Elvis the Jazzbo
Mark Turner (mturner@netcom.com)
Sat, 31 Aug 1996 09:58:18 -0700 (PDT)
Elvis Costello and the Attractions gave a typically outstanding
performance last night at Berkeley's Greek Theater. To confirm
previous reports, the "acid jazz workout" on "(I Don't Want to
Go to) Chelsea" did in fact happen. The song "Distorted Angel"
(from the new album) segued directly into a version of "Chelsea"
with the exact same tempo, and was punctuated by several jazzy
solo exchanges between Elvis' guitar and Steve Nieve's keyboards.
Many of the other songs were played looser and jazzier than the
recorded versions, most notably "Clown Strike." The band obviously
knew the material well enough to take liberties with it, and Elvis'
voice was in prime form, perhaps the best I've ever heard. You
could hear a pin drop during his acoustic rendition of "My Funny
Valentine." Although I wouldn't call this an acid jazz concert
by any stretch of the imagination, it was a great musical event.
If anyone wants a blow-by-blow account, feel free to e-mail me
privately.
--
Mark Turner
mturner@netcom.com