Jana Nyberg – Live at Mile of Music, Appleton, WI
Jana Nyberg
Mile Of Music Festival
Mile Of Music Festival
Appleton, Wisconsin
August 9, 2013
Mile Of Music is the brainchild of Cory Chisel, the indie /
folk artist hailing from Appleton, Wisconsin. This four-day music festival
boasted over 50 bands, local, regional, and national including a performance by
Nora Jones. The festival was held in downtown Appleton locations, a
contemporary city known for its liberal arts. While interviewing Chisel regarding
the festival he emphasized the need to continue building the arts in Appleton
and his pride in the volunteers that have made Mile Of Music a success, as
noted by so many coming to his city to experience Appleton.
Among the genre’s displayed; The Jana Nyberg Group represented
jazz. This jazz oriented band out of the Twin Cities was completing a tour of
the Midwest in preparation for their third release. They offer energy-laced,
sensuous story with a blues accent highlighted by at times understated, at
times sizzling trumpet and guitar lead.
“Inside A Bottle”
opened their set with a seductive and adventurous ride brought forward with the
sensuous vocals of Jana Nyberg. Delicately phrased electric guitar backed by
solid rhythm section, the sweet, sad tale of “Emily” was unraveled with
emotionally charged trumpet and guitar leads. Nyberg added flute to the
esoteric “Pebble Beach” and scat to “Smile” while Adam Meckler on trumpet and
Evan Montgomery on electric guitar shared leads.
Meckler plays an avant-garde, post-bop, extremely personal
and distinctive trumpet leading the band in emotional phrasing. Montgomery’s
prowess on jazz-based electric guitar reminds one of early Larry Carlton work.
The rhythm section combines Greg Schutte on drums and Matt Peterson on bass
both plowing the road.
New tunes were featured from their upcoming album due in
October / November. Each provided a bluesy story with steamy melody. The finale
included a new song with Nyberg again adding flute to the band’s smooth jazz
phrasing.
Nyberg, her husband, composer / arranger / trumpet player
Meckler, and the band gave a moment in jazz greatly appreciated by the standing
room only audience. There is something personal and deeply meaningful in the
songs performed by the Jana Nyberg Group. This jazz offering along with the
varied genres presented at Appleton’s initial Mile Of Music festival proved
successful in every way, but most particularly by providing art in a time when
art is desperately needed.
Scott S Mertens
4 tocks
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