This about all that soft jazz, and a whole lotta related offerings, taking a renewed seat at the table, like a not-seen-for-a-while relative at Thanksgiving dinner, as they have plenty of quick eats or full meal to go with the music too, at a venue that adds another element to the local song scene. It’s an intimate setting, where you can be not much more than an arm’s length or two from one of the players as the regele you with their sung stories — and still stay out of reach and vocal range of that odd uncle, but close and softly enough in style that you can catch and contribute to the conversations you want to.
Urban Table, formerly known as Urban Olive and Vine, is back to having bands, mostly duets and soloists so it’s easier to have that dinnertime conversation, with at least a couple of performances already in the books, to show it’s here for the long haul. And this, like its predecessor that had to close earlier in the year due to serious health concerns with one of its owners, if you get there early, may be the most intimate get-every-word setting, across years, that has graced the local music scene.
So, live music generally offered each week — year round — has returned to the northeast quadrant of downtown Hudson, and there’s this fresh renewed and only choice that’s focused largely on jazz of various types, as well as oldies and ’60s and ’70s pop, and a bit of soft rock, but also broadening out to a variety of eclectic tastes — in food too. And now, under the new ownership of Chef Ben and Hannah Jung, it is about the only spot along Second Street to offer such music, or any at all, during the late dinner hour and beyond, before the more typical classic rock and country starts around town hours later. This choice by Urban Table allows you to get in a full night of music, across various venues and genres, and start by going light with small plates too. And it’s an actual group that is actually playing live, not just the more-standard-these-days, deejay spinning canned music.Â
But this is more than just a warm up act, for the rest of Hudson music scene. Check out for yourself, the group that’s on board for this Saturday early evening, Nov. 14, St. Croix Acoustic. If you like what you hear, come back the following Saturday, for a different musical offering, with a slightly differing twist.
As an example of what you’re likely to hear, I took in the end of Peg Meyer’s show of jazz with a blues twist last month. Formerly of Quinn and Meyer, who often performed at the venue’s former incarnation, she spins out some originals and plenty of Irish tunes too.
Her first song featured occasional flurries of complex chords on her acoustic guitar, surrounded by delightful strings of near nonsense syllables interspersed between the phrases that played well off each other. These were knocked down and built up with vocal skill and her own flares of flamenco-like flair. She sounds vaguely representative of a heavier band, when they slowed it down for a verse or two, I had come to know and love. More on that later.
Then Meyer took to a more amped up, plugged in version of that more modern song with the famous tagline, They Paved Paradise and Put Up A Parking Lot, complete with the “la la la la” chorus. Great for an audience sing along, which she encourages.
Next up was a song with a Led Zeppelin feel, when they slow it down for folks sake, with the complex chordings and frequent lilts of The Rain song, reportedly written as a homage/send up to one of the Beatles. Everytime has a season, and lastly Dusty Springfield was referenced with an influence to her music.
The set was closed out with another one of the eclectic vibes, one with verbal foreplay with the audience about home grown tomatoes and true love too, ala the late great Dolly Parton, and this obviously has to be the right version.
As a long outro, there was a nod to Jackson Brown in-concert: Goodnight, enjoyed being with you all. Etc.
Meyer spoke briefly about another musician she knew and respected, and had played with, without mentioning a name. Also might appear here?
This in regard to her eclecticism, which Meyer said she switches up to keep the song selection to the crowd’s tastes, while she sometimes has a partner or two is tucked in a corner — where when there is not music playing sits a table for two, with the chairs lengthwise and even some elbow room behind them. The nearest table is just a few feet away. Sing along and sing away to your heart’s desire.
Back to that heavier band, slowing the tempo down, that I mentioned early in this review. By God, it’s Judas Priest, with their take on the old Joan Baez song about her lost love with Bob Dylan — and the similarity to Meyer’s singing with its rather complex stop-and-start phrasings — Diamonds and Rust. That’s what memories bring. Meyer said she was familiar with the tune, Joan Baez version, and would look up the other, as a recommendation from me and a curiosity. (Just make sure you dial up a clean not garbled version.)
Then you, with night still left, you might musically wander, two blocks south on the same side of the street, to Max’s Social Club, where my two collaborators start their Friday/Saturday nights, and say the bands keep getting better and better. And newer in membership. In particular, they raved about a new rock act, Jezebel, and its gorgeous lead singer and her vocals.