SFJAZZ presents: A Perfect Blend featuring Jason & Alicia Hall Moran
2013-11-25
Joe Henderson Lab
SFJAZZ Center, 205 Franklin St, San Francisco, CA
7:30 PM, Monday, November 25, 2013
[7:33 PM lights down, announcements by RK]
Being a holiday week, light traffic and an early start made for an easy trip across the bay, first choice for parking (a block away from the venue), and first in line for GA seating once we walked into the lobby at SFJAZZ. There might have been a dozen or more folks waiting patiently before us, but none of them had the competitive sense to queue up. Of course, circumstances are always subject to change, and tonight was no exception, as Leadership Circle donors ended up grabbing pretty much all of the seats in the first three rows. Oh well. 4th row was fine with me, the JH Lab is a pretty tiny room, and that row seems optimally suited for hearing the PA mix as opposed to the direct stage sound. Given loud Alicia sings, I think I got the better deal!
So despite being quite a bit more loosely structured (and shorter!) than I expected, I thought tonight's show was really fun – so good, in fact, that we made plans to see AHM again on Wednesday in Porgy & Bess at the Golden Gate Theatre! But back to tonight. Loose? Yeah! I think the cozy room put AHM in a more comfortable mood than a typical concert or recital setting, and she certainly spent more time than I expected just chatting away at us. There was a teensy bit of audience interaction, but really it was mostly just AHM giving her inner voice free reign.
And when she sang, everything was pretty much just exactly perfect. It was interesting to hear her try on different voices for different songs – sassy and free for the motown opener, deep gospel for the next number, then a more classical negro spiritual tone – and on and on and on.
Not to overlook Jason's contribution – he was grand! – but for the most part he seemed inclined to take the role of the supporting partner.
In an unexpected turn, AHM pulled AD up onstage from the front row during Honeysuckle Rose. After a moment or two, Jason gave him the nod and then slipped down towards the bottom end of the bench to make room for a bit of three- and then four-handed play on Waller's classic. Fun!