Concert Review: Alejandro Escovedo in Houston

by Paul T. Mueller

Singer-songwriter Alejandro Escovedo added some jazz to his usual mix of folk and rock at McGonigel’s Mucky Duck in Houston on Feb. 7. Escovedo played in a trio format, with tenor saxophonist Elias Haslanger and bassist Bobby Daniel. The result was a brilliant success, with Haslanger’s dazzling riffs and lyrical solos sharing the melodic spotlight with Escovedo’s acoustic and electric guitars. The Austin-based jazzman got plenty of space to demonstrate his formidable chops, occasionally veering close to the rock idiom. Daniel, a member of Escovedo’s Sensitive Boys band, anchored the mix with steady, percussive rhythm on the stand-up bass and contributed some supporting vocals as well.

Alejandro Escovedo

In the second of the evening’s two shows, the trio performed 16 songs over the course of an hour and 45 minutes. The set list was drawn from a wide swath of Escovedo’s career, ranging from “I Was Drunk” and “Everybody Loves Me,” from 1999’s Bourbonitis Blues, to “Sally Was a Cop,” “Can’t Make Me Run” and “Sabor A Mi,” from the most recent collection, 2012’s Big Station. Every song was marked by excellent musicianship and passionate execution. Some were loud (“Sally Was a Cop,” “Everybody Loves Me,” “Chelsea Hotel ‘78”), while others were quietly poignant (“Rosalie,” “I Wish I Was Your Mother”). “Can’t Make Me Run” was both, starting out at high volume and ending in dramatic whispers.

An emotional high point came about halfway through, as Escovedo dedicated a song to the late Ian McLagan, a onetime member of Small Faces and the Faces and a longtime Austin resident and esteemed member of that city’s music scene. What followed was a slow, achingly beautiful rendition of “Sister Lost Soul,” from 2008’s Real Animal. It was a tear-your-heart-out elegy to a good friend gone too soon. Following similar lines was the main set’s closer, a heartfelt take on Ian Hunter’s “I Wish I Was Your Mother,” which Escovedo offered as a tribute to the former Mott the Hoople frontman, one of his musical heroes.

The trio’s encore consisted of a nice rendition of “Sabor A Mi,” a 1959 love song by Mexican composer Alvaro Carrillo, and a rousing version of Escovedo’s popular “Castanets.”

Haslanger said after the show that family considerations usually keep him from playing outside his home base of Austin, but that he’s willing to travel to play with Escovedo. The Mucky Duck audience seemed happy that he feels that way.