E. Shawn Qaissaunee and Sharon Sable gave a beautiful jazz concert at the Newark Free Library on Wednesday, June 30. The two work seamlessly together, Qaissaunee’s beautifully lyrical guitar introductions can be so fanciful that it is hard to know which tune he is introducing. But Sable seems to like that fine and knows just when to bring in her cooing jazz lyrics and when to stop for more of Qaissaunee’s interludes. Their music is quietly melodic, yet they step out of the box whenever they can.
Qaissaunee’s guitar work is highly polished technical finger work with a jazz spin or even a hint of blues and country. He seems to let his fingers do the wandering which makes his performance unpredictable and exciting. For example, when he played his introduction to the Beatles’ song And I love her, he managed to work in a quote from Blackbird.
Sable’s voice is rich and yet she holds back just enough to keep you on edge. She has that cool, quiet jazz style which is like a feather in your ear…you just have to pay attention. She is solid on her lyrics and is able to bend the lines in a funky way. Her delivery of the ridiculously erudite lyrics of You fascinate me was smooth and unpretentious.
The library was one of the more formal settings for the duo, who have just made a new CD together called Comfort Me, and the quiet and formal setting was a new experience for them and a nice thrill for the audience.
See www.esqmusic.com.
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