Sketch courtesy of Eugene Owens
I walked into the Prospector on the night of Thursday, November 29 and had no clue what to expect from a new local act called strange Fruit. I was worn out from a day of working one too many jobs, had just finished my own band rehearsal and was in no mood for being assaulted by a wall of amps in a small club.
Luckily, the universe provides.
Strange Fruit is the creation of Eugene Owens, previous bass player for Lauryn Hill, brother of famed Long Beach musician/producer Ikey Owens and frontman for his former eponymous outfit, Eugene & the 1914. Eugene Owens’ bass chops are impeccable and he exudes the cool of Chuck Berry and Miles Davis with the swagger of Keith Richards thrown in for good measure. A dedicated follower of fashion, Eugene is usually dressed in sport coat and dark sunglasses–he knows what he’s doing and looks good doing it.
In Strange Fruit, Owens takes on the role of band leader and bassist, effortlessly navigating the fretboard of his double bass while directing other members of the band towards their cues. The other band members are Lyle Johnson on arch-top guitar, Jon Sacks on drums and the three sultry vocal front women Alyssandra Nighswonger, Tiffany Davy and Casey Filbey. The three girls cycle through taking the lead vocals and the center of the stage, and they occasionally sing backup harmonies with each other. Essentially, Strange Fruit is a jazz four-piece with a rotating front woman. This setup works well, as each singer gets the attention they deserve.
The set started out with a song called “Lady Bird,” a jazz standard originally written by Tadd Dameron. The band set the mood, running through this instrumental with Owens featuring prominently on the bass, deftly weaving through complex walking lines. Next, Casey Filbey took the stage and ran through an original piece titled “Bottle O’ Whiskey” (written by Filbey and Parker Macy). Filbey looked stunning in her red dress, beret and horn rimmed glasses, but her voice was the real center of attention. Smokey and tangy like the libation upon which she sang, her voice went down easy and enthralled the crowd.
Other highlights of the night included Alyssandra Nighswonger singing “Champs Elysees” (french is always sexy, period), a sultry rendition of “Santa Baby” byFilbey and a raucous version of “Stand By Me” that almost got a crowd sing along. In my personal opinion however, the pinnacle of the night was Tiffany Davy singing Nina Simone’s “Be My Husband.” I’ve known Davy for some years and this was the first time I’d heard her sing. Hopefully, it will not be the last; she has an amazing voice that sounds like red velvet cake and a bottle of bourbon.
According to Owens, Strange Fruit is an offshoot of a project he calls Slow Learner, a soul and jazz collective that features Owens as the only constant member. He will be playing a set under the latter name, leaning more towards the soul side of things, on Monday, December 17 at Que Sera. Although I would like to see Strange Fruit’s particular lineup again, Owens is always shifting his live act and I am intrigued to see what he has up his sleeve for the next installment.
The Slow Learner will play a 60s soul review with Eugene Owens, JP Bendzenski and Alfred Hernandez along with sounds from DJ Dennis Owens (of The Good Foot) on December 17 at Que Sera, 1923 E. 7th St., 9PM, $3.