Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue Review

So here I am sitting at a computer with a great review in my head to write about, but lacking the creativity to word it together.  I think it's best to start from the beginning of the evening.  Last minute decision by my girlfriend Allison, we luckily snagged tickets hours before Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue was to take the stage at the Jack Singer concert hall.  I like to think it was good karma as I tried to enter a promo password, and managed to knock a couple of bucks off each ticket.  Now thinking about it in hindsight, I would have gladly paid full price for this concert.

We managed to find the entrance quite easily, despite the ongoing construction outside the venue.  I have to say I was both impressed and taken back by the layout of Jack Singer.  It had the aesthetics that resembled both a modern touch, and a throw back to something I would have seen in the 80s.  The gold plated railings I think helped this vibe.  Regardless of aesthetics, the place was beautifully set up, the bar staff were friendly and fast, and the sound barriers were awesome!



As we got to our section, we were greeted by an usher who was very helpful in us finding our seats, and explaining rules of entering/exiting during performances.  We waltzed into the concert about 10 minutes late of starting time.  Needless to say the show was already off to a great start, with a handful of fans.  Both myself and my girlfriend were instantly connected with the tunes going on inside the hall.  The trumpet was flying, the drum beats were getting faster, and everyone was up and dancing in the venue.  Did I mention it looked close to a sellout?  Very impressive Calgary!

(Snapped this from our seats on my phone.  Not a bad view!)

Being that I am not overly familiar with his work, I didn't know many of the songs.  However, there were many times where the improv started to seep through the saxophone or trombone, and seem like it wasn't going to stop.  We loved it!  There was a point where the boys even busted out their own rendition of "Give It Away" from the Red Hot Chili Peppers.  It clicked in afterwards that they recently announced a tour with them in the US, with two Canadian dates (Toronto and Vancouver), so it seemed like a nice tribute to them.

The show lasted just under two hours all together, which seemed a lot shorter than we wanted.  Call us selfish for it, but we have consistently enjoyed Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue so we are always ready for extended performances.  This made it our third time watching his highly energetic performance (the other two were in Toronto's Nathan Phillips Square, and Washington DC's RFK Stadium).  While most of my show reviews tend to be hard rock and metal shows, it's very refreshing to have a change of beat, and get down with something that you can dance to.  The style and approach that Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue give is both throwback, with a modern personal spin.



I would highly recommend this show to most of my readers who are able to appreciate a good love of jazz, blues, and big band.  He has been consistent in his tour schedule, so let's hope he makes a speedy return to Calgary for another performance (coughsummertimeoutdoorscough).