rise above the din; Split Habit has a great view from their newly elevated spot. (BB)
This article appears in Apr 28 – May 4, 2004.
