Photos by William Ingalls
Their music is one-of-a-kind. Some call it cocktail music a decade ahead of its time. Some call it 1940’s music. To me Them Jazzbeards’ sound reminds me of the Blade Runner movie soundtrack. On today’s BRO post, we find ourselves visiting the WBFO Wednesday night live concert radio broadcast On The Border and on the road at Medaille College. Past bands this past year and a half when at home at Allen Hall have included the Outer Circle Orchestra, Gretchen Schulz, John and Mary and the Valkyries, The Reign of Kindo, Armcannon, the Rabies, Here Come the Comets and Peanut Brittle Satellite.
Them Jazzbeards opened their set with Dial J for Jazzbeards from the band’s Dirty White Loafers CD. Next up was a song called Route 666, pulling from the Formerly Armed and Hammered CD – the song begins with Bill Moore taking an upside-down, closed-ended tambourine and rolling marbles to and fro for a unique open. It sounds like keyboardist David Kane was using a little classical Bach in one of his piano solos. I have never seen a keyboardist so relaxed on stage as David, he plays with his legs crossed and seems so calm. Next up was Grand Prix from the Pardon My French CD. Don’t you just love Them Jazzbeards’ CD titles?
The famous WBFO Question and Answer session, usually around the midpoint of the broadcast, was next. Bert The Voice Gambini asked while bandleader David Kane quipped back. It turns out that 20 years ago David was a Franklin Street Cabaret house musician. At that point he wanted a band that could play even when the power went out. David loved electronic music, but in the late 80’s felt the music of that era was complete crap and that anyone thought they could be a musician – he yearned to put together a serious group. 20 years later and what a lineup! Kent Weber, bass, is in the Buffalo Music Hall of Fame, Greg Gizzi, percussion, played with Terry Sullivan’s bands, Jack Prybylski is a saxophone soloist (the best I have heard in Buffalo), Michael Miskoly on the violin, Greg Gizzi, percussion, and valedictorian of his class at McKinley High School and a west side icon, and Walter Sopicki on lead guitar.
The influences of the band are all so different. Michael comes from a Serbian East European tradition, Prybylski from a jazz background, while the rest came from eclectic backgrounds. On the Route 666 recroding there were 13 people playing – all of the band’s CDs are recorded live to 2 tracks with no multi-tracking… and as a group (as opposed to individually). David also has done composing for indie films, and dance choreography. This is different composing than when writing just for the band as one is writing not for the self but for the film, or as a collaboration with the dancers.
All of their music is currently available on Itunes for 99 cents. That’s a funny thing to consider as the first Jazzbeards release came out on cassette. In fact, David had three cds out before he bought a cd player because he wasn’t sure cds were going to catch on! The internet is the best way to find out when Them Jazzbeards is playing next – check out David’s website for upcoming concerts. Or maybe you will catch them live this summer as they hope to play at the Elmwood Avenue Festival of the Arts again this year.
The Q and A has finished, and next up is the song Pie Eyed Piper from the Dirty White Loafers CD. This song starts out with the song going up and down the same minor third and before long I detect a South American influence. Like I say, a unique band for the world – every song is so different, and here they are in Buffalo. Wonderful violin solos by Michael Miskoly, who is the most expressive violinist on stage that I have ever seen. And when Michael and saxophonist Jack play off each other, watch out!
The song Changing of the Avant Garde from the Story of Kool Daddy-O CD (no, I am not making these CD titles up) starts with a haunting piano melody that gets jazzed up, and powerfully accelerates and retards back and forth. Teenagers About to Meet their Doom (OK, the titles of the songs rock out as well) from the soundtrack of the movie Shadow Creature is a great piece.
Tequila Mocking Bird from Highballs, Lowballs and Presbyterians starts out like a song from something the Holly Cole Trio (from Toronto) might do. Them Jazzbeards went out with Left On High from the Dirty White Loafers CD. At the top of the hour the broadcast audience signs off to listen to the news, but the studio audience gets to hear one last song. It sounds like the melody of the old Bill Cosby TV show from the 1960’s, I Spy – vamping with a counter-melody. I didn’t catch the name of the song, and there were no vocals – these guys are instrumentalists through and through. Another great show brought to you by the amazing producer Alison Zero. Replays of this and any other recent show are available on WBFO Podcasts.
The next WBFO On The Border concert radio broadcast is on Wednesday May 6, with top Buffalo blues guitarist Mick Hayes, back at the WBFO studio, Allen Hall, on the Unversity of Buffalo South campus. Then the last concert of the current series a week later happens to also be the winner of the Artvoice Battle of the Original Music competition. Although there is only one other city (Philadephia) in the United States that features live weekly original music concerts on the radio like this, due to funding drying up On The Border is scheduled to go dark after that final performance. Perhaps a sponsor or angel will step forward with funding and save the day.