| Caught Live: The Diana Bray Quartet at Star co. |
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| Saturday, 02 May 2009 16:39 | |
 Every now and then it's nice to expand the ears a bit and catch some sounds that are more contemporary than Dixieland. A few weeks ago that meant a drive into Austin, a struggle to find parking (which invariably blows my entertainment budget) and then a fairly long walk to the Elephant Room or some other austin venue. Frankly, the hassle usually out weighs my desire to hear live music. Now that the new Star co. Coffee Shop in Round Rock is featuring jazz every Thursday night, that has changed. Now I can get jazz fix without the hassle!Last Thursday, Star co. presented the Diana Bray Quartet. The band was billed as "Live classic Swing, Cool Jazz and Bossa Novas". Exactly what the doctor ordered for a Thursday night. I drove down, quickly found a parking space withing fifty feet of the front door, grabbed a cup of coffee at the counter, and strolled back to where the band was well into their first set. I had not known what to expect when I decided to drop by. By the time I sat down, I knew that this was a group that I want to hear again. Diana is an accomplished singer. She performs with style and taste. She sings with a grace and unassuming manner that lets the music speak for itself. That's nice! Diana's husband, Tony, fronts the band on tenor sax. He has clearly paid his dues on the horn. His obvious technique never over shadowed his musicality. His playing style is contemporary. His tone is excellent. And his musical ideas are inventive. Before moving to Round Rock, Tony spent time playing in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. The rest of the quartet consisted of Jimmy Duran on keyboard and Dan Cistone on the six string electric bass. Both played well with inventive solos and excellent ensemble work. In particular, Cistone's exciting bass solos consistently pleased the audience. All in all, this was a very pleasant evening. Listening to Diana and her band got my energy up enough that after they had finished, I drove over to Round Rock's other secret, The Road House, and unlimbered my own neglected tenor sax for a bit of rock and roll -- but that's another story! |
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| Last Updated ( Monday, 04 May 2009 22:22 ) |
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