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Since her beguiling 1991 debut, Distortion of
Love, songwriter, pianist, and vocalist
Patricia Barber has steadfastly remained true
to her quirky, left-of-center jazz vision,
which includes equal parts edgy pop and rock.
Barber has a fluid, restlessly
individualistic style on the piano; she can
hold her own with anybody. Her songwriter
comes from that particular space where the
notes and rhythms begin to bleed into one
another and come out jagged, sophisticated,
and full of razored poetic wit and steely
philosophical insight about the ironies of
modern life. This set was recorded in three
French cities, Paris, Metz, and La Rochelle.
Utilizing her longstanding band (bassist
Michael Arnopol, drummer Eric Montzka, and
guitarist Neal Alger), Barber displays in
spades the skill of this band to improvise,
swing, and cut across musical lines on five
originals and five covers. The disc features
two new compositions. "Gotcha" is a steamy,
nocturnal piece of jazzed-up pop with a
killer seductive bassline by Arnopol.
Lyrically, Barber evokes the human and
sophistication of Mose Allison, but it takes
to a darker, stiletto-sharp edge. "White
World" is a politically spoked, funky,
futuristic jazz tune from her upcoming song
cycle based on Ovid's Metamorphoses. There
are two cuts from her 2002 outing, Verse, as
well: the shimmering minor-key and erotically
tinged drama of "Dansons la Gigue!," with
lyrics by 19th century poet Paul Verlaine,
and the silky and forlorn "Pieces." A fine
pair of instrumentals are also featured in
Barber's "Crash," with its deep groove and
killer piano solo, and a near intoxicating
read of the nugget "Witchcraft." Add to this
a mournful and haunted take on Johnny
Mercer's "Laura," the eternally elegant "Blue
Prelude," and a finely elongated, loose read
of "Norwegian Wood." The set ends with a
cabaret version of the old Chris Montez pop
classic "Call Me," which - for all its camp -
comes off as a nice little bit of samba.
Unlike most live records, this is a welcome
chapter in the Barber book, with surprises,
risky behaviour, and top-flight musicianship.
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