All About Jazz
November New Releases and Revisiting Alice in Wonderland
Mary Foster Conklin
November 24, 2018
Happy November! Time to bundle up, run a Marathon, vote and enjoy the last weeks of Fall. In this broadcast, there are birthday celebrations for Roger Kellaway, Clifford Brown and singer Ethel Waters, among others. Also exciting new releases from pianists Myra Melford, Larry McDonough and bassist Alexander Claffy.
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Jazz Weekly
By George W. Harris
November 1, 2018
This two disc set has Larry McDonough going both electric and acoustic, balancing two worlds with piano and keyboards.
The acoustic album mixes moods of Chet Baker and Bill Evans with Greg Stinson/b, Dean White/dr, Richard Terrill/ts and Steve Kenny/tp. You get a poem read by Terrill on a very Chetty “The Thrill is Gone” and some hip muted trumpet for a sleek “Flamenco Sketches” while the team gets kind of blueish on “Alice in Wonderland” and a genteel “You Must Believe in Spring.’
Plugging in, McDonough gives hints of Weather Report on a textured “Stonehenge” with Terrill on soprano sax, while Led Zeppelin’s “ Kashmir” is a rocker that is quite a Mysterious Traveller. Stinson’s electric bass works well with the keys on a soulful “She Was Too Good For Me” and a take of Eric Clapton’s “Layla” is a bluesy delight with Terrill’s tenor. Clever ideas, and they work well.
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Minneapolis Star Tribune
The week's best Twin Cities jazz: Larry McDonough, Django Festival All-Stars, Eric Kamau Gravatt
By Britt Robson
October 31, 2017
Bill Evans and Spinal Tap
Pianist Larry McDonough has always been an idiosyncratic presence in the local jazz scene. He’s made holiday records and doled out tributes to Tony Bennett, Chet Baker and Miles Davis. He’s covered Prince, Sting and Eric Clapton. He’s used original poetry and a panorama of styles as the years passed. Now he’s celebrating the release of “Alice in Stonehenge,” a two-disc affair split into acoustic and electric music, with its title referring to Bill Evans’ rendition of “Alice in Wonderland” and “Stonehenge” by Spinal Tap. (8 p.m. Thu., Vieux Carre, St. Paul, $10, vieux-carre.com)
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Rhythm and Grooves
A Cornucopia of Music: 11.1 – 11.7
By Larry Englund
November 1, 2017
Thursday, Nov 2
Joel Shapira/Larry McDonough’s Saint Paul CD Release @ Vieux Carré, Saint Paul. 8:00pm ($10) Guitarist Shapira plays jazz and the occasional classical piece for the dinner hour. Then McDonough and his group take the stage for the East Metro CD release party for Alice in Stonehenge, a 2 CD album with one CD electric, and the second acoustic. The opening track on the second CD is a mashup of Spinal Tap’s Stonehenge and Bill Evan’s Alice in Wonderland, and gives the CD its title. Tonight he has his usual group: Richard Terrill, tenor & soprano sax; Greg Stinson, acoustic an electric bass; and Dean White, drums, with special guest Steve Kenny on Flumpet.
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JazzInk
By Andrea Canter
http://www.jazzink.com/2017/
Thursday, November 2. After a successful CD release last month at the Dakota, Larry McDonough and his quartet hold a similar bash at Vieux Carre' in St Paul. Alice in Stonehenge brings together Larry's acoustic inventions in tributes to Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Tony Bennett, Chet Baker and more, along with his plugged in nods to the likes of Led Zepplin. Joel Shapria kicks of the evening with some tasty solo guitar.
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Saint Paul Pioneer Press
By Dan Emerson
September 29 and October 1, 2017
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JazzInk
By Andrea Canter
Saturday, September 30, 2017
What do Bill Evans, Chet Baker, Paris, Miles Davis, Tony Bennett, Spinal Tap, Dave Brubeck, Sting, Led Zeppelin, Prince, children with special needs, Eric Clapton, and odd meters have in common? Answer: The Larry McDonough Quartet's new recording, Alice in Stonehenge and other AcoustElectric Adventures. The CD Release party at the Dakota features pianist/vocalist/composer/arranger Larry with his working quartet--saxophonist Richard Terrill, bassist Greg Stinson, and drummer Dean White-- with special guest trumpeter Steve Kenny reprising his Chet Baker instrumentals. The CD is a two-volume set, one disc acoustic, one disc electronic-infused, the whole a joy to hear as it covers Larry's recent forays into the music of Miles, Chet Baker, and the Bill Evans-Tony Bennett partnership, as well as Larry's arrangements of Brubeck, Prince, and more.
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Rhythm and Grooves
By Larry Englund
September 27, 2017
Tuesday, October 3
Larry McDonough Quartet CD Release @ The Dakota, Minneapolis. 7pm ($10) The CD is entitled “Alice in Stonehenge and other AcoustElectric Adventures” and features the quartet: Larry McDonough, piano, compositions, and vocals; Richard Terrill, saxes and original poetry; Greg Stinson, bass; and Dean White, drums, with special guest, Steve Kenny, flumpet. The title tracks of the 2 volume CD (one is acoustic, the other is electric) are mash-ups of McDonough’s take on Bill Evans’ “Alice in Wonderland” and his re-arrangement of Spinal Tap’s “Stonehenge.”
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JazzInk
By Andrea Canter
CD Back
October 3, 2017
Fans of Larry McDonough will find no significant disconnect between the two discs comprising Alice in Stonehenge. Those encountering him for the first time who are generally drawn to acoustic music will likely be surprised by how much they enjoy the melodicism and energy of the electric disc. And vice-versa: Those generally favoring electronic pop and rock will find themselves drawn to the romantic verve of the acoustic set. It's trite to say there's "something for everyone." More accurately, everything here is likely to appeal to music lovers of all persuasions, because every track brings a timeless tune delivered by steadfast talents--acoustic or electronic. The 2-volume title is a mash-up of the first tracks from each--Larry's take on Bill Evans' "Alice in Wonderland" and his re-arrangement of Spinal Tap's "Stonehenge." And on each disc Larry draws upon his recent shows--tributes to Chet Baker, Miles Davis, and Bill Evans and Tony Bennett, as well to the rock icons of Sting, Clapton, Spinal Tap, and more. Disc 1, like live shows, also includes the jazz-themed poetry of saxophonist Richard Terrill.
Jazz has long been Larry's wheelhouse, be it a majestic rearrangement of "Alice in Wonderland" that upgrades Alice to royalty or a fresh take on Chet Baker's "The Thrill Is Gone" where, without imitating Baker's voice, Larry evokes the pathos of a man who has lost more than the "thrill" of a relationship; Steve Kenny's trumpet parallels the singer's angst. Jazz treatment of "La Marseillaise?" Adding accordion to his arsenal, Larry's arrangement conveys that sense of swing despite the song's majestic, patriotic bent. Yet there is still a tinge of sadness, elegy reflecting the world's reaction to the recent Paris attacks as well as the song's origin as not only an anthem of national pride but a call to arms and resistance. Larry takes no fewer liberties on the electric set, reconfiguring time on all tracks, perhaps most surprisingly on Brubeck's already fractured "Take 5" (now "Take 7") and including a wide range of influences, from Prince ("The Question of U") to the melody fragments from individuals with disabilities, originally the Fingersteps and now the SpecAbilities project ("Funkabilities").
Unplug or plug in. It's pure Larry McDonough either way.
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The week's 26 best concerts: Jan. 3-9
City Pages
By CP Staff in Music
Wednesday, January 3, 2018
Rounding up the week's best concerts in the Twin Cities.
Larry Mcdonough Quartet: Alice in Stonehenge and Other Acoustelectric Adventures
Jan. 7, 8:00 p.m. at Aster Café
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