From: Bob Davis (earthjuice_at_prodigy.net)
Date: 2004-12-06 05:02:53
On Saturday night I went to see Marlon Saunders, Monet, Alison Crockett @ Franks Lounge.
It wasn't just any show.
And it wasn't just anyplace.
It was in Brooklyn (my old hometown), right in shadow of "the clock". Everybody from Brooklyn
knows exactly what I am talking about when I mention "the clock". It's the clock which is at
the top of the old Williamsburg Bank building, which at one time was (and perhaps still is??)
the tallest building in Brooklyn. I believe that the old Williamsburg Bank building is 32
stories high.
"The clock" can be seen from most parts of the borough and for generations has provided
Brooklyn mothers with a ready answer for their children who were late "because they didn't
know what time it was".
See, because of the presence of "the clock", EVERYBODY in Brooklyn...
:::ALWAYS KNOWS WHAT TIME IT IS:::
(how's that for a segue???)
Last night, for those who were previously unaware of just what "time it is" as far as the
future of Soul music is concerned, got their "clock cleaned" last night at a truly "sweet
spot" called Franks Lounge @ 660 Fulton Street near Downtown Brooklyn (really Ft.
Greene....lol). Franks Lounge is a cozy little neighborhood type of spot (not at all unlike
Showmans Lounge in Harlem) that provided a perfect vibe for this acoustic set by three
emerging artists who are all members of Soul-Patrol.
Here is a synopsis of the show...
Alison Crockett - I reviewed her new CD last week, here on Soul-Patrol, so right now I am
pretty high on her, plus I am still in love with the sound of her voice from the GREAT King
Britt/Sylk 130 CD called "When The Funk Hits The Fan". I was standing outside when she arrived
at the club, she lives nearby and I told her that I needed to exchange my copy of her CD "On
Being A Woman", because it had a manufacturing defect (which she did later). She hit the
stage within 5 minutes of her arrival and explained to the crowd that she was late because she
had a cold, plus her new baby had run her ragged all day long. . I think that Alison Crocket
knew that she was going to be a little off of her game voice wise during this performance and
so that was simply her way of letting folks know this beforehand. Ok, so Alison's voice wasn't
what it should have been at the start of the performance (although it did improve as the show
went on), however I learned something new about Alison Crockett during the performance. See,
this was an "acoustic set" and Alison had no band, she accompanied herself on the electric
piano and she is awesome. She really threw down on the piano and it just conjured up visions
of Patrice Rushen/Roberta Flack (or dare I say "Aretha"???) early in their careers and whetted
my appetite to see her perform live again when she isn't quite so "harried"...
www.alisoncrockett.com
Monet - The first thing (the supa foine azz) multi instrumentalist (guitar/flute) and singer
Monet said to me with a smile as we greeted each other prior to her performance was...."Oh man
you are here, I'm scared of your review". I said, there's no need to be, I'm sure that you
will be just great. See although I had never sen her live before, I already knew that she
would be great, because I have heard tapes of her live performance in the past and she is
badd. You see, Monet is one of those rare artists (kinda like our friend Ty Stephens) who is
truly a "multiple threat". She has a commanding (one lady sitting at the table used the word
"SPELLBINDING") stage presence both with her rapport with the audience (she could easily host
her own talk/variety show) as well as her musical virtuosity. The sight of Monet switching off
effortlessly between the flute, the guitar and singing reminds me of people like Lou and
Carlos Wilson (of Mandrill). I am always amazed when I see someone alternate between singing
and playing a powerful wind instrument like a flute. Even given this type of overwhelming
stage presence, Monet also knows when to slip in to the background and just play the flute and
let her background singer (sorry but I didn't catch this lady's name but she was like a
combination Bessie Smith/Big Mama Thorton/Mahalia Jackson type singer) take center stage. A
very entertaining set from an artist who in a different time & place would probably be the
host of her own talk/variety show and playing concerts around the country on weekends?
www.monetonline.net
Marlon Saunders - This is the fourth time that I have seen Marlon Saunders live in concert.
And just like the best jazz artists, he shows a different face every single time. No concert
has been the same. This time out it was like being in the "Marlon Saunders Church of Acoustic
Funk", with a sermon entitled "The Sanctity of Soul Music". The more times that I see Marlon
Saunders perform live, the more he reveals not only about his music, but also about his world
view. Folks I gotta tell ya, this brotha is on a serious mission to do nothing less than to
save soul music from itself. And as we sit here in the year 2004, this is nothing short of
doing "God's work" as far as I'm concerned. You see, brotha Marlon sings about the glory of
the music itself and challenges the audience to take accountability for it's future. He says
all of this with a smile, but the power in his voice is dead serious and the audience is
paying attention. Then when he jumps up from behind the keyboards and moves closer to the
audience, he is bring every ounce of strength to the surface when he sings lines like "I wish
there were some people up in here who could sing some SOUL MUSIC..." Near the end of the show,
Monet joined Marlon on stage and added the power of her majestic flute to the proceedings. I
closed my eyes and imagined that I was hearing Donny Hathaway and Bobbi Humphrey on stage
playing in front of me. And then I realized, "I will never see Donny Hathaway and Bobbi
Humphrey on stage together". And you know what, it doesn't matter, because now I have seen
Marlon Saunders and Monet onstage together and better yet, I can & will see them many more
times in the future...
www.marlonsaunders.com
At the conclusion of the show I thought to myself...
1. Marlon Saunders was the "voice" of Jazzhole, one of the pioneers of the so called "acid
jazz" movement.
2. Alison Crockett was the "voice" of King Britt/Sylk 130, probably the last great "acid jazz"
record produced
3. Monet comes from a jazz background and has participated in many "acid jazz/hip hop" remix
projects
(perhaps "acid jazz" has morphed into SOUL right before our eyes????)
One last thing, I gotta talk just a bit about the "vibe" at this show. First of all, I walked
into the place and I was warmly greeted by brotha Selah, among others. There were several
"movers and shakers" of the "underground soul scene" in attendance. George Littlejohn from
Purpose Records, the world famous "Ish" from Bondy's/Nouveau Soundz (who served as the emcee)
"everything man" Kevin Harewood, along with several emerging artists. There were also a few
"lurkers" from Soul-Patrol there and a few others who I had never met before who came up and
introduced themselves to me. There were others that I didn't know who came up to me and
thanked me for writing that "Open Letter To Cathy Hughes" last week. There were even a few
"old headz" that I knew from "back in da day" in the house. All of that was pretty cool, but
what was most comforting of all was to see that nobody left the show after the conclusion of
each artist performance. This was literally "music to my ears", because one of the complaints
that I have had in the past about some of these types of multi artist club dates is that many
of the audience members seem to leave the venue after "their artist" performs.
Instead what I observed last night was UNITY among not only the performers, but more
importantly the audience. I obseved many small/large "acts of kindness" performed during the
course of the evening, which all contributed to making the show a big sucess! This my friends
is a big part of what is needed to create a true music scene that will have longevity and
spawn an audience that will grow right along with it.
I don't know what the capacity of "Frank's Lounge" is (maybe 150???), but this place was
PACKED and as I, left the club and started walking down Fulton Street, I looked up at the
enormous clock at the top of the old Williamsburg Bank building and thought to myself....
"If they didn't
'KNOW WHAT TIME IT WAS'
before they arrived,
EVERYBODY who was
in Franks Lounge tonight
'KNOWS WHAT TIME IT IS NOW..."
(just like all kids who grow up in Brooklyn do...)
_________
Bob Davis
earthjuice_at_prodigy.net
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