PerthAustralia’s Harper must’ve
been holding back a bit when he played the tent during last year’s Jazz Fest.
Based on his fiery and funky set I dug a couple of weeks ago at Dinosaur, Harp
probably figured those in leather and denim are a
whole lot sturdier than those in khakis.
Sporting
some MotorCity muscle on the bandstand, Harper raged on the harmonica,
even singing through it at times. He was definitely one of the loudest acts
I’ve seen in the joint. There’s nothing quite like a Lee Oskar
honking through a Green Bullet. And there’s nothing
quite like a blues act introducing the didgeridoo — the band had to swerve
into minor keys to accommodate the instrument’s limited range and ominous moan.
Like a lot of these
restless bands borne of the jam band movement, State Radio filled Milestones on a recent Wednesday night with an
enthusiastic crowd. This throng, like those at the February 4 O.A.R. show,
seemed to know all the words. The trio hopped it up with reggae in the
tradition of The Police (not like a lot of bands that decide the one drop’s a
good idea after enjoying too many smoky treats). And the ZenyattaMondatta parallel doesn’t end there, as the band
seems to take a decidedly progressive stance on politics.
As I said a while
back in reference to our own brilliant Respect Sextet, jazz is the truth,
albeit an interpretive truth. And though I have no aversion to the truth, I
prefer my own version. Listening to jazz bands like Margaret Explosion — which has a residency at the Little Theatre
Café — helps me get there. The band started playing last Wednesday even as
the members slowly assembled on stage, each member gradually joining the
others. There were no words other than those already in my head. It was cool
and beautiful and dreamy and you have no idea what I’m talking about, do you?
— Frank De Blase
This article appears in Feb 15-21, 2006.
