Marty Allen & Company, dynamic yet casual!

    NYC has its Central Park, Montreal has its Mt. Royale; D.C. has the Mall & St. Catharines has Montebello Park; verdant downtown respites from routine. Last night that locale hosted a large crowd of fans enjoying 2½ hours of what Marty Allen describes as his reading on American musical roots.

Allen plus his sidemen; Ken Lee on bass & percussionist Mike McDowell they are consistently improvisational in their performing of all three genres that make up their repertoire. Honky Tonk is the style and sound familiar to every fan of westerns (or ‘oaters’ in the vernacular) wherein the piano man is told to keep on playing as the saloon bursts into melee. The sound derives from a ‘tack’ piano. The ‘rockabilly’ format was popularized by Presley et al. and has solidly endured. ‘Blues’ with its ♪ AAB ♫ notation is the stuff of such musical stalwarts as B.B. King, Muddy Waters, and ‘Downchild’ of Mississauga’s Chuck Jackson. Included was an especially enjoyed original work entitled ’Angelina’.

Allen easily establishes a rapport with his audience, obvious from the dynamic opening number and throughout the entire stage performance. Segueing between the three styles keeps his audience’s attention. Even the distraction of 5 year-old Jace and his downsized 5-string (sic) strumming along with the on-stage quartet, couldn’t distract the focus of Allen’s enthusiastic fans. Shows what two decades of dedicated performing before his home town community deservedly earns. Like all of those (us) who suffered diminished opportunities during Covid, we all are somehow making our way back.

Allen’s warm up soloist was a young tenor vocalist/guitarist Bradley James whose voice and mannerisms reflect a mature musical ability. This listener was thoroughly entertained by the on stage efforts, but an 'icing' certainly had to be the active audience; even two seniors who rock & rolled like teenagers at a sock hop in the gym! I also received some insight and informative history from seatmates Melody and Anna who didn't charge me for the pleasure of their company!

Ahead, Montebello will be the locale for Rotary's RIBFEST July31st, & SCHOOLHOUSE's C/W group will perform on August 5th, "Ya'all come on out, y'hear!"