Return of the Sheez

On Thursday, I went to the Monarch Tavern for Laura Barrett's first solo album in 11 years. There were a couple of surprises. First, I was expecting more people from the indie scene circa 2010 but there was only a smattering of familiar faces despite the packed room. Second, someone has gone to the trouble to get a baby grand for this concert.

Robin Hatch was up first, playing her modern, partly improvised, piano compositions. It was received a bit tentatively by the audience. For a casual listener, her music was a bit frustrating: hints of beautiful, shimmery chords often disappeared within a cacophonous noise. Hatch should also experiment more with dynamics.

Dr Moyo Mutamba treated the crowd to a set of tranquil and playful music. This Toronto professor played the mbira (thumb piano) which is native to his Zimbabwe. He eloquently explained the meaning behind each song, whether it was a prayer to the ancestors, a song for peace, or a mischievous number whose title translated to "I Told You So". Since the mbira used different scales and tunings, Mutamba had a collection of mbiras that he switched between. His singing voice was rich and melodious.

Headliner Laura Barrett sat down to the piano to loud cheer. This was the first time I've heard her on the piano and she often played with complex, arpeggiated chords. Perhaps this was an influence from her days of playing the kalimba (a Western adaptation of the mbira). In fact, she brought out several kalimbas both on new songs (The Humble Fawn) and old numbers (Robot Ponies, Deception Island Optimists Club). Barrett was joined by several friends including Dana Snell (who along with Hatch and Barrett was part of Sheezer). Snell provided drums, flute, and weaving harmony on several numbers. Barrett remains too non-mainstream to get much radio play, but those of us who enjoy her delicate music are glad to have her back. I was especially taken with No Crime In Loving.