Jeni Fleming Ensemble / June 28th, 2008 / Bake's Place / Issaquah, WA
Summer got off to a great start for you on June 28th, if you are a jazz fan and live in the Issaquah Washington area. Bake’s Place, a nicely appointed dinner club, hosted vocalist Jeni Fleming and her ensemble. Fleming who would just as soon not have her music pigeonholed into any one genre, presented two sets which consisted of a combination of jazz standards, bossa nova tunes and swing music. Fleming, who demonstrated great vocal range and versatility, was backed by nattily attired male musicians in dark suits, including, guitar virtuoso Craig Hall, her hubby Jake Fleming on guitar and saxophone, pianist Chris Cundy, drummer Adam Greenberg and Chad Langford, an original member of the ensemble who has been studying in the Hague for the past year, and is back in America for the summer. Just a note for the ladies, this is one of the best-looking group of men, you are going to find touring the jazz circuit this year.
Fleming opened her first set with Arthur Altman’s (lyrics by Jack Lawrence) “All Or Nothing At All,” a cheery tune, whose bright colors matched the bright yellow sundress which Fleming was wearing. The lilt of Fleming’s voice is light, not ethereal, but more like what one would expect from the female lead in a good Broadway musical. “All Or Nothing At All,” moves well and bassist Langford and guitarist Hall, established a good tempo from the onset of the first few bars.
The Jeni Fleming Ensemble changed the pace for their second song, “Once Around The Sun,” an original composition by Jake Fleming, which Jeni sang in a lyric soprano voice. Once again, Hall and Jake Fleming’s guitars provided the pretty melody line, for a song that appeared on Fleming’s 2004 CD of the same name.
Demonstrating her ability to reinterpret popular music within a jazz context, Fleming covered Paul Simon’s, “Still Crazy After All These Years,” a tune she recorded for her 2005 album, Someday, Sometime. She provided a humorous introduction to the song, saying that she was inspired to record it when she and Jake were out grocery shopping at 11:30 one night, and they heard Paul Simon’s song through the store’s audio system. Fleming observed that it must be worthy song since it had survived Muzak. “Still Crazy After All These Years,” gave the audience an opportunity to fully appreciate Fleming’s emotive phrasing.
With three of her songs, “Chega de Saudade,” “Waters Of March,” and “Garota de Ipanema,” all of which are bossa novas, Fleming nodded to Brazilian songwriter, Antonio Carlos Jobim. The first two songs were performed in English, while “Garota de Ipanema,” (“The Girl From Ipanema”), was sung entirely in Portuguese.
Although Jeni Fleming may hail from the Big Sky state of Montana, she brought a lot of southern soul and passion to Bobby Gentry’s 1967 Grammy Award winning song, “Ode To Billy Joe.” Fleming who confesses a fondness for ballads, was in her element as she related the family’s conversation around the dinner table as they discussed, in a matter of fact fashion the suicide of Billy Joe MacAllister who jumped off the Tallachatchie Bridge. Jake Fleming’s lamenting saxophone viewed the story through a bluesy lens, while drummer Greenberg, who plays more emotively than most stickmen, gently kept the beat with mallets.
Fleming borrowed from another popular tune, this time the Beatles’ “Can’t Buy Me Love.” Fronting a band that provided its most energized performance, in this swinging rendition of the Beatles’ song, Fleming once again demonstrated her many colors as an artist, and that she can display all of them, while retaining a standard of excellence in her performance.
With all due respect to Judy Garland, Rosemary Clooney and others, Fleming delivered the most passionate and prettiest interpretation of Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg’s, “Over The Rainbow,” that I have ever heard. Fleming was able to create an authentic sense of longing, for a better place and another time. For much of the song, she was accompanied only by her hubby on guitar, and Greenberg’s soft wire brushes across his snare drum. Cundy provided a pretty piano bridge.
Jeni Fleming is an outstanding vocalist, who is backed by very gifted musicians, and they kicked off the summer in fine style, at Bake’s Place in Issaquah, Washington. Make sure you check out Jeni Fleming’s music on her myspace site, and then surf on over to Bake’s Place website, because Craig and Laura Baker have a beautiful dinner club, and bring in some excellent artists.
All photos by Joe Montague ©
Reviewed June 28th, 2008
Riveting Riffs wishes to thank the management of Bake's Place for making it possible for Riveting Riffs to review this concert
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