We heard the Patricia Barber Quartet at the Jazz Standard last Friday. She is a singer/songwriter/pianist, and played with drummer, guitarist, and bassist. She is a truly unique artist, and you never know quite what to expect next. In performance, it is immediately evident that she is totally immersed in what she is doing; there is never anything routine or slick. (She is notably averse to performing, apparently.) Pieces range from jazz classics to her own compositions. In one piece, she put a few menus into the piano, and suddenly we were in a Cageian prepared piano mode. But all grounded in the jazz traditions. Her original lyrics are both witty and obscure, and she delivers them in a way that seems as if they are coming to her on the spur of the moment.
We have heard her in concert performances before, but never in the more intimate space of a small club like the Jazz Standard, where you can hear her ask for some more (brandy, scotch?) in the middle of the show. It was a great pleasure to hear.
