Change of pace
Tickling the Ivories at Venus
By Joe Tougas
A frequent player here during the past two years, McDonough has usually pitched camp at the Country Pub Wine Café or the former Jazz Club, and usually with a combo. But Friday night he makes his debut at Venus, the eclectic downtown piano bar that just made its own debut a month or so ago.
The smoke-free atmosphere and the funky little touches (red vinyl door with a pewter martini glass handle) throughout the bar all seem custom made for McDonough¹s touch a sound that¹s smooth overall but takes some solid forays into the things that make jazz so interesting, be it the shifting of keys, harmonies or time signatures.
"I think that tune needs more than an upbeat, pretty sound," he said of the Gershwin standard. Even "My Favorite Things" has a blue funk to it.
But beyond the stage, the music isn't dense to the point of the audience needing jazz calculators McDonough and band translate it into a smooth and accessible enough sound for listeners who might not be immersed in music theory or know the distinctions between Art, Herbie and Cannonball.
"Doing a 5/4 version of 'Amazing Grace' isn¹t something that would have occurred to me naturally," he said, crediting his recent lineup, which consists entirely of Mankato jazz players. Craig Matarrese, Dick Terrill and Chaz Draper round out the sound on bass, sax and drums, respectively.
It started a year and a half ago, when McDonough met up with Terrill as a replacement for McDonough¹s sax player at the time, who couldn't make a Mankato gig.
"We got together, hit it off and seemed to have a similar mindset of things," McDonough said.
From there, the introductions were made and gigs played to the point where this band is essentially McDonough¹s main band.
The effect on his music is one of growth, he said.
"I don¹t think things have changed drastically in terms of personnel," he said. "But the music has evolved. I¹m certainly amazed at how comfortable people are with the odd time signatures."
"To some extent, there¹s been a little bit of a dare going on between Dick and me," McDonough said. One result: "Red River Valley" in 7/4 time.
