BayPop writer Eric Snider reviewed Thursday night’s Side Door show, which featured New York jazz artists Nicki Parrott and Rossano Sportiello and Eddie Metz Jr. Read the review below or click on this link to visit the BayPop site:
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Jazz Artist Parrott Charms the Side Door at the Palladium
Published on January 18, 2013 by Eric Snider in BAYPOP
Well, look here—a jazz club in St. Petersburg. Not a five-nights-a-week hotspot like they have in New York, but a cool room that has jazz and blues as a significant part of its programming.
It’s the Side Door Cabaret at the Palladium Theater, where last night I saw a charming performance by acoustic bassist and singer Nicki Parrott and her trio.
Nicki Parrott at the Side Door
The roomy Side Door was nearly filled to capacity with a crowd of 140. The space features fairly large community tables. You just grab empty seats and sit alongside folks you don’t know. There are some obstructed views, but for the most part the sight lines are fine. And the sound quality emanating from the small PA that flanks the low-rise stage is superb.
I’d not previously heard of Parrott, an Australian native who for 10 years was a member of guitar legend Les Paul’s band. She’s a facile bassist who sings in a disarming, breathy voice, mercifully low on histrionics. Her one foray into scat proved to be the set’s nadir. Her best moment at the microphone was a touching take on the vintage ballad “Smile.”
Parrott’s trio delivered two sets of what I’ll call happy jazz—light and swinging, with smiles beaming from the bandstand. This approach fits Parrott’s easy-on-the-eyes looks and sincere demeanor.
Pianist Rossano Sportiello sticks solidly to mainstream fundamentals. His playing was a bit knotty early on, but he warmed up and delivered some engaging solos. The trio peaked when they closed the first set with a 15-minute medley based on familiar Chopin themes. The piece ranged from ballad tempo to quicksilver bebop; the band deftly handled the hairpin transitions, and Sportiello, whom I suspect wrote the arrangement, came off as particularly inspired.
I’m usually put off by jazz renditions of the classical canon, but this was a much-appreciated exception.
The Side Door continues its roll this weekend: Acoustic bluesmen Roy Book Binder and Paul Geremia hold court tonight.
Tomorrow night features internationally renowned jazz vocalist Whitney James with an ace band that includes guitarist LaRue Nichelson, saxophonist Jeremy Powell, bassist Alejandro Arenas and drummer Mark Feinman.
And jazz fans, mark your calendar for March 7, when top-tier jazz pianist Fred Hersch performs with his trio.
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