Coffeehouse Guitar Duo Brews Up Tasty Jazz

By Chris Manson May 15, 2008 Issue

Jimmy Chandler is a classical guitarist. Steve Perkins is a jazz guitarist. But both musicians found some common ground prior to their debut a couple Thursdays ago at Emerald Coast Coffee & Grille.

“We both read music and understand music theory,” says Perkins. “When I met him, I was like, ‘You know what this is? All right!!’” Chandler informs me that they also attended the same college, Southern Mississippi, 20 years apart.

Through the first couple of numbers—“All of Me,” Wayne Shorter’s “Black Nile,”—it’s hard to tell who’s playing what. Later, Perkins tells me that he plays all the melodies and solos, while Chandler handles rhythm. On the former, Perkins does a lot of those quick little runs that I always enjoy.

“(Jimmy) can really make some interesting stuff out of it,” says Perkins. “Little things the average person who doesn’t play music wouldn’t understand, but that make two guitarists sound so ‘full.’ He plays a lot of Brazilian jazz, and I just play the melody on top of it.”

I know Chandler from the duo Ave and Destin’s Dance Elite studio, where he gives music lessons. But Perkins’ story remains a mystery. “I have an interesting past that requires a very long explanation,” he says. Later, singer-songwriter Pete Henderson approaches me and fills in some of the holes.

“Steve used to sit in with me at McGuire’s when he first got to town,” says Henderson. “He’s flawless on guitar and saxophone.” During those gigs, Perkins would often toss off snippets of “The Girl from Ipanema” while Henderson thought about what song he was going to perform next. Perkins goofs around on the song tonight, too, but still sounds focused.

Perkins was greatly influenced by Joe Pass’ virtuosity. “There’s nothing he can’t do as far as playing bass lines, melodies, and chords simultaneously,” he says. “I like to listen to singers and saxophonists, too—Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Parker.”

Later, Chandler’s son Scott joins the duo on acoustic bass, and they play “The Girl from Ipanema” for real. But for every familiar tune—“Misty,” “Autumn Leaves,” “The Nearness of You”—there’s a lesser known but equally rewarding song like Charlie Parker’s “Au Pravine” or Rodgers and Hart’s “Have You Met Miss Jones.” They really swing on the Parker. The music is entirely instrumental, but who needs a vocalist when the guitars can sing like this?

“I’ve never done this,” says Chandler. “We didn’t know what to expect.” During a break, many of the patrons use words like “outstanding” to show their appreciation.

I ask if Perkins and Chandler are a couple of jazz purists. “It was a battle just to get him to plug in and turn on the electricity!” says Perkins.

Need Time Off for Bad Behavior?
David Allan Coe, the legendary country music outlaw who makes Waylon and Willie look like a couple of flower girls, will appear at The Block next Thursday night. The Essential David Allan Coe (Columbia/Legacy, 2004) will get you in show mode. With drinking songs, cheating songs, redneck songs, and Steve Goodman’s immortal “You Never Even Called Me by My Name,” this is an excellent overview of everything Coe does well, at least until you discover his amazing 2006 collaboration with metal band Pantera, Rebel Meets Rebel.

The Beat’s Record Roundup:
- Autechre: Quaristice (Warp). Thanks to Burial’s Untrue, I’ve warmed up to weird electronic music. None of the song titles make sense, and neither does any of the “music” on the first couple of spins, but persistence pays off.
- Robert Forster: The Evangelist (Yep Roc). The former Go-Between presses on after the death of longtime collaborator Grant McLennan. The album has its share of haunting moments, but “It Ain’t Easy,” the most explicit tribute to McLennan, benefits from rockabilly touches.
- Chamillionaire: Ultimate Victory (Universal). Released last fall, but listed here for those who missed out on “The Evening News,” the best protest song of 2007 and 2008.
- Miles Davis, Ascenseur pour l’echafaud (Verve). Somewhat forgotten score to Louis Malle’s 1958 film is just as worthy of rediscovery as any of the sprawling, expensive Davis box sets flooding the market.
- The Black Crowes: Warpaint (Silver Arrow). A group I avoided for the most part in the ‘90s sounds stronger than ever and more deeply imbedded in its southern rock roots.
- Bon Iver: For Emma, Forever Ago (Jagjaguwar). A high-pitched but not whiny indie singer-songwriter? These days, that’s the stuff of miracles.
- The Weepies: Hideaway (Nettwerk). Charming boy-girl folkie duo seems pretty carefree, at least until you get to “How You Survived the War.”
- The Honeydrippers: Volume One (Rhino). Robert Plant’s 1984 oldies one-off finds the singer having a great time tearing through “I Got a Woman,” “Rockin’ After Midnight” (a/k/a “Good Rockin’ Tonight”), and “I Get a Thrill.” But it’s the slow ones that stick, both the radio hit “Sea of Love” and the achingly gorgeous “Young Boy Blues.”
- Def Leppard: Songs from the Sparkle Lounge (Island). Dumb, fun, and full of hooks, this isn’t quite Hysteria II. But it’s way better than Lep’s useless covers album Yeah!!
- Madonna: Hard Candy (Warner). Not bad as contractual obligation albums go, although the cover art seems to have been inspired by the Dark Brothers’ porn masterpieces of the late ‘80s.

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