A night out: Calexico
American Songbook: Calexico at The Allen Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Feb. 8.
(credit: atease)
Thursday night was not looking good. I was on my third day of a severe cold, and I had already had three beers by the time the show started (one was chugged in the lobby as the show was starting; they didn't tell us when we bought them that we couldn't bring them inside). Needless to say, I was more prepared for a 12-hour nap than a concert.
All that changed when we stepped inside the theater. This is supposed to be a concert review, but the room itself is worth a mention. The Allen Room has a modified jazz club setting, with two rows of tables set up in the front, and amphitheater style seating beyond that, which gives the room an intimate feel even though it can seat a moderate amount of people. The real dazzling feature, however, is the wall behind the performers, which is a two or three story glass window looking out onto Columbus Circle. Pictures cannot do it justice (and photography is generally not allowed), so if you have the chance to go see something there, go see something there.
On to the music, after the jump.
-- Emily Hulme, www.amNY.com
The band was super tight and everyone was giving their all as Calexico worked its way through its extensive catalog. The idea of Lincoln Center's American Songbook series is to celebrate the American tradition of songwriting (from the great composers of Broadway through to today's pop/rock musicians), which has always drawn from a diverse array of influences. This makes Calexico an ideal participant for the program, as they too are all about diversity of sound.
Their performance was almost like a party; they kept bringing up different special guests to perform with them, including members of Beirut and a singer from Barcelona called Amparo Sanchez. In an evening packed with talent, Sanchez really blew me away. Listen to her here (it's in Spanish, but navigate your way to "clips").
All in all, it was a great night, full of energy with a skilled group of musicians playing well-crafted songs.
