Photos by Tim Dwenger
The Scene: Sunday was the very first time that Baur’s Listening Lounge opened it’s doors to the public and, all things considered, it was a smashing success. The venue is housed in a historic Denver building and the team has gone to great lengths to ensure that the old flavor of the building remains. Tile floors, a beautiful wood bar, and a gallery of vintage photos that document the building, and it’s tenants, in all their former glory give Baur’s a charm that isn’t usually found in venues of this nature. Silver haired patrons admired the room and reminisced about eating at the original Baur’s in their youth as the largely 40-plus crowd waited for the show to start.
Early in the evening, before the doors opened to the public, members of the Music Appreciation Society (M/A/S) [Editor’s Note: read more about getting your own membership here] were treated to a 20 minute solo set by Jon Cleary before a prix fixe dinner created by Chef Dory Ford for the occasion. The solo set was the highlight of the evening (but we’ll get to that in a minute) and the dinner of carefully crafted, New Orleans inspired food, was worthy of the trip downtown on it’s own. Deviled crab, fried green tomatoes, Crawfish Monica and Boudin stood out on my plate, but I heard great things about the grilled shrimp and grits as well.
Jon Cleary (Solo): As a very special benefit to members of the Music Appreciation Society, shortly after five Cleary took a seat at the piano and gave us a all a little history lesson of New Orleans piano. A master in his own right, Cleary’s fingers danced on the ivories of a beautiful Steinway Grand that is the center piece of Baur’s Listening Lounge as his foot stomped out the beat on the stage. After opening with a little Mardi-Gras inspired number, Cleary took to the mic for the only vocal performance of the 20 minute set, Johnny “Guitar” Watson’s “Cuttin’ In.” From there he dove into Jelly Roll Morton’s “The Crave,” a tune laced with the habanera rhythms that heavily influenced New Orleans music a hundred years ago, and then gave us little doses of Professor Longhair and James Booker before closing the set with a rousing boogie. It was nothing short of amazing to see such a talented musician take the time to show off the building blocks of his trade in such an intimate environment. Here’s hoping there are many more of these exclusive, members only, performances in the future at Baur’s
Jon Cleary Trio: After a short magic performance by Mysto The Maji that I frankly could have done without as it seemed a little out of place (even though the website for Baur’s is www.baursmagic.com), Jon Cleary returned to the stage with two thirds of his Absolute Monster Gentlemen backing band; “Jellybean” on drums and Cornell Williams on bass. Together the trio dug deep in New Orleans Soul and R&B traditions and delivered an eclectic and mesmerizing two set performance that highlighted tunes from Cleary’s upcoming record (to be released in a “a few months”) alongside some of the music, so deeply rooted in New Orleans culture, that inspired them.
The very well structured performance showcased the band’s ability to tease the crowd with a tender R&B ballad before getting our toes tapping with a funkier number like a version of “Fools Game” that slipped effortlessly into the New Orleans staple “Just Kissed My Baby” by The Meters. These three masters of their instruments were just as at home on their own tunes as they were covering artists like Earl King or Snooks Eaglin (who they all played with as they were coming up in the New Orleans scene), but as the performance went on one thing was clear as they flashed smiles and traded jaw-dropping solos; Cleary and his band were having a blast and the crowd was eating it up.
If this inaugural performance at Baur’s was any indication, we have a very special new venue in town that will be bringing some incredible musicians into an intimate and historically significant space in our city.
Energy: A
Musicianship: A+
Sound: B
Stage Presence: A-
Set/Light Show: B-
Overall: B+
[…] “If this inaugural performance at Baur’s was any indication, we have a very special new venue in town that will be bringing some incredible musicians into an intimate and historically significant space in our city.” – Listen Up Denver […]
[…] “If this inaugural performance at Baur’s was any indication, we have a very special new venue in town that will be bringing some incredible musicians into an intimate and historically significant space in our city.” – Listen Up Denver […]