Friday, January 30, 2009

Midnight Serenaders CD Release Show



Here's a show that I will unfortunately have to miss, but anyone else who enjoys early jazz, tin pan alley and swing standards played by top notch musicians and who has $12 to burn and an open Saturday night, should head on down to the Mission Theater for The Midnight Serenaders' CD Release show.

The sextet covers a wide aural spectrum, featuring ukulele, guitar, Hawaiian steel guitar, clarinet, trumpet and upright bass, and plays with the intensity of a full big band. The blithe interplay of clarinetist David Evans and trumpeter Garner Pruitt is captivating, but never steps into "noodly" territory. They deliver sparkling embellishments between perfectly timed negative space. In addition, guitarist Doug Sammons and ukulele player Dee Settlemeier deliver each song with tight vocal harmonies and vaudevillian pizzazz. It's an added bonus that Doug Sammons has a knack for choosing some of the catchiest and most ribald songs of the jazz era, always a treat for filthy-minded listeners such as myself.

If that wasn't enough to sell you, The Stolen Sweets will be opening. The centerpiece of this group is the vocal trio of Jen Bernard, Lara Mitchell, and Erin Sutherland, a group of exceptionally talented singers heavily influenced by iconic 1930s trio, The Boswell Sisters. The "Sweets" also feature a highly skilled backing band, most notably including Portland indie icon turned Djangophile Pete Krebs on guitar.

I have yet to hear the Midnight Serenaders' new CD, Sweet Nothins, but if their live show and their previous recording Magnolia are any indication, it should definitely be worth picking up!

Here are the Details:

Sat. January 31st
9PM
The Mission Theater
1624 NW Glisan St
$12
21+

No comments: