Fire at Keaton's Bar and Grill
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Saxophonist Roy Nathanson's tenure with John Lurie and his Lounge Lizards and then the Jazz Passengers gave ample foreshadowing for this all-over-the-map concept album. Nathanson pulls in a roster of luminaries, starting with Elvis Costello to open the set (and make a pair of additional appearances) and continuing with Deborah Harry, organist Charles Earland, and several of the leader's colleagues from the Jazz Passengers. The album has a story: Keaton's is an archetypal hangout, a seedy nightclub central to the cast's lives, that burns down. The vocals vary from Costello's croon to a scrappy Nancy King spot, a hilarious turn by Richard Butler, and Harry's sultry swagger on "Cups." Nathanson and the band play across styles, swinging then strutting then playing a straight soul-jazz tune with Earland driving on the Hammond organ. Of course, the horn charts are very conversational, with riffs flying back and forth and solos popping up as inadvertent reminders that Nathanson's aesthetic is at heart soul-bop-funk. Here, he manages to not only build a storied nightspot with the music, he gets to burn the place down and have the music tell the story. --Andrew Bartlett
Fire at Keaton's Bar and Grill,Roy Nathanson,Six Degrees,Modern Creative,Pop,Popular Music,Rock,Rock/Pop
Rock Music:
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