Joel Harrison proclaimed his love for two-guitar bands Friday at the Van Dyck Music Club, extolling the Grateful Dead, the Allman Brothers, Joe Pass and Herb Ellis, Ralph Towner and John Abercrombie. Fans chimed in with their own favorite pairings in what felt like a seminar for a minute, though nobody noted this also describes the Beatles. But Harrison demonstrated that respect even more vividly than words in a dynamic show with his own two-guitar band.
Joel Harrison Quartet. From left: Mark Dzuiba, Rich Syracuse, Jeff Siegel, Joel Harrison
Harrison and fellow guitarist Mark Dzuiba played off each other in harmony, counterpoint, echoes near and far, comments straight or playful; Harrison flat-picking a skinny Gibson hollow-body, Dzuiba flat- and finger-picking a Fender Telecaster solid-body. Bassist Rich Syracuse and drummer Jeff Siegel – the Sly and Robbie rhythm section of our regional jazz stars – crafted firm foundations under everything, from earthy blues shuffles to high-altitude bebop flights.
“Doxy” spun the spotlight around at everybody onstage in turn, a fun funk shuffle with spry solos all around. This wasn’t a warm-up; all four were at full operating temperature, though Harrison’s second solo was the tune’s hottest and his duet with Dzuiba wrapped the thing like a gift.
Rich Syracuse, above; and Jeff Siegel, below – the Sly and Robbie rhythm section of our regional jazz stars
Harrison’s own “Sunday Night With Vic” for fellow guitarist Vic Juris felt like pals out fishing or raising glasses on a shady porch, peaceful and slow – guitarists sunny up top in a smooth cruise but complex beats below, uniting in a stately coda.
The set simmered and soared in a simple, strong shape. “It Falls on You” from Harrison’s 2021 “Guitar Talk” album of duets felt like a sibling to “Vic” in its grace before the intense, at times menacing “Survival Instinct” scrambled with dangerous energy to a hard-stop, all hot drama and force before dramatic silence. They kept the energy high with “Webb City,” brisk bebop bounce spiced with a strong swing under Dzuiba’s solo like a seminar in tones and phrasing styles. Syracuse shone here, too, turning a walking bass line into a strut.
“Body and Soul” grew from a guitars-only glide into melodic reverie, elegant and graceful; then “Bird Song” cruised from similar sparse musings into a meditative melody, Siegel’s tasty hand percussion spicing the mood.
Siegel also starred in the bebop blast of “Solar,” erupting free in a groove that flowed jagged and jaunty by turns; guitars echoing licks at the end.
Another “bird”-titled tune followed – Harrison’s “Migratory Birds” – introduced by his spoken environmental alarmism that translated musically in double-time drums and clattering solos on top before a coda fade.
Two Guitars: Joel Harrison, above, and Mark Dzuiba, below
Things peaked in maybe the 90-minute set’s least-likely song choice, the pop classic “Wichita Lineman.” A high-flying exploration of this (overly?) familiar melody, this showed Harrison and his quartet at their cohesive, intuitive best. Everybody knows the tune, but they all brought something personal, powerful and fresh to it while ensuring everything fit – as Harrison’s repeating riff underscored Dzuiba’s solo, for example. Syracuse sparkled here, too.
Harrison noted “Anthem of Unity” was a “good title for these times we’re living in,” and their closer shone a sunny happy funk groove around the room, loose in a fun way. Harrison set the mood with a repeating riff that grew wings as a cozy R&B groove.
Throughout, they showed a confident cohesion, though they read parts from charts. Everybody played nearly all the time, listening and helping out. So sparser sections took on a distinctive drama. The two guitars glowed in both cohesion and contrast, in lead or rhythm roles, Harrison using more sustain than Dzuiba whose usually terse, clipped phrasing fit perfectly.
SONGS
Doxy” (Sonny Rollins)
Sunday Night with Vic (Harrison)
It Falls on You (Harrison)
Survival Instinct (Harrison)
Webb City (Bud Powell)
Body and Soul (Johnny Green, Edward Heyman, Robert Sour, Frank Eaton)
Bird Song (Paul Motion)
Solar (Bill Evans)
Migratory Birds (Harrison)
Wichita Lineman (Jimmy Webb)
Anthem of Unity (Harrison)
MORE GUITARS
Bluegrass/Newgrass acoustic guitar master Tim O’Brien plays tomorrow, Saturday, March 8, in a duo with wife Jan Fabricius at Caffe Lena (47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs). O’Brien had already built an imposing reputation as an immaculate and propulsive picker with Hot Rize and other bands before his wife Jan Fabricius began playing mandolin and singing around their home in what became a duo. 7 p.m, doors 6:30. $37.96 members, $43.38 general, $21.69 children and students. 518-583-0022 http://www.caffelena.org.
Guitars may seem almost incidental to the creative powers of brilliant singer-songwriters John Hiatt and Lyle Lovett, playing Wednesday at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall (30 Second St., Troy). But six-string acoustics shape their songwriting just as they underline the songs. Their duo shows combine tunes and tales, jokes and jams as well as anyone onstage these days. They’re old pals at play. 7:30 p.m. Few seats remain: $67.50, $55. 518-273-0038 http://www.troymusichall.org.
Gypsy-jazz acoustic jazz master Stephane Wrembel plays Caffe Lena with his quartet on Friday, March 13. French-born, Wrembel studied in Europe before enrolling at Berklee in Boston on scholarship. Composing and recording hot-swing instrumentals for Woody Allen film soundtracks brought a deservedly ever-expanding audience. 8 p.m. doors 7:30. $34.70 members, $39.04 general, $19.52 children and students.
Hoke's Jukebox 