062217 St. Paul & the Broken Bones/Pierre Kwenders, Ottawa, ON

On June 22nd, 2017 I saw St. Paul & the Broken Bones (and Pierre Kwenders) at the Ottawa jazzfest, or so my ticket book tells me.  Thank goodness for the ticket books!

I am rather familiar with St. Paul & the Broken Bones…how could I not be?  They’ve been around since god-knows-when, to this day they are on every festival lineup I look at, and I can’t count how many times I’ve seen them – though I’m sure the number is: several.  Probably even many several.  But not a word of a lie, I couldn’t tell you a thing about them.

Are they a trio that plays weird, ethereal trio-music?  I don’t know.  With a name like St. Paul & the Broken Bones maybe they are a quintet that plays NYC-style over-your-head jazz?  I don’t know.  Maybe it’s actually a solo sousaphone/harmonica player in lederhosen?  Well, it’s probably not that…I’d remember it if it was that.

And so I don’t remember a blasted thing about St. Paul & the Broken Bones, no matter how many times I might have seen them.  Why, then (you might be asking….nay, should be asking) do I even bother with these live shows?  

Well, first of all let’s get clear that I’ve never purchased a ticket specifically to see St. Paul & the Broken Bones (at least I don’t think I have); they’ve always been included as part of a festival pass I’ve held, either for the jazzfest or sometimes bluesfest (probably even a fest or two I’ve attended down in the US…I wonder if they are an American group?).  And clearly the band doesn’t knock me out, but I’m sure it was a nice evening weather-wise (if it was raining I probably would have stayed home) and from my house the fest is just a short and lovely bike-ride away along the splendid Rideau Canal.  I would doubtless have found myself under my favourite big tree with a beer in my mitts and a friend or ten close at hand.  The music, though not interesting enough* to be notable would certainly have been inoffensive enough as to be equally un-notable, and did I mention that beer in my hand?

Now, doesn’t that sound nice?

The next night jazzfest would host the great Bill Frisell and later Maceo Parker and more, so I was obviously going to buy a festival pass.  So no offence to St. Paul & the Broken Bones and all the hard work they put in to keep themselves out there year after year, but sorry, you just ain’t my selling point.  But still, I’m sure I enjoyed you.  Or at least you helped me enjoy myself, so there’s that at least.

(I don’t remember anything about Pierre Kwenders either.  No offence to you either Pierre.)

*To me, that is.  Clearly St. Paul & the Broken Bones are a good band, lest they wouldn’t be asked back to every fest they play again and again.