For many jazzophiles, The Allen Room in Lincoln Center is Mecca. The space is intimate, the acoustics are phenomenal, and the dramatic wall of glass offers one of New York City’s greatest backdrops, with picturesque views of Central Park, Columbus Circle, and the Manhattan skyline. It feels like sacred ground.
Recent highlights from The Allen Room include saxophone master Maceo Parker—perhaps best known as the second-in-command to James “The Godfather of Soul” Brown—as well as Manhattan Transfer, the most enduring vocal group in jazz history.
Friday evening, indie chanteuse Annie Clark (aka St. Vincent) shanghaied the joint with an infectious blend of glitchy synth-pop beats, elegant ballads, ferocious guitars, and cinematic arrangements. She also got a little help from friends including David Byrne (yes, David freakin’ Byrne of Talking Heads!), Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, Bryce Dessner of The National and Budos Band horns.
The set kicked off with “The Strangers,” the opening track from St. Vincent’s 2009 release Actor. Dizzying horns clashed against scathing, fuzzy guitars that would have made Lou Reed crack a smile.
Justin Vernon lent his melancholy falsetto for “Laughing with a Mouthful of Blood” and “Roslyn,” the latter of which also saw Bryce Dessner provide ethereal guitar drones. You might remember “Roslyn” as the haunting tune about teen abstinence from a recent vampire flick. Interestingly, Clark and Vernon wrote it together via Skype. St. Vincent and Justin Vernon performing together was quite simply one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard—a rare musical occasion that left me with chills.
Other highlights from the evening included a distorted violin feedback-driven badass cover of The National’s “Mistaken For Strangers” and the David Byrne piece "Breathing." Showcasing the innate connection between the two experimental artists, "Breathing" was funky, danceable, and a sweet taste of (hopefully) future collaboration.
With such fantastic performances by a Who's Who list of the current indie scene, the show felt like a crazy dream that was too good to be true. I have been fortunate enough to see almost all these performers before, but never together on the same bill. I left thinking that I had just shared in a very special experience.
