Vocalist Danielle Reich's twice-weekly presence at a small neighborhood restaurant/bar called King Biscuit has gone from a curiosity among the regulars to something of an institution for the local jazz community. Her four and a half year residency on Tuesday and Wednesday nights has also been a tremendous boon for the King Biscuit itself. Indeed, the Tuesday jazz jam, which Reich co-hosts with guitarist Erin Wright, has become so popular and so well supported, that seating is simply non-existent. Imagine a mix of musicians and lovers of jazz crowding the floor to witness seasoned pros mingle with novice players. Occasionally there's musical magic, other nights amusing train wrecks, the kind of which you only find at a jazz jam ("You still have another A section, keep soloing!"). Oh, but it's fun.
Meanwhile, her trio night on Wednesday finds Reich nestled in a corner surrounded by now-loyal fans and friends, many of whom suggest new material. She responds warmly to these requests, her book swollen with tunes ranging from Nina Simone to Joni Mitchell to Tears For Fears, The Beatles, Radiohead, Janis Ian, Leonard Cohen, and on and on. And, also at the urging of patrons, she's now the proud parent of a sextet CD called "This Year's Kisses" [on which I played, in the spirit of full disclosure]. Alas, Ms. Reich is departing our fair metropolis at the end of the month, en route to the greener pastures of Austin. Naturally there is to be an official "going away party", at the Jam, on Tuesday, April 26th.
Knowing Danielle all these years, I felt we should send her off with an interview, of sorts, conducted through email. Because, who actually "talks" these days? Unfortunately as I awaited her responses, she got a send-off of the worst kind: a car break-in, complete with the loss of her beloved Bose PA system. If it makes you feel better Danielle, a week before I left Houston to attend graduate school in California, I was mugged, robbed, and beaten. It's Houston's way of saying "You Don't Quit Houston! Houston Quits You!!"... or something. Clearly, she's a jealous city.
Why are you leaving the nation's fourth largest city, home to NASA, the Rodeo, and Gallery Furniture, to live among a bunch of outdoorsy, music-lovers?
Heck, it's only 2 1/2 hours away. I already have plans to come back and idle my car on 610 during rush hour just to recapture the memories. Just kidding. I've grown to love a lot about Houston over the last 11 years. When the opportunity arose (quite suddenly) for us to relocate to Austin, it was a difficult decision, but at the end of the day, the outdoorsy music-lovers won out.
Will you do your part to Keep Austin Weird?
Yes. Maybe I'll buy a bumper sticker.
Roger [owner of KB] has been a great supporter of yours. If you could sing him a farewell song, it would be...?
Ne me quitte pas! Bien sur! Not just because it's melodramatic, gut-wrenching, & appropriate, but because Roger is the only person who sings along in French. :) Also, I intend to sing him Leonard Cohen's "The Stranger Song," because it's his favorite Cohen tune. And also lyrically appropriate.
Singers far and wide are all wondering, what will become of your long-standing Wed gig?
No official announcement has been made. If it were up to me, which of course it's not, I'd suggest keeping a rotation there - the Biscuit crowd has a lot of regulars who seem to dig variety, both in musical personnel & genre. Any musicians interested should probably stop by and talk to Roger.
You have a knack for assembling eclectic pairings for your trios (that's a compliment). It would seem you prefer working with a variety of groups, rather than having a core trio (as opposed to THE Core Trio). Discuss.
Thanks! I think it's all been a part of "the process" over my five years of gigging - the process of learning what works for me musically and personally (the two are inextricably linked), what works for different musicians, different venues, etc. Everyone I have played with brings a phenomenal array of skills and experiences and passion to the bandstand, and we all learn from one another; you could say we each bring our own energy to the table. When you combine people who might not normally play together, you get some really unexpected results (usually positive :). I have really enjoyed seeing how various pairings of players work out, and how the different results affect all of us as we create music. There's also the added benefit of not freaking out if someone subs out a gig at the last minute. :) That's not to say I wouldn't like to have a steady group(s) to delve deeper into certain tunes and arrangements. In fact, that's the direction I have been heading recently; I hope to come back to Houston and continue working on some projects underway here, as well as start some in Austin.
The Tues jam session which you and guitarist Erin Wright have been hosting for the last few years has become THE place to be on Tuesdays. Talk about how this has grown and where you see it going in your absence.
The jam session is what it is because of the continued support of every single person that comes out and plays or listens. The incredible pros that hold down the house rhythm section and sit in make it possible to have some phenomenal musical moments, and set a musical standard. At the same time, they make it possible for hobbyists and students to share the bandstand. I love that it's a place where jazz performers and educators can come sit in with their peers for pleasure (i.e., off the clock), but also bring their students to cut their teeth in a supportive environment. Erin Wright will be hosting the jam after I leave. I'm already looking forward to coming back, sitting in & hanging out. :)
What's the game plan once you setup shop in A-town? Do you have any gigs lined up? And have you tried the Moonquake Shake at Flipnotics? You really should.
Plan? What plan? I'll be starting from scratch in some ways: I don't know many people or venues, although I've received a lot of great recommendations. When I started gigging in Houston, it was truly from scratch (no book, not many tunes, no experience outside of the classical classroom), so I'm excited about the process of applying what I've learned in Houston as a musician and bandleader, and also about looking for people interested in working on projects. I do want to be back in Houston to play as much as possible - some of those "eclectic pairings" have a lot of room for growth & exploration that I'll be close enough to keep playing with. :) But the first stop will be Flipnotics. Thanks for the tip.
I'm out of questions. Anything else you'd like to share with JH readers?
It has been a phenomenal ride. I can't thank everyone - truly, everyone - here enough for your support and friendship over the past few years. Come hang out at my last Biscuit Jam on April 26 & celebrate! :)
Thank you, Ms. Reich. Everyone else: don't miss the big send-off!
