A sense of wonder must surround Van Morrison now that he has landed on the Blue Note jazz label. Morrison has always fancied himself as a jazz singer and bandleader. He now shares the heritage of Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins and Grant Green.
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Van Morrison
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So when Morrison led his sextet into the Chicago Theatre for a one-night stand on Wednesday, it was appropriate that the atmosphere replicated a smoky jazz club. Unannounced, Morrison toddled onstage in a creased olive suit and fedora. He carried a saxophone and launched into a swinging version of "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You" that paid homage to the Vegas lounge scene and his hero Louis Prima. He kept the groove uptempo with "Once in a Blue Moon" from his Blue Note debut, "What's Wrong With This Picture," before deploying his harmonica on a driving "Back on Top". Morrison, 58, is strolling back into his jazz roots at a unique time.
The revamped Blue Note roster of Norah Jones, Al Green and now Anita Baker is redefining the jazz vibe. Chicago jazz bassist John Bany once told me that jazz is the idea of a human freedom applied to the laws that govern music. That's where Morrison is coming from. He draws from American roots music idioms and reshapes them under a jazz umbrella.
Source material from Wednesday's set included the 1958 Tommy Edwards chestnut "It's All in the Game," which Morrison sang with dramatic spacing and immaculate breath technique (while also riffing "Rainbow in My Soul," a hit by Chicago's Gene Chandler). Morrison reworks Lightnin' Hopkins' "Stop Drinking" on his current album and he turned the song up a notch on Wednesday by adding late-1950s Jordanaires-style back-up vocals. His own composition "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm in Heaven When You Smile)" took on new life with a Bobby "Blue" Bland swaggers and appointed "ting-a-ling-lings" that would do the Rat Pack proud.
We're lucky to be living in Chicago because Morrison's American tours are short and sweet. The current tour is just five cities and eight dates. It ends Saturday in Boston. Morrison has a clear affinity for Chicago, which he proved by throwing in a couple of ringers.
His first encore was a raucous version of Sonny Boy Williamson's "Help Me," a favorite that appears on both of Morrison's live albums. But the highlight of the night was "Vanlose Stairway," a rarity recorded for 1982's "Beautiful Vision." Using his voice as an emotional compass, Morrison spun from relaxed jazz to deep soul before closing out with cresting gospel pleas. (Morrison tried to work up the ambitious song for his strange 2001 pub rock tour with Linda Gail Lewis, but became frustrated and gave up).
The submissiveness of Morrison's current band helped create Wednesday's magic. Keyboardist John Allair set a subtle lounge tone along with guitar, drums and the horns of Martin Winning and Matt Holland. Morrison's band plays completely beneath the singer, recognizing his voice as the most powerful instrument. They are Van's answer to the Nelson Riddle Orchestra. The band was attentive, obedient and wasted no time between songs. The 90-minute show was over by 9:15 p.m.
"Cleaning Windows" featured an incredibly tight arrangement with Morrison on top of every note. Even the encore of "Brown Eyed Girl" featured Morrison way out front, leading the audience in a delightful clap-along, while the band played on completely understated. Morrison walked off the stage toward the end of the song. Like a trained pack of dogs, everyone in his sextet looked to stage right to see if the Belfast Cowboy would ride back into the spotlight.
Indeed, he did, for a third encore, a grungy cover of "Gloria" that celebrates another Chicago connection: Chicago's Shadows of Knight popularized "Gloria" in 1966. The song marked a fitting conclusion. From garage rock to soul to gospel, in one evening the voice of Van Morrison honored the freedom of jazz.
