Jazzy ‘Spirits’ Shows Madison Talent -
by Kevin Lynch, Capital Times, Madison, WI, June 11, 1997
It’s a classic American story full of naive immigrants struggling to realize dreams in a city laden with vice-filled pitfalls. It’s a place where romance courts ruin, and jazz meets the musical. Madison jazz guitarist and composer Jeffrey Larsen penned the musical "Spirits of St. Paul" and defied odds in ways not unlike his main characters. Well, OK. He hasn’t been hoodwinked by gangsters or pressured into prostitution. But Larsen has composed, staged, and now recorded a full-length musical, something that usually doesn’t happen in places like River City or Oklahoma or St. Paul or Madison. You do musicals about such picturesque outposts of Americana. What’s more, Larsen has written a work that blends straightforward Broadway-style music and real jazz. And it’s not just traditional jazz or swing, the only kinds that usually make it to the Broadway stage. "I am a huge jazz fan and I play jazz guitar and most of my composing has been in modern and straight-ahead jazz," Larsen emphasizes, and that’s clear, especially in the series of savvy, tart instrumental interludes between songs. "But nobody expects a musical to come from this part of the country." Part of Larsen’s challenge is marketing. Radio stations rarely play musicals and, so far, jazz stations have shown only fleeting interest in the new recording. But it’s surprisingly well-crafted and, at times, inspired work that was staged at the intrepid Brave Hearts Theatre in May for five shows that drew very well. The CD soundtrack version of "Spirits of St. Paul" holds even more interest to jazz fans. Kelly DeHaven sings the lead role of Karla, the immigrant trying to find her way in St. Paul in 1925. The accompanying ensemble includes trumpeter Dave Cooper, bassist Jeff Eckels, trombonist Joel Adams, tenor saxophonist Stu Reynolds, and synthesizer Player Joan Wildman. The CD is available is most area record stores and, like Laurie Lang’s recent CD, shows that Madison’s jazz artists are doing unpredictably inventive and ambitious works.
This work has a decidedly American - and Midwestern - sensibility that helps to reclaim the form of the musical as American. "Most musicals today are the European style, semi-operatic like Andrew Lloyd Webber," notes Larsen. "I wrote this when I was living in Minneapolis and set it there, partly to keep it colloquial. To write a musical about New York or Europe would be pretentious, and besides, I’m a lifelong Midwesterner," says Larsen, who was born in Evanston, Ill, but has lived in Madison the last 5 years. He has also spent time in Norway and speaks Norwegian, so the cultural details of these immigrants’ story hold some credibility. Larsen worked on this project for four-plus years before Tom Petersen at Brave Hearts took a chance on it. As a composed work, the recorded score is a special challenge for DeHaven, who is gifted but more inclined to freer musical pastures. For the most part, she buckles down and delivers through many exposed passages that included unusual notes and interval jumps while retaining a more-or-less tonal brightness. As most jazz contraltos would be, she is audibly challenged by some of the score’s highest notes. Karla’s dream is to be a jazz singer. DeHaven’s ear-grabbing voice conveys Karla’s passion and longing for her homeland’s fjords and for her dreams. "I wrote the story first and looked for places where the songs best fit." Larsen explains. "When I write straight jazz songs, it’s hard to do lyrics. But with this, they were easy to write because they flowed right into the story." Early on, the recording breezes along in Broadway musical style with straightforward piano accompaniment by Theresa Marshall (throughout, she splits the piano chores with jazzer Michael Bomier). Larsen says he’s seen most of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musicals but he didn’t try to imitate anyone’s style. The recording sounds at times like a cross between "Sweet Charity" and "Guys and Dolls." Things gradually get jazzier in "Spirits" when Karla gets a chance to finally sing. But as that happens, a tricky plot unfolds. Employed as a waitress in a hotel, young Karla is unwittingly lured into the hotel’s evening trade. But the first john she meets is Henry, a fellow Norwegian and, gosh hey, he just wants to talk about dis ‘n’ dat and maybe hold her hand. They fall in love and their fates are entwined. The owner of the brothel is also a club owner who gives Karla a chance to sing. Henry’s own dream is to become a pastor and build a new liberal church. Dustin Strong, who played one of the crap shooters in the UW-Madison’s recent productions of "Guys and Dolls," sings the Henry role, creditably. He’s approached by four gangsters who offer to finance his church in exchange for being assistant clergymen. They really want to use the church as a front for bootlegging. This prompts one the show’s most amusing numbers. The gangsters do some guttural harmonizing about their "Heavenly Plan": It’s all a part of a heavenly plan/the rest of the world be dammed/If they don’t like the sight of the Lord’s good book/ being carried in the hands of notorious crooks......A church with communion of whiskey and dope/and we could make Al Capone the pope! The entertaining plot, recounted in the liner notes, takes some dramatic twists and turns from this point. The whole story involved too many scene changes for the limited production resources of Brave Hearts, Larsen admits. He clearly had a bigger venue in mind, such as the Ordway Music Theatre in St. Paul. And he’d also love to stage it in Madison again.
This work has a decidedly American - and Midwestern - sensibility that helps to reclaim the form of the musical as American. "Most musicals today are the European style, semi-operatic like Andrew Lloyd Webber," notes Larsen. "I wrote this when I was living in Minneapolis and set it there, partly to keep it colloquial. To write a musical about New York or Europe would be pretentious, and besides, I’m a lifelong Midwesterner," says Larsen, who was born in Evanston, Ill, but has lived in Madison the last 5 years. He has also spent time in Norway and speaks Norwegian, so the cultural details of these immigrants’ story hold some credibility. Larsen worked on this project for four-plus years before Tom Petersen at Brave Hearts took a chance on it. As a composed work, the recorded score is a special challenge for DeHaven, who is gifted but more inclined to freer musical pastures. For the most part, she buckles down and delivers through many exposed passages that included unusual notes and interval jumps while retaining a more-or-less tonal brightness. As most jazz contraltos would be, she is audibly challenged by some of the score’s highest notes. Karla’s dream is to be a jazz singer. DeHaven’s ear-grabbing voice conveys Karla’s passion and longing for her homeland’s fjords and for her dreams. "I wrote the story first and looked for places where the songs best fit." Larsen explains. "When I write straight jazz songs, it’s hard to do lyrics. But with this, they were easy to write because they flowed right into the story." Early on, the recording breezes along in Broadway musical style with straightforward piano accompaniment by Theresa Marshall (throughout, she splits the piano chores with jazzer Michael Bomier). Larsen says he’s seen most of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musicals but he didn’t try to imitate anyone’s style. The recording sounds at times like a cross between "Sweet Charity" and "Guys and Dolls." Things gradually get jazzier in "Spirits" when Karla gets a chance to finally sing. But as that happens, a tricky plot unfolds. Employed as a waitress in a hotel, young Karla is unwittingly lured into the hotel’s evening trade. But the first john she meets is Henry, a fellow Norwegian and, gosh hey, he just wants to talk about dis ‘n’ dat and maybe hold her hand. They fall in love and their fates are entwined. The owner of the brothel is also a club owner who gives Karla a chance to sing. Henry’s own dream is to become a pastor and build a new liberal church. Dustin Strong, who played one of the crap shooters in the UW-Madison’s recent productions of "Guys and Dolls," sings the Henry role, creditably. He’s approached by four gangsters who offer to finance his church in exchange for being assistant clergymen. They really want to use the church as a front for bootlegging. This prompts one the show’s most amusing numbers. The gangsters do some guttural harmonizing about their "Heavenly Plan": It’s all a part of a heavenly plan/the rest of the world be dammed/If they don’t like the sight of the Lord’s good book/ being carried in the hands of notorious crooks......A church with communion of whiskey and dope/and we could make Al Capone the pope! The entertaining plot, recounted in the liner notes, takes some dramatic twists and turns from this point. The whole story involved too many scene changes for the limited production resources of Brave Hearts, Larsen admits. He clearly had a bigger venue in mind, such as the Ordway Music Theatre in St. Paul. And he’d also love to stage it in Madison again.