[JPL] Beatle/Barber addendum

[cobuchow at aol.com]

Whoops! Just realized that the online version of my Hartford Courant Patricia Barber review omitted the paragraph regarding "Blackbird." No idea why they dropped it, but it reads as follows:

Barber has long championed the use of modern pop songs as vehicles for jazz explorations. In fact, her endeavors predate Cassandra Wilson’s highly-touted forays into pop song. On Thursday, she worked her improvisatory magic on Paul McCartney’s “Blackbird,” turning it into a toe-tapping reggae romp. Arnopol began with bluesy variations on the famous melody. Montzka added the Jamaican beat, accenting it with subtle bongo work. Alger’s guitar danced over these scintillating rhythms, flavored with piquant John Scofield-like spiciness. 

Chuck Obuchowski
WWUH, Public Alternative Radio at the University of Hartford