Off Beat
McDonough brings jazz innovation to the Northland
By Kyle Eller
"Take a hint of Dave Brubeck's rhythmic magic, a touch of innovative piano technique, a fascination with fusion harmonies and influences from the Beatles to "The Simpsons" to Chick Corea and wrap it all up in a philosophical Twin Cities band-teacher-turned-do-gooder-lawyer, and what do you get? Larry McDonough.
And what he wants to play is innovative jazz piano, as reflected in two compact discs -- his 1999 solo effort "Small Steps" and this year's "Live, Cooking at the Dakota" with the jazz quartet Off Beat.
Like any jazz arranger, McDonough uses alternate harmonizations to make intriguing sounds, but McDonough's innovation also includes playing with time signatures -- he often arranges familiar pieces in 5/4 or 7/4 time -- and doing a Bill Evans-style dual-hand piano style emphasizing emulated bass solos that the right hand plays off of.
So playing "My Favorite Things" from "The Sound of Music" in 5/4 (that is, with five beats in a measure) is not terribly radical -- that time signature can be felt almost like the more common 3/4 or 4/4 signatures.
And that's one of the reasons McDonough applies the technique to familiar pieces, including "Take the A Train," which is on the "Live, Cooking" CD in 5/4: It's educational for a listening public accustomed to pop music played in standard 4/4.
A good example of McDonough's harmonic work is his arrangement of Herbie Hancock's 1960s song "Cantaloupe Island." McDonough takes it from four-beat measures to seven-beat measures, but he also applies modal chords with the third -- the middle note that determines whether a chord is in minor or major -- removed. This technique -- which Hancock used in his later work -- allows an improvising soloist to switch between major and minor scales at will.
Another unique point about McDonough's playing that piano geeks will appreciate is his left hand. While he was playing with a trio, he had to emulate the bass lines on the piano.
If all that sounds complicated, it is -- but don't worry. McDonough is not following the negative stereotype of jazz innovators who perform their creative alchemy in a vacuum, churning out work nobody can understand. His music is still music and is plenty enjoyable, and that's the way he means it.
Kyle Eller is features editor for the Budgeteer News. Reach him at kyle.eller@duluth.com or [218]723-1207.
