Jon Brion, Largo at the Coronet, January 11, 2024
I originally bought tickets to this gig when it was simply a Jon Brion show, but Largo updated the description to say Jon would be playing new music with Jay Bellerose and Jennifer Condos. I had a million questions following the change. First of all, what new music? Also, I was familiar with Jay Bellerose from his previous visits at Largo on Fairfax, including the time they covered "Band on the Run," per my request. After asking around, I learned that Jennifer Condos is Jay's wife, and among other achievements, they've formed Joe Henry's backing band for several years. I also learned that the trio had been working on Jon's new music (that is, unreleased tracks he's written since Meaningless). I still had no idea what to expect, but I was excited to find out.The stage was well-equipped, but not with the usual array of artifacts, as with Jon's traditional show. Jennifer had a simple setup near the piano, and Jay's drum kit included a big copper kettle. There was one unusual-looking guitar that went untouched all night. Otherwise, Jon took up the other side of the stage with a couple of guitar racks and a slide guitar.
It quickly became apparent that this wouldn't be the easiest show to document, but I'll try my best, using the same format as I did with the Jon Brion/Nels Cline improv shows back in the day. Follow along!
Song 1: All I have here is that Jon played an electric guitar, and Jay watched him closely for cues. At points, Jay used brushes and his hands, but my main observation was that there were no vocal mics onstage. That is, they probably could've converted a couple of mics for voice purposes if needed, but not even the trusty piano had a vocal option. They plugged away wordlessly.
In a typical Jon show, this might've led me to wonder if they were going to improv all night, but I didn't get that feeling from this first track. This wasn't about mad scientist mode, though it was probably a glimpse into studio life. I knew intrinsically that chaos wasn't in the cards this evening.
Song 2: Maybe that hunch was borne out in the second song, which I recognized right away from my longtime attendance at Jon's shows. It was none other than his track "Croatia," which I used to yell out as a request when I sensed a show was becoming too maudlin and we needed a pick-me-up. I especially enjoyed the performances of this song with him and Chris Thile. Also, I've since visited Croatia since I first heard the track, so consider this a humble brag. Jon went to town on the guitar, and the bond between him and Jay deepened.
Song 3: I don't have much for this song, except for surf-ish guitar and an outro that reminded me a little of "Walking Through Walls." I'm not going to lie -- at this point, I realized we weren't getting much in the way of lyrics, so I put the pen down for long stretches of the performance.
Song 4: With this tune, Jon said "not all of these songs have titles yet," which confirmed all I needed to know. I should also mention he had a notebook or a clipboard onstage and referred to it between songs. That's what I mean by the lack of chaos. My only other note here is that they played this song at a languid pace. Make of that what you will.
Song 5: Jon picked up a six-string bass and said this "can mean only 1 thing -- Cole Porter [something] mambo." (Sorry, I can't read my handwriting.) Jay opened with a steady beat, not unlike a Johnny Cash train song, but they eventually brought it around to "Anything Goes." My first memory of the song goes back to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, which goes to show you how music can hit you from anywhere. If that's what it takes to bring Cole Porter into our lives, so be it.
Song 6: Jon went to the piano, and I recognized the song immediately. It was "Punch Drunk Tack Piano," which is not only from the Paul Thomas Anderson movie, but also the old Largo website. The tune was the first thing you heard as soon as you landed on the page. Talk about indelible memories.
Song 7: Jon returned to the guitar rack and picked up a small electric. I think he said "Perky Hell" might be the song title or at least a temporary name. I'll say that this was a lovely tune that exemplified what he once called "unpopular pop." The song proceeded at a steady pace, and you could kind of hear where the verses and choruses might come in.
Song 8: Jon switched guitars and the crowd roared approval for the red-and-black Sith-pattern model he picked up. He also turned on one of the amps near the piano and said something to the effect of "if we're going to do big band songs, they have to be psych drum anthems." He also said this was for Flanny. That probably indicates it might've been a Duke Ellington classic or something along those lines, but I can't say. I will note that with the simple action of tapping her leg with the bass on it, Jennifer punctuated parts of the song with a cool reverb on the bass.
Song 9: My notes are simple in that the trio delivered a delicate, understated tune that could be track 3 on Side B of a record. At the end, Jon blew a kiss to Jennifer for her contributions.
Song 10: I took minimal notes on this, namely that the intro reminded me of the Beatles' "Sun King," the guitar was phenomenal, and Jon showcased his immense talent. Based on Largo's Instagram post, I think this was "Albatross" by Fleetwood Mac. In fact, I've heard Jon play this several times, but it's been a while. Regardless, it's a stunning composition!
Song 11: Jon checked the notebook before starting the song and commented that it was going to be in E minor and slow and that it desperately needs a title. I noticed strong bass and a smokey, noirish feel. Alas, I can't tell you much more.
Song 12: Jon finally sat down at the slide guitar and positioned the microphone for the first vocals of the night. He said he wanted something with "hip-hop New Orleans country blues," and after some Googling, I've determined that they played "Midnight" by Red Foley. I don't know what the other versions sounded like, but my guess is Jay and Jennifer added a lot to that swampy mix Jon requested. Jon contributed too with gorgeous and at times confusing guitar.
Song 13: For the encore, Jon asked the audience to name a key (which I failed to write down). Jon next asked Jay to provide a tempo, and he created a staccato beat, a series of short beats leading into each other. Jennifer backed him up, as Jon grabbed one of his hollow-body guitars. As with the Cole Porter song, they meandered musically before eventually landing on "Within You, Without You," and this most resembled Jon's traditional gigs. They went all over the place with this track, as is Jon's wont. On a night where we traveled to several places we hadn't been to before, it was the perfect landing spot.
Related shows
» the first one said to the second one there
» round midnight
» like a dream in the night
» i go for it every time
» the world will revolve
