Concert Review: Sonny & Perley @ Jazz on Jay, 08/10/2023

Someday, some jazz players will name a band the Subs.

Thursday’s Jazz on Jay show was to feature Sonny and Perley’s Quartet, but started with neither pianist Sonny nor singer Perley under the tent.

Instead, Jeanine Ouderkirk subbed for the ailing Perley, accompanied at first only by Erik Johnson, while Sonny parked the van and percussionist Brian Melick was also missing.

Well, no problem.

This didn’t so much prove that musicians are interchangeable but rather that good songs stay good.

The shuffled Sonny and Jeanine show Thursday navigated closer to the originals than the imaginative Hot Club of Saratoga often-mutated vintage-tunes showcase at Jazz on Jay on Aug. 3. Keyboardist Sonny Daye’s arrangements eased through the Great American Songbook via mellow moods, usually low-key and lyrical, while Ouderkirk expanded the songs by skatting.

Refreshing a Joni Mitchell tune from her “Mingus” album (tunes penned for the bop bassist and composer), Ouderkirk took flight fast, Johnson’s bass bumping the beat behind her. Same thing with “Bye Bye Blackbird.” Both Daye and Melick joined them on the bandstand and set up during the song, but neither played.

Daye explained Perley is dealing with health issues, introduced Ouderkirk, and led the crew into “‘Deed I Do,” Melick circling his snare with soft brush strokes and Johnson taking a well-received bass solo, cozy within the trio but heads-up, imaginative. Melick rattled strings of keys as a shekere, introducing the torchy “Besame Mucho.” While the band likely played fewer Latin numbers than they might have with bossa enthusiast and master Perley Rousseau, Ouderkirk put her own bold “belt-it” spin on the coda.

Daye introduced “Georgia On My Mind” with slow, sweet piano figures, but again, the strongest verses belonged to Ouderkirk’s voice.

A spry “My Baby Just Cares for Me” got Steve up Nover-ing by the Ambition window, but then it was back to dancing-in-the-dark romantic tempos for much of what followed. Meanwhile, raindrops fell in counterpoint as fans opened umbrellas, donned hats, and stepped into stores’ doorways but generally stayed put through the dance-y Latin “Poinciana” with a tasty piano bridge and percussion break, always tasty, always within the trio.

Daye asked, “Want to get wet?” and got the right answer, introducing “Summertime” that did what this can’t-miss classic always does with a straight-to-skat vocal at the end. 

The rain stopped in “Lullabye of the Leaves,” a big skat vocal heating things up, so piano and bass solos got nice welcomes.

Daye’s delicately lovely exploration of the romantic “I Thought About You” set the mood that Ouderkirk’s vocal reflected in a wistful, soft croon. 

They gave “I Remember You” a mid-tempo Latin flavor, a simmering recipe with Melick’s percussion break as tasty as always.

And they finished big with “Honeysuckle Rose,” Daye again serving up stand-out piano – melodic and classy – as Ouderkirk eased from skat to straight vocal, strong and sweet.

The chance or forecast of rain drives concert promoters crazy – Stay outside? Move inside? Cancel? – and Jazz on Jay impresario Betsy Sandberg guessed right on Thursday. 

Jazz on Jay continues Thursday, Aug. 17, with the George Spencer Quartet – renamed from the Eric Halstead Quartet since saxophonist-leader Halstead suffered a hand injury and will be replaced by the always-strong Brian Patneaude. 

Call them the Subs?

Photo Gallery by Rudy Lu