I'm copying this from my TR posted on that board.
Diamond players got free tickets to Jubilee! I’m glad I saw this. It’s OLD Vegas. I look it up when I get home, and some of the costumes were designed by Bob Mackie. Donn Arden was the producer who is credited with designing the typical Vegas showgirl with big headdresses. The music is so…. 50’s? It’s got Gershwyn, which I adore, but it’s played without any swing. I get the feeling of looking back to the burlesque of a century ago. The show is much bigger than the other Vegas variety shows of yester-years (Enter the Night, Splash, Follies) – there are 85 men and women performers. I don’t think the Vegas variety show is dead, but someone needs to find a 21st century formula.
I also bought tickets to see Clint Holmes who performs the first weekend of the month at the Smith Center for Performing Arts, the Jazz Cabaret.
This show was Clint doing his picks of the songs of the 70’s and 80’s which shouldn’t be the show he’ll do next. He says he’s promised to deliver a lot of new material each show. He did several songs from Michael McDonald (Doobie Brothers). A Jim Croce. A couple of Steve Wonder. Some Burt Bacharach. A Michael Jackson. A couple he wrote. He opened with “Playgrounds of My Mind” – his one 1973 hit. But this version was done with a bit of a blues/funk feel – it worked well to give a new feel to an old song. The band, a quintet played a straight forward pop back-up that leaned a tad towards smooth-jazz/fusion. Live musicians, a decent vocalist, doing well known pop songs – I can live with this. Clint is 66 and can STILL sing. Not much age in his voice. Some of the songs worked well for me, some not so much. For example, doing the Michael McDonald songs, “Taking It To the Streets” didn’t work (I commented to Bigfus after the show, when I hear smooth jazz style of “Taking It To the Streets”, the only thing smooth jazz takes to a street is a BMW playing Kenny G). I think McDonald’s gritty, odd voice makes that song work. Clint is too clean for it. But, for “What a Fool Believes” and “Minute by Minute”, it worked fine. Arrangements were fine, some better than others. I think the bass player could be brought out more to give some real funk to the songs. Also, the arranger/music director/keyboardist has a fondness for synthesizers – I’d like to see him use the piano a bit more, but that’s a personal thing. The biggest risk was doing a Beatles song, Eleanor Rigby. He didn’t try to cover a Beatles song, there was some originality in the arrangement, and some extra work on this song. They knew you’ve got to be careful messing with the Beatles. The show was supposed to run about 70 to 80 minutes. After 90 minutes, they cancelled one number and ended it. It was Clint singing non-stop. A lot of work. I'm more used to two short sets, instead of one very long one.
If you’re unkind, you’d say this is nothing more than a good lounge act you can find at a Holiday Inn near an Interstate Highway off ramp. That’s unfair. The arrangements, the band, and Clint’s skill are all above that. But we’re not talking about anything ground breaking. Again, live musicians, great venue, solid vocalist, doing (modern) pop standards – I’m down with that.
The venue, Art Deco styled, is gorgeous. It’s intimate without being crowded and there’s not a bad seat. I went with the mezzanine seating. A good choice if you want to save a few bucks. The computer gave us table 201. If I did it again, I’d call the box office to get table 204 or later. I was right under a speaker, which I don’t like. I understand the food offerings are different on the main floor. Easy to get to. They have beverage and food service – I expect that in a jazz club. Clint is booked the first weekend of every month and his promise was to make every show different. This night he had his wife as a guest. Sounds like he tries to bring in guests regularly. From now on, every trip I’ll check out who’s playing the venue. They’ve got several people scheduled who I catch whenever they’re playing near my home. My main concern is that the booking is looking more like something you’d see at Palms Springs. They had Pia Zedora last week, and Doc Severson is coming. I can understand not booking cutting-edge jazz, but I hope the city could support the occasional trip into mainstream jazz.
I believe in supporting the arts by going to the ones I can enjoy. A few years ago I made a promise to see more live music. I limit myself pretty much to jazz. Not only do I like jazz, but I also like the crowds – they aren’t rowdy, they appreciate the performance. So, I fully endorse a trip down to the Smith Center. Clint isn’t my first preference for a performer. I don’t own a CD of his, and I won’t. But, it’s worth the ticket price and a trip out of the casinos.
Diamond players got free tickets to Jubilee! I’m glad I saw this. It’s OLD Vegas. I look it up when I get home, and some of the costumes were designed by Bob Mackie. Donn Arden was the producer who is credited with designing the typical Vegas showgirl with big headdresses. The music is so…. 50’s? It’s got Gershwyn, which I adore, but it’s played without any swing. I get the feeling of looking back to the burlesque of a century ago. The show is much bigger than the other Vegas variety shows of yester-years (Enter the Night, Splash, Follies) – there are 85 men and women performers. I don’t think the Vegas variety show is dead, but someone needs to find a 21st century formula.
I also bought tickets to see Clint Holmes who performs the first weekend of the month at the Smith Center for Performing Arts, the Jazz Cabaret.
This show was Clint doing his picks of the songs of the 70’s and 80’s which shouldn’t be the show he’ll do next. He says he’s promised to deliver a lot of new material each show. He did several songs from Michael McDonald (Doobie Brothers). A Jim Croce. A couple of Steve Wonder. Some Burt Bacharach. A Michael Jackson. A couple he wrote. He opened with “Playgrounds of My Mind” – his one 1973 hit. But this version was done with a bit of a blues/funk feel – it worked well to give a new feel to an old song. The band, a quintet played a straight forward pop back-up that leaned a tad towards smooth-jazz/fusion. Live musicians, a decent vocalist, doing well known pop songs – I can live with this. Clint is 66 and can STILL sing. Not much age in his voice. Some of the songs worked well for me, some not so much. For example, doing the Michael McDonald songs, “Taking It To the Streets” didn’t work (I commented to Bigfus after the show, when I hear smooth jazz style of “Taking It To the Streets”, the only thing smooth jazz takes to a street is a BMW playing Kenny G). I think McDonald’s gritty, odd voice makes that song work. Clint is too clean for it. But, for “What a Fool Believes” and “Minute by Minute”, it worked fine. Arrangements were fine, some better than others. I think the bass player could be brought out more to give some real funk to the songs. Also, the arranger/music director/keyboardist has a fondness for synthesizers – I’d like to see him use the piano a bit more, but that’s a personal thing. The biggest risk was doing a Beatles song, Eleanor Rigby. He didn’t try to cover a Beatles song, there was some originality in the arrangement, and some extra work on this song. They knew you’ve got to be careful messing with the Beatles. The show was supposed to run about 70 to 80 minutes. After 90 minutes, they cancelled one number and ended it. It was Clint singing non-stop. A lot of work. I'm more used to two short sets, instead of one very long one.
If you’re unkind, you’d say this is nothing more than a good lounge act you can find at a Holiday Inn near an Interstate Highway off ramp. That’s unfair. The arrangements, the band, and Clint’s skill are all above that. But we’re not talking about anything ground breaking. Again, live musicians, great venue, solid vocalist, doing (modern) pop standards – I’m down with that.
The venue, Art Deco styled, is gorgeous. It’s intimate without being crowded and there’s not a bad seat. I went with the mezzanine seating. A good choice if you want to save a few bucks. The computer gave us table 201. If I did it again, I’d call the box office to get table 204 or later. I was right under a speaker, which I don’t like. I understand the food offerings are different on the main floor. Easy to get to. They have beverage and food service – I expect that in a jazz club. Clint is booked the first weekend of every month and his promise was to make every show different. This night he had his wife as a guest. Sounds like he tries to bring in guests regularly. From now on, every trip I’ll check out who’s playing the venue. They’ve got several people scheduled who I catch whenever they’re playing near my home. My main concern is that the booking is looking more like something you’d see at Palms Springs. They had Pia Zedora last week, and Doc Severson is coming. I can understand not booking cutting-edge jazz, but I hope the city could support the occasional trip into mainstream jazz.
I believe in supporting the arts by going to the ones I can enjoy. A few years ago I made a promise to see more live music. I limit myself pretty much to jazz. Not only do I like jazz, but I also like the crowds – they aren’t rowdy, they appreciate the performance. So, I fully endorse a trip down to the Smith Center. Clint isn’t my first preference for a performer. I don’t own a CD of his, and I won’t. But, it’s worth the ticket price and a trip out of the casinos.
