February 2003 NORTHEAST PERFORMER Magazine
Live Reviews
The Guy Mendilow Band
- by Katie DeBonville
Zeitgeist, Cambridge, MA
December 19, 2002

THE FINAL PERFORMANCE OF MANISHA SHAHANE’S VOCAL VIBRATIONS series was held at a filled-to-capacity Zeitgeist on December 19th, and with good reason: the debut of the Guy Mendilow Band proved to be a listening experience that those in attendance will remember fondly long into the new year. The performance began nearly an hour late (due to sound issues that were beyond the control of the musicians) but was well worth the wait. Shahane opened the performance and was joined by Blake Newman on bass and Jerry Leake on tabla and multipercussion. Fans of Shahane’s probably recognized several of the tunes performed, but no matter, for her music is deserving of multiple listens. With complex rhythms and well-constructed melody lines, Shahane’s songs demonstrate a variety of influences ranging from deep, bluesy jazz numbers to Indian folk tunes. Her music has a nostalgic feel to it, and she is skilled at using unexpected harmonic twists to create tension in the passages without lyrics.

Leake’s performance on the tabla is simply outstanding. His technique is flawless, and in his hands percussion becomes an instrument of melody in addition to rhythm. Newman was given several opportunities to demonstrate his facility on the acoustic bass, which he did with great success. Shahane is taking some time off from performing to concentrate on completing a CD, titled Peace in Progress. She closed her performance with what will be the title work on the disk, a piece for voice and guitar that showcases her strong voice and flair for meaningful lyrics. After a brief, semi-painful magic act by Guy Mendilow’s brother Dan, Mendilow’s band took the stage with a piece that hints at Steve Reich’s “Clapping Music.” The band members – including Lilli Lewis, Carrie Cheron and Lyman Opei; guitarist Idan Ballas; Jeff MacAuliffe on bass; Mark Nathanson on percussion; and Mendilow on guitar and vocals – began their approach to the stage clapping in unison. Gradually the beats shifted, creating a continuous, rhythmically precise clapping melody. The first piece, a number consisting of nonsense syllables in a language referred to by Mendilow as “Mendilusian,” showcased the band’s gift for harmonization. That talent was further explored in Mendilow’s arrangement of a Ladysmith Black Mambazo tune called “Rain.” At one point in the tune, the voices enter at different times on the word “rain,” and the syncopation created mimics the sounds of raindrops falling. To have four singers performing different syncopated rhythms simultaneously is quite an accomplishment, and it’s one that this ensemble achieves with apparent ease. One of the evening’s highlights was the opportunity to hear Mendilow perform in works in which he sings overtones. In effect, this involves a soloist singing two voices simultaneously: one voice is a drone and the other sounds like a whistle and encompasses the melody above the drone. Mendilow does this while playing guitar, which makes the performance all the more impressive. Overtone singing is extremely taxing on the voice – very few singers can do it for a moment, let alone on more than one piece in a performance. Mendilow’s overtone rendition of the Shaker hymn “Simple Gifts” was hauntingly beautiful and left the audience spellbound. While Mendilow is a talented musician in his own right, he has the good sense to surround himself with other talented musicians, and much of the success of the evening’s performance can be attributed to those who joined Mendilow onstage. The group demonstrated a comfortable ability to perform music from a variety of cultures in styles ranging from folk to pop and back again. This was an outstanding debut performance, and one looks forward to hearing the Guy Mendilow Band again soon. In the meantime, Mendilow’s 2001 release Soar Away Home undoubtedly provides a sneak preview of what future performances will offer

- Katie DeBonville