She starts with slow burn, an ode to New York, "Chelsea Burns." Her songs are languid; her voice (the night's showstopper) fills the space, sweet and warm. Keren Ann's vibe is part folk, part blues, peppered with Josephine Baker jazz intonations—a throwback to another era, but with a decidedly modern spin.Keren Ann plays the guitar earnestly with arpeggiated harmonies punctuated by heavy handed chords. Her counterpoint, a trumpet (played by Avishai Cohen), riffs off of her voice, layering the landscape between voice and guitar. At times subdued, at times frenetic, the trumpet gives life pulse to the music.
Keren Ann's songs take time to build. They need plenty of room to flourish. Her final song of the night, a cover of Rodgers & Hart classic "My Funny Valentine," is the perfect example of where her talent lies—at the heart of the heart wrenching ballad. Her own songs borrow from the likes of Rodgers & Hart, but prove more impressionistic, less defined, and without that highbrow wink. Indeed, her seamless transition from English to French only heightened the overall effect as in "Jardin d'Hiver."
And while most of her set was dedicated to the ballad, Keren Ann showed her facility for the up-tempo, in songs like her hit "Lay Your Head Down" and the Beatles-esque "I'm Not Going Anywhere." The evening's highlight was a fast-paced, blues-inflected trumpet solo by Cohen, mimicking Keren Ann's voice, sublimating her sound and launching it into the musical stratosphere. It was a testament to two musicians totally in tune with one another, and what's more, in tune with a rapt audience.
Photo courtesy of flickr user: likeyourhandle
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