Technical Difficulties at Bird & Beckett

Beth Schenck, Lisa Mezzacappa, Jordan Glenn, and Rob Ewing deal with the crowded conditions at Bird & Beckett (screen shot from the Facebook video of the Sifter performance)

Some readers may recall that the Sifter quartet of trombonist Rob Ewing, saxophonist Beth Schenck, Lisa Mezzacappa on bass, and Jordan Glenn on drums had been scheduled to live-stream a performance from Bird & Beckett Books and Records at 7:30 p.m. last night. Sadly the technical team never managed to provide audio content; and, after about a quarter of an hour of frustration, I bailed on the undertaking. Fortunately, the crew persisted; and, by this morning, there was a Facebook video of about 90 minutes duration available for viewing.

The program was organized in two sets separated by a break that was part of the video. Sadly, the audio dropped out on two occasions; but there was still enough content to do justice to the eleven pieces that were played, five before the break and the remaining six afterwards. All four of the performers contributed the compositions that were performed.

Unfortunately, one other technical difficulty marred the experience. To be fair, the performance took place in a limited space between two massive rows of bookcases. In that context one can at least sympathize with the shortcomings of microphone placement that made Mezzacappa’s bass work all but inaudible. I also have a somewhat personal bone to pick, since there was highly imaginative sonorous diversity that emerged from Glenn’s choreographic mastery of his drum kit; and I really wish that I could have enjoyed a clearer view of what he was doing in that crowded space.

The good news is that the music itself was pleasantly engaging. There were not very many provocative sharp edges, but there was no end of imagination behind the themes themselves and how they were interpreted by the different musicians. Every now and then a classical reference would sneak into the texture, usually flying off before even the most attentive ear could identify the source. (I thought I caught a passing reference to Aram Khachaturian, which tickled my own listening organs!)

This is not the first time I have encountered technical shortcomings in a Bird & Beckett stream. Given that the venue has been at it since the onset of the pandemic, I would have hoped for a better learning curve. Prior to lockdown the book store was a significant host for adventurous jazz performances, and better technical support could have gone a long way to help the venue maintain its well-earned reputation.