March 2009
April 2, 2009
“That was the sing-along……..”
Well, here it is, April 2, and
you thought I forgot, didn’t you! You thought I forgot all about
my 12 shows in 12 months, because there’s been no March concert
review.
Well, fear not. By the skin of
my teeth, I made it to the ol’ Aladdin Theater last Monday, March
30.
This performer has always been
a mysterious character, and this show certainly held true to that.
On stage, a small bentwood chair was flanked by antique occasional
tables, each with a lamp. The kind of lamps you would see in an
old Victorian home, or at least in a thrift store. Next to the
chair, was a small plastic wastepaper basket. There was a piano
draped in sheets off to the side. Over the PA, a barely audible
old-time jazz tune was playing – it sounds like a scratchy 78 rpm.
This can only mean one thing.
It must be time for a Leon Redbone
concert.
The roadies come out and turn on both
lamps. The house lights dim, and a shadowy yet familiar figure
emerges – Panama Hat, walking stick, dark shades. He looks just
like every picture I’ve ever seen of him. Always a character,
Leon’s show is a mix of deadpan
humor, vaudeville, and greatly understated ragtime-blues style
guitar. The guitar style matches his gravelly, hushed voice. It
wasn’t uncommon for him to sing a verse, and then hum and whistle
along to the next verse.
This was possibly one of the
quietest shows I’ve ever been to. Luckily, we were in the 3rd row.
Leon
seemed to be keeping time with both feet. Before the 3rd
song, he suddenly asked if there was a brick in the house! A
roadie eventually provided him with one – and
Leon used it so he could prop his
right foot up. (Classical guitar players will do this too, when
they sit down to play.)
Leon Redbone tuned his guitar
a lot. Since he was accompanied by a piano, he kept tuning his
guitar directly to that instrument. Sometimes he would hit the
neck of his guitar with his hand, as to “make” the guitar go into
the right key.
He referred to his crumpled up
set list that he pulled out of his suit coat as a “unique list of
artifacts” mainly old-time swing, jazz and blues songs, and
usually announced, after the song was finished, that song, of
course, was the “sing along.” Mixed in with his set list, were old
photographs that he gladly shared with us. One photo was of a
long-forgotten jazz recording pioneer, the other photo, was of
course, Don Ho and Barbara Eden, on a beach in
Hawaii. Go figure!
But perhaps the best piece of
advice from this iconic performer:
“DON’T WAIT
TOO LONG IN LIFE”
SET LIST
1)
Big Chief Buffalo Nickel?
(not sure on this one)
2)
She’s My Gal
3)
Another Story, Another Time,
Another Place
4)
Sweet Sue, Just You
5)
Marie
6)
Her love belongs to me??
7)
“Vienna”
(whistled to an old recording
of zither music)??
8)
Please don’t talk about me when I’m gone
9)
After Tonight (solo piano)
10)
I Ain’t Got Nobody
11)
Step it Up and Go
12)
My Blue Heaven
13)
Ain’t Misbehavin
14)
Shine On Harvest Moon
15)
Encore 1 – Oh Susannah,
Dust Off
That Old Piano
16)
Encore 2 - If We Never Meet Again this
Side of Heaven
p.s. – the only Leon Redbone album I own
is “Christmas Island.” So I’m not sure of
the titles on #1, #6, and #7. See you at the next show!