Concert Court: Johnny Thompson — Oldsmophelia CD Release Party @ Greener Groundz
Published 12:00 am Monday, October 4, 2010
- Johnny Thompson performs at the The Johnny Thompson — Oldsmophelia CD Release Party at Greener Groundz. Photo by Pennman 9/3/2010.
It was a full house, both inside and out on the patio, for Johnny Thompson’s CD release party tonight. Thompson’s latest, Olsdmophelia Vol. I, the follow-up to his ever-so-enticing Horrow, is a nice collection of vintage jazz standards performed as only Thompson could perform them. The tunes are as familiar as the back of your hand yet certainly not your father’s Olsdmobile (sorry for the reference) as Thompson puts his unique spin on things. Oldsmophelia is certainly a very different genre than what we were treated to on the bluesy, eclectic Horrow, but his distinctive playing style is prominent on both CDs. The CD is well-produced and performed with a full band, but tonight we heard Thompson’s solo renditions of the CD’s tunes, just the man and his acoustic guitar.
It was a rather informal performance even though Thompson did something he said he had never done before; play an entire CD in its’ entirety. So although he often said a few words to introduce the songs, he did not do so emphatically. So the feeling was more like a rapid fire, one after the other, here they come vibe. So the jazz chords were flying, fingers were up and down the fret board, and Thompson’s mellow vocals with some very delicate inflections (so delicate you needed to be paying attention) crooned out the classics. And the audience was receptive, for the most part (always a few who are just there for dinner). The outdoor patrons were interested enough to reopen the door every time the wait staff closed it. Now that’s tenacity!
They were rewarded for it with such classics as “Bye Bye Blackbird” (with the oft-deleted introduction), “Summertime” and “It Ain’t Necessarily So” (two Gershwin classics), “So Nice to Come Home To”, “Since I Fell for You”, “Limehouse Blues” (with its’ nice Oriental influences – the movie did tie into Chinatown in a major way), “Old Cape Cod” (a Patti Page classic), and “Witchcraft” (perhaps a bit of Mr. Sinatra in Mr. Thompson). Perhaps a sure test of how good a collection of songs is over time is the number of big stars who cover them. Well, plenty of big stars have covered these songs. They are indeed classics.
Aaron Holder came up and played some tunes when Thompson was done with Oldsmophelia. Mr. Holder is one of Thompson’s star students at the Scottsville Conservatory. They then played together, which made for a nice ending to the evening.
You can find Oldsmophelia, Volume I (and probably Horrow as well) at the Great Escape Records and Comics in Bowling Green, as well as through CD Baby at myspace.com/johnmjohnnythompson. Give your ears a treat and pick one up soon, especially if you’re a jazz fan or might like to be.
The Johnny Thompson – Oldsmophelia CD Release Party was at Greener Groundz on 9/3/2010.
About the author: Pennman bought his first 45 at age nine and has been hooked on rock ever since. He has spent much of his disposable income on music, especially live performances. He writes reviews of the shows he sees and keeps a keen lookout for upcoming shows in or near Bowling Green. He has a BA in Communications, specializing in journalism, and has dabbled in music himself, both as a player and instructor. Find more of Pennman’s work at www.associatedcontent.com/user/165511/pennman.html or visit him at www.myspace.com/pennman_bg or www.facebook.com/pennman
