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"Dracula" swings at the Jazz Showcase
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Tommy Muellner and bassist Jim Cox of the Dracula Quartet
The longtime Chicago pianist Tommy Muellner plays with a swing and passion that descend from Bill Evans, but he rarely fails to add in a good dose of his own comedic timing. So perhaps it should come as no surprise to find him ushering in the Halloween weekend by leading his “Dracula Quartet” on Wednesday.
The fact that he’ll do so at the venerable Jazz Showcase (at 8 and 10 PM), though? I mean, I’ve seen sets that were hotter than hell at the Showcase – with some monster players – but this is something entirely unexpected. (And so is the free admission, courtesy of radio stalwart WDCB, which sponsors the evening.)
This quartet grows out of a pre-Halloween ritual started by Muellner and fellow pianist John Campbell some years ago. “We called it the ‘Bela hang,” laughs Muellner. “Several like-minded cats would hang out and watch some good and not so good Bela Lugosi flicks, along with drinks and, um, other fine accoutrements. I’m ‘president’ only because the hang takes place at my pad.”
Some of those “like-minded cats” have included saxist Bill Overton, bassist Jim Cox, and drummer Phil Gratteau (all Chicago jazz journeymen), who make up this edition of the Dracula Quartet. “We’re playing tunes like ‘Haunted Heart,’ ‘Witchcraft,’ and ‘That Old Black Magic,’ along with some regular jazz tunes.” One such tune is the lovely standard “Beautiful Love,” for which Muellner has dug up a suitably creepy connection: as almost nobody knows, the song originally appeared in the 1932 movie The Mummy starring Boris Karloff in the not-so-tightly-wrapped title role.
For those who want to wait until Halloween night itself for Mueller’s mischief, he’ll appear with the solid Chicago vocalist Arlene Bardelle – billed this time only as “Arlene Bardelle and her Monster Trio” – Saturday night from 6:30 till 9 at Katerina’s. Their sets will enliven the club’s Jazz Costume Party, with revelers asked to portray jazz greats of past and present -- raising the eternal question, “How many Sun Ra impersonators can you fit into one room?”
Unintentionally Self-Reflective Karmic Truism of the Week (from PopEater):
Kenny G is currently at work with longtime producer Walter Afanasieff on an as-yet-untitled album. The saxophonist is looking to take the half-finished work in an R&B direction and is meeting with acclaimed producer Babyface this week to work on a new song. "I want more rhythm in my music," Kenny G said. "I want my album to have a bit more tempo. Otherwise, I'm going to be lost in the huge smooth jazz array of saxophone players. Half of them don't even need to be making records."
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