John Allee Bardfly

John Allee
Bardfly

Portuguese Knees Music

The title of the veteran stage and TV actor, and singer-songwriter John Allee's album is a play on the word Barfly. "Bardfly" is a hip way of expressing the fusion of his dual lifelong passions for all things Shakespeare and jazz. Allee has performed in a number of productions of Shakespeare. "Bardfly" itself arose from Allee's role as Twelfth Night's Feste the Clown in a theatrical mashup called "Barfly Shakespeare," presented at a night club in North Hollywood. For this recording, Allee mines verses from a wide swath of Shakespeare's canon from Othello to Henry IV as a foundation everything from blues, ballads, and hymns to spoken word and swinging ditties. I lack the background in the Bard's work to identify specific sources of specific lyrics, but that has not prevented the enjoyment of this recording.

Adopting the persona of Feste "The Bardfly" Johnson, who is introduced in the opening selection, a talking blues "Bardfly Blues/Samingo." On the opening selection, Allee introduces us to his alter ego against a jazzy backdrop. Allee's recitation reminds me of that by Jean Shepard for Charles Mingus' "The Clown." The backing is more a straight late-night blues vamp played by pianist Maleesh Balasooriya, drummer Aaron Mclendon, bassist Dominic Thiroux, saxophonist Javier Vergaga, and trumpeter Matt Von Roderick with the horn players tossing in phrases from "Take the A Train," Harlem Nocturne," and "Epistrophy," and to highlight the narration. It is undoubtedly an entertaining description at the Three Kings Bar, then shifting into a well-spun blues vocal.

Starting listening to "Until the Break of Day," one is readily impressed. His backing band is terrific (Vergaga is exceptional here, and he has a relaxed, lyrical vocal style. Von Roderick's muted trumpet along with his growls adds plenty of flavor to "Tomorrow is St. Valentine's Day," which has a New Orleans inspired groove. Pianist Balasooriya is excellent here, as well. Besides jazz, Albee has an obvious affection for the blues on "Philomel/Hold That Peace," with the two horns adding a classic urban blues feel with sensors saxophone lines. Then there is the wistful delivery of the ballad "Mistress Mine," with lovely muted trumpet. A walking bass opens up Allee's evocative, and hip recitation of "The Hungry Lion," with the horns adding coloring.

The rest of this recording is equally intriguing and captivating. Whether reciting the lyrics or singing, John Allee is quite an engaging performer, whether singing or recitation lyrics. With the splendid backing provided here, he has produced the excellent, delightful jazz-Shakespeare musical fusion, "Bardfly."

I received a download to review from a publicist. This review originally appeared in the January-February Jazz & Blues Report (Issue 388).