Get The Blessing is a Bristol-based jazz funk rock band. They consist of the rhythm section of legendary trip-hoppers Portishead: Jim Barr on bass and Clive Deamer on drums. They’ve teamed up with Jake McMurchie on sax and Pete Judge on trumpet to make a sound that is, well, heavy. Strong and slightly haunting rhythms pair with some artful brass that were at times rocking and at times a little scary, but in a good way.
I only caught about half of their set, but was compelled to stay at Nathan Phillips for as long as I could once I dialed into the right frequency. Get the Blessing would be a great band to see in an intimate club if you want some music that can propel you forward and still feel substantial. If I was a goth with a father who loved jazz music and I appreciated that fact, I would listen to this music when I was getting ready to go out on one of my crazy goth Saturday nights. For the record, I’m not a goth, but I’ll still listen to Get The Blessing.
Janelle Monae is a great singer. Moreover, she’s a great all around performer backed up by a solid band. Put simply, this lady knows a thing or two about how to entertain a crowd. The Kansas born funk/soul singer’s star has been steadily on the rise for awhile now, Panic Manual having been turned on to her early on after a SXSW set a few years back and she definitely lives up to the hype.
Monae opened for Of Montreal awhile back and I can only assume the association had some impact on her stage show, which included fancy dress/odd costumes on her bandmates, Monae painting onstage during one song, and other shenanigans like Monae beating up two guys onstage who seemed to be right out of Eyes Wide Shut. A little bit of theatricality goes a long way in making for an entertaining show.
Along with a fantastic cover of The Jackson Five’s “I Want You Back,” Monae offered up a few cover versions this night, some of which seemed to be her concession to the fact that she was playing a jazz festival. These included Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile,” which was preceded by a ’60s style jazzy solo from her guitarist and a medley of “You Only Live Twice” and “Goldfinger.” I guess when you’ve got a band this good, with strings and horns included, why not tackle a medley of Bond Themes? And why not wear a Bond-esque white tuxedo jacket while you’re at it?
My only real quibble with this show would be the sound mix. The bass seemed too loud, which sort of drowned out the efforts of the rest of the band at times. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some loud bass, but not at the expense of everything else. That aside, this was an impressive performance on the part of Janelle Monae and band.
This song has been repeat for me all weekend. Swedish act Amanda Mair‘s wise-beyond-her-years self titled debut was a mature and catchy affair and one of the singles off the record – House was given the remix treatment by label mates Club 8 and it’s amazing. Why haven’t Club 8 remixed more records? This could be a good gig.
The remix replaces the tender piano notes from the original with an 80s synth line and a disco vibe. Paired with Amanda Mair’s incredible voice, this tale of regret and abandonment becomes one of those songs you can now put on in your home in your darkest days and dance your pants off to it. There’s something magical about Mares voice, its sweet but not too sweet and has a hint of sadness and detachment to it at the same time. The original is good, but the remix takes it to another level. Quite an exception to your usual remixes.
The Church of the Holy Trinity is a pretty amazing church. It’s a progressive place of worship nestled within the grounds of a major shopping centre; a small piece of serenity right next to 5-story posters hawking the latest fragrance by Chanel. It’s an inclusive place too, famous for opening its doors to the community for music shows and Nuit Blanche, Toronto’s all night art thing. Unlike the Berkeley Church which was transformed into an event venue, the Trinity is still a practicing place of worship, making it feel that much more legitimate. Seeing a show here was on my bucket list. Ah-check.
Kurt Rosenwinkel is a masterful guitarist that broke out on the modern jazz scene in the 90’s. He was plucked up by vibes legend Gary Burton, the dean of Berklee’s music school, to tour while still a student. His ability to fuse all sorts of inspirations into musical stories that are both simple and complex has earned him a place among the top contemporary jazz musicians of today. Playing a solo show at the Holy Trinity was one of the best marriages of artist and venue that I’ve seen in my ongoing list of “best marriage between artist and venue”. Cue the Wedding March.
Playing a rhythmic bass line to keep the heads in the crowd bopping in time while also telling a story with the higher plinky notes is one thing Kurt excels at.
The interesting thing about this show was that Kurt sang and played, which is new to me. I’ve only known him as an instrumentalist par excellence. By sing, I don’t actually mean sing, more like make sounds that accompany what was going on with his guitar. There’s an interesting phenomenon where some jazz artists get so emotionally plugged into what they are doing that they end up tunelessly humming along. It’s almost as if they are reacting to what their other half is doing. Jazz legends Keith Jarrett and Oscar Peterson are both known for this. Kurt’s singing was a little different, it was more targeted and part of the tapestry of the song. Together, it made for a pretty ephemeral soundtrack that was a little otherworldly. The sounds he made comfortably resonated up the big churchy emptiness overhead and just kind of hung out for a bit.
About halfway through, Kurt started dotting his set with more traditional sounding jazz guitar. Let’s call it a modern take on traditional jazz guitar. Playing a rhythmic bass line to keep the heads in the crowd bopping in time while also telling a story with the higher plinky notes is one thing Kurt excels at. Although the singy songs fit well in the hall, it was these more traditional tunes updated with Rosenwinkel flair that the jazz lovers both young and old could all agree on.
