La Musette

Saturday night at Gallery 345, I was a bit apprehensive about a Jazz show there. First, I was expecting a sparse crowd and thus low energy. Second, as I've mentioned before, I don't enjoy all that solo wankery. Both concerns were unfounded tonight and I was blown away by the vocal talent of Jessica Lalonde.

Most of the repertoire was in French, appropriately accompanied by accordion (as well as sax, guitar, and double bass) with a couple of detours in English and Italian. All were sung with delicate feeling by Ms Lalonde. But the highlights were from other traditions. One was perhaps best described as a classical jazz composition by saxophonist John MacMurchy: a pure vocal interplay between him and Lalonde. Although barely 6 weeks old, it was pure music. The other was twice when she stepped away from the mic, drew on her bel canto training, and projected her voice to the very back on Valse de Musette (La Bohème) and Torna a Surriento (Come Back To Sorrento).

The packed house gave her a standing ovation for 2 enjoyable sets. For the encore, Lalonde channeled the great French singer Edith Piaf with an a cappella cover of La vie en rose.