Jeffrey Gimble: MixTape, Soul Sourced Jazz

Mary Bogue | October 28, 2016

Jeffrey Gimble

MixTape, Soul Sourced Jazz

The E Spot, Studio City, CA, October 27, 2016

Reviewed by Mary Bogue for Cabaret Scenes

Jeffrey Gimble

With a packed house, Jeffrey Gimble took the stage with re-imagined arrangements and creative phrasing, showcasing an array of songs and genres that captured his heart and soul as he grew up. Said Gimble, “I was always hearing music, whether or not it was playing. I wondered what they would sound like all together. Voilà! MixTape.”

He opened with “Bye Bye Blackbird” (Mort Dixon/Ray Henderson), which found new wings with an innovative arrangement, in which he brought great energy, changing tempos and lyrics effortlessly, and breathing contemporary life into this 90-year-old song. With Gimble’s touch, it was fresh and exciting against a movie screen of old black-and-white images interspersed with live images of him at the microphone.

Pianist Josh Nelson gave a great assist, as Gimble pleased the crowd with his opening rubato and scatting style, moving easily through complicated charts on “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was” (Rodgers & Hart).

Scoring big with his humorous take on “Until You Come Back to Me” (Stevie Wonder/ Morris Broadnax/Clarence Paul), sung from the viewpoint of a desperate stalker, Alex Frank on bass found the funk, as drummer Dan Schnelle “tapped on the windowpane.” It was in this song that the audience members got to finally see Gimble open his eyes and sing to them. He was repaid with great applause.

Hauntingly tender and introspective on “You Must Believe In Spring” (Michel Legrand/ Alan & Marilyn Bergman) coupled with “By Myself” (Arthur Schwartz/Howard Dietz), Gimble was cerebral with closed eyes; but that could easily be fixed so that his loyal audience feels included. Taking six months to work on this lyric- and arrangement-heavy show, the payoff was great, especially on his encore, “Rainbow Child” (Angela Bofill), where he proved “I’ve got what it takes to be free.”

Tags: Alan & Marilyn Bergman, Alex Frank, American Songbook, Angela Bofill, Arthur Schwartz, Broadway, Broadway Musicals, By Myself, Bye Bye Blackbird, Cabaret, Cabaret Reviews, Cabaret Scenes, CD, Clarence Paul, Clubs, Composers, Dan Schnelle, Great American Songbook, Howard Dietz, I Didn’t Know What Time It Was, Jazz, Jazz Singers, Jazz Vocalists, Jeffrey Gimble, Josh Nelson, lyricists, Mary Bogue, Michel Legrand, MixTape, Morris Broadnax, Mort Dixon, Musicals, Musicians, Nightclubs, Popular Song, Rainbow Child, Ray Henderson, Revues, Rodgers & Hart, Show Tunes, Singers, Songbook, Soul Sourced Jazz, Standards, Stevie Wonder, Studio City, Supper Clubs, The ESpot, Until You Come Back to Me, Venues, Vocalists, You Must Believe in Spring