The People’s Liberation Big Band of Greater Kansas City
Date: July 6, 2008
Venue: The Record Bar
Better Than: Band Camp
By LORNA PERRY
There was many a folding chair onstage at the Record Bar last night. The People’s Liberation Big Band was in the hizz-ouse, and when they’re around, something in the order of a dozen chairs are needed. Not that the band consists of only a dozen members – last night’s show had 17 musicians total packed onstage, with sheet music and various instruments in/on/under hand.
“This whole People’s Liberation thing stemmed out of Brad Cox’s weird musical mind,” explains Sam Wiseman, percussionist and member of PLBB. “He wanted to develop a kind of musician’s collective, for the purpose of creating new music.”
New in the sense that well-known musical scores are re-arranged by whichever PLBB musician wants to bring something to the table. Musician, composer and People’s Liberation mastermind Brad Cox rearranged the Beach Boys’ "Don’t Talk", for example. On the setlist and ready for delivery, PLBB-style.
“We get paid in Pale Ale,” adds singer Shay Estes. “Sometimes we actually get paid, but most of the time it’s beer-for-play. It’s truly a case of musicians coming together for the sake and love of music.”
Things got underway with conductor Cox announcing “On the count of three, I want everyone to play their favorite patriotic tune.”
The obvious – a cacophony of sixteen instruments including a french horn, trombones, lap steel, clarinets, bongos, you name it – followed suit. Not for long, though, as the free-for-all led into a well-coordinated, fleshed-out rendition of "Caravan", followed by "The Kiss Goodbye." Brad then introduced a series of canons, which, he explained to the 50-person-strong audience, “Is a short, contrapuntal composition that employs a melody with one or more imitations of the melody played after a given duration.”
(That was a lie. I totally looked it up on Wikipedia. But Cox absolutely explained something to that effect.)
Cox continued, “'Row, Row, Row Your Boat' is an example of a canon. Another is, you know, the wedding song.”
“NO!” Screamed an audience member in mock terror, to which Cox replied, “We’ll rock that wedding shit out – I’m serious.”
Instead, after rocking out three canons, Cox announced “And now, something where we don’t have to count so much. Welcome, Shay Estes.” The lovely Estes took the stage and sang "Trust In Me" in her smooth, husky, made-for-jazz voice.
Next, Cox called to stage a visiting member and newbie to PLBB, Phil Price. A trombonist and current resident of Colorado Springs, I’m not sure how Phil met up with the group, but he fit in just fine.
The night ended with an amazing rendition of "You Ain’t My Sweet Lover No More," sung by Estes. It’s during this last number that a novice jazz listener such as myself can really appreciate what takes place within such a big band. Halfway through the number, the band just let the song evaporate into thin air – everyone broke off and began improvising. Estes played the moment up, looking at the band with a perplexed and pouty expression. Right as she looks as though she’s ready to walk off, the band swings right back into the song – as though they never missed a beat. “Assholes,” she whisper-hissed playfully into the mic. And then the band played on.
Setlist
Set #1
Caravan
The Kiss Goodbye
Canons
Trust In Me
Don’t Talk
Mr. Grab
John & Joan’s Wedding
Set #2
Four Sticks
Zoo-Soo’s Girl Dance
The Bug Dance
The Council of Mice
Scrat Rut
Get the Bucket to the Well
You Ain’t My Sweet Lover No More
Personal Bias: I dig me some jazz. Even the avant-garde, experimental stuff that sometimes leaves me waaay behind.
Random Detail: The vegan Ian McKay pizza at the Record Bar is amazing.
By the Way: Tonight’s performance was the first in a new jazz series presented by local jazz musician and curator Jeff Harshbarger. Harshbarger will be presenting new jazz shows on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month at the Record Bar. The next performance, on July 20th, will be a performance by Alphabet, Harshbarger’s new jazz trio, featuring Josh Adams of Ghosty and Brian Baggett.
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