Reviewed by Greg Cielec
I’ve reviewed Rick Stone shows several times in the past and I always say the same thing — his roots are in that great window of time when rock and jazz collided, and, at least for awhile, coexisted. Progressive rock radio stations (and we had two damn good ones here in Cleveland) would play the latest from Led Zeppelin and Bruce Springsteen, but also George Benson, Tom Scott and Brian Auger.
He reminds me so much of that time in music. He would have fit in good headlining at the old Smiling Dog Saloon or the Mistake just like he fits in very nicely at Nighttown. His show last Sunday featured songs from his last CD release Fractals as well as a few standards. His sound is that of ’70s jazz with a touch of rock, and a touch of both George Benson and Django thrown in for good luck. I really enjoyed his original compositions, as well as great versions of the Jerome Kern standard “When Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” and the Tommy Dorsey signature song “I’m Getting Sentimental Over You.” Stone was accompanied by two talented Oberlin jazz students, Matt Adomeit on bass and Nate Friedman on drums.
For more information on Rick Stone and his music visit http://www.rickstone.com. For all the great things going on at Nighttown, from Sunday brunch to a bunch of great music, go to http://www.nighttowncleveland.com.
Greg Cielec is a local writer who covers mostly music and sports for a variety of publications and websites. He is also a full time English and creative writing teacher at Streetsboro High School; an adjunct professor at BGSU Firelands College and Lakeland Community College; and a football coach at John Carroll University. He has published two books of fiction, My Cleveland Story (1998) and Home and Away Games (2006), and the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Michael Heaton has called him “the Mark Twain of Cleveland.” Check out his website and blog at http://www.GregCielec.com.
Cleveland Heights, OH 44106