Day 16: In my CD player: Blue Heron Trio

Hidden Nests
Artist: Kate Santucci
From Reticula's private collection
Photo credit: Kate Santucci

I'm always surprised when the posts I worry most about publishing -- the ones where I crack open my heart and spread a little bit of the soft part on a cracker -- are the ones that get the most positive response. Several people told me in person today how much they liked last night's post and I'll admit I was relieved more than anything that I apparently didn't sound like a whiny baby who can't let go of the past. Hell, I'm always relieved when somebody reads to the end of a post.

I was at some friends' open studio tonight to see some art and listen to some music (more on that below) when one of my friends remarked that none of that would have happened if I'd been a boy. It would have been "boys will be boys" and a smack on the butt. Get out there and win the game. A starting senior on the boys basketball team who had been playing varsity for three years and starting for the past two would never have been benched for smoking and drinking off season, during the summer. Never.

I can't believe I hadn't considered that once during all those years decades of regret as I lay awake nights trying to change history with my mind. It really fucking pisses me off. I mean I was already pissed off, but I'm even more pissed off. Both at Coach Larsen and at myself for blowing it so bad.

I can't change it now though so ...

I'll get off that topic and tell you about the open studio I went to tonight. My friend Chicken Grrrl, who has been mentioned here many times over the years, is a talented encaustic artist who shares a studio in an old factory complex with a jazz trio, Blue Heron Trio. They have a room of their own, in other words. I'm jelly, but not in a bad way.

Once a month they open the studio to family and friends for an evening of art and music. Chicken Grrrl works whatever magic she's got going on her big work table and shows people how she makes her stunning creations with bees wax and oil paints and the bones of imaginary creatures, and Blue Heron Trio plays sublime music while the rest of us drink wine and eat cookies and mixed nuts and exotic cheeses.

I intended to open a new blog just for reviews this month, but I haven't gotten to it, so let me tell you about Blue Heron Trio's latest CD, which was released about a month ago. It's been playing in my van for weeks now, because both my 8-year-old granddaughter Coraline and I love it and not just because we're listening to friends. I have lots of other friends who are musicians and I don't listen to them on repeat for weeks at a time.

The CD, titled Other Side of the Tracks, is a mix of originals, jazz standards, and unexpected covers that are so tight they could only come from musicians who have been playing together for 20 years.

Front woman Elisha Frontz sounds (and looks) both innocent and pin-up sexy, sweet and a little shy, except when she's tying you to the bed post and snacking on your heart. Her voice is so sultry you want to fan yourself like a church lady. She also plays a mean vibraslap, in case you've forgotten who's really in charge. Phil Myers sings harmonies and plays guitar and saxophone, never at the same time. His sax winds its way around Frontz's vocals, smooth and sometimes dirty, like a shot of old smoky scotch or a newspaper blowing down a dark city street. Piano player and backup vocalist Dave Santucci rounds out the trio, holding down the bass and setting the tone with surprising, yet often classic, riffs and sexy glissandos. With those nimble fingers, you'd imagine he'd also be good at untying tight knots and breaking into safes. His piano probably thanks him for playing it and offers to bake him cookies after she's smoked a satisfied cigarette.

The first song on the album, "The Devil's Love Song," is an original written by Frontz after her daughter had an experience with a nasty boy at school. It is poetry set to music and it's the one Coraline asks me to play over and over. Our other favorite is a cover of "Goodnight Moon" by Shivaree from the Kill Bill 2 soundtrack. It's spooky and sexy and dark and the original doesn't even get to lick the boots of this cover. Speaking of, one of my other favorites is a cover of the Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made for Walking," only all grown up and not a bit campy like the original. Another cover the trio has taken and made their own is Billy Holiday's "You Don't Know What Love Is." It's so poignant and sad I literally cried at their CD release party. It's risky to play classic Billy Holiday, but this cover does its own thing. It's like a new song with its own story. And finally, we love their original "This Lonely Nation," written shortly after the presidential election in 2016. It's like a sooty, gritty story set in a dystopian .... well, we all know what's going on in our country. The vibraslap is an especially appropriate instrument for this song. Oh, and Frontz's super talented daughter Penny Fisher sings some backup for her mom. (Watch this blog for the release of her future album.)

I'm not going to describe every song on the CD. Boring! Better to listen. You can find some of Blue Heron Trio's earlier album on CD Baby or Amazon Music, but in my opinion this new CD is their best work. It's the culmination of years of playing together, and it speaks a truth that only comes from musicians with their experience and dedication to the muse.