The Max Weinberg Big Band made a Halloween stop at Jardine's, in one of the jazz club's highest profile shows in recent memory. Judging by the turnout, Weinberg's name pulls some weight, whether it's from his older days with Bruce Springsteen, or his more recent tenure as the bandleader with Conan O'Brien. Regardless, there wasn't a single seat left in the house: something that is a little rare (but shouldn't be) at Jardine's.
The show started off with "This Could Be the Start of Something Big", which Weinberg informed was the original theme to The Tonight Show. This set a recurring theme for the evening, which we would later find out was based on Weinberg's fondness for short-lived cop dramas (especially those of the late '50's and '60's). The band came out horns-a-blazin', and then jumped straight into the Sinatra staple, "Come Fly With Me." This was probably the fastest version I've ever heard, definitely racing ahead of the superb cut Sinatra did with Count Basie on Sinatra At the Sands.
The band transitioned into a song that everyone knows, but almost nobody could put their finger on (Weinberg asked the audience if they knew, nobody did), which turned out to be a groovy cover of "Walk Don't Run." Weinberg introduced the next number, the theme from M Squad, just before taking a quick jab at Jay Leno, including Leno's new gig as one of the "crime shows" he liked so much (the house had a big laugh). The band had a real back-beat feel on this number, perfectly exemplifying the sound that Count Basie made Kansas City famous for. They stayed in this groove after shifting into "Bebop Blues", a mid-tempo Basie original. Weinberg then introduced the band, which jokingly donned their "Halloween moustaches" for the special night. Max's stage presence was superb (which made sense, givenhis many years on TV). His conversational banter, humorous wit and back-story on a lot of the tunes made the show feel intimate. He then introduced "Big Dipper," a hard-driving swing piece that was made famous by the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra. It featured a slew of solos -- trumpet, tenor, piano -- and not one of them disappointed.
Max then dipped into the Basie bag one more time for the barn-burner, "The Kid From Red Bank." He was able to show off some fancy, Buddy Rich stick work at this speed, wowing the audience with his precision. The group revisited the cop show motif with the theme from Mr. Lucky. It opened with a catchy bass solo, and culminated with trumpet lines that reached into the stratosphere. (Maynard Ferguson would've been proud of these guys.) The bassist ended the piece with a more funk, and Weinberg rolled with it, cueing the band to come in and jam a little. It sounded like a bit of "Chameleon" and "Cissy Strut" mixed together, and the audience joined in with some hand-claps.
One of the night's few ballads was Sinatra's "Only the Lonely", which featured altoist John Gardner. Max stirred the pot with brushes on this one, and the subdued sound of muted trumpets set the mood. The group got back up to tempo with a Quincy Jones tune, "Rat Race." Weinberg announced that there would be a "cutting contest" between his two tenormen on this one. The fierce trading solos between Brandon Wright and Joey Berkley sounded like something from 1940's Kansas City, where players like Lester Young and Ben Webster might have taken on the challenge of outplaying one another for choruses on end. They probably played back and forth for ten minutes, with each one topping the one before. Finally, the number ended with a much deserved ovation for the soloists.
To close the evening, Weinberg played a couple of numbers from his days with the E Street Band. I wasn't sure if I was more intrigued or terrified that he would try to do this with a 15-piece jazz band. The first one, "Born To Run", was probably the blandest number of the night. It sounded exactly like what you'd expect -- just the same exact song that is on the radio five times a day, but played instrumentally. The second choice, which was much more jazzy, was "Kitty's Back." It had a great laid-back swing to it; and the band was definitely having fun, contributing backing vocals at the end. Combine Weinberg's kitschy affinity for obscure TV themes with the sound and ability of a vintage big band, and it creates a repertoire that's hard to beat.
NOTE #1: About halfway through the show, I noticed that there was some intermittent background noise that sounded like some jackass trying to talk over the band. To the goatee'd guy that was sitting toward the left end of the bar, wearing a blue shirt and gray jacket: you actually managed to yell over an entire big band at times. Nice job.
NOTE #2: Even though the place was completely jammed, I have to commend the Jardine's staff on handling the show very professionally. The staff, although probably overwhelmed, was super friendly and made the best of what was a very crowded house. Nice job. (For real.)
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