Tuck & Patti @ The West: Marvelous Virtuosity

Thursday evening I took advantage of an opportunity to see Tuck & Patti at the newly renovated West Theater on Central Avenue across from Zenith Bookstore. A healthy crowd, many of them musicians themselves, came to enjoy the jazz duo’s first performance and visit to the Northland.

From the opening you could tell the pair were consummate entertainers. A lifetime of performing has shown them what works when it comes to pleasing a crowd. Tuck’s virtuosity and Patti’s enchanting vocals and pleasing patter produced its desired effect: an audience in the palm of their hands, in awe.

Guitarist Tuck Andress was born in October 1952 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He met Patti Cathcart at an audition in San Francisco in the late 70's, and evidently there was magic in the air that day. The two began performing together and later married.

As a young performer Andress bought a 1953 Gibson L-5 guitar because jazz sensation Wes Montgomery used that specific make and model. The manner in which Andress plays defies comprehension, combining percussive techniques with finger dexterity that seems inconceivable. After the show I asked another guitar player if “virtuoso” would be the right word. He responded by describing what Tuck does as “impossible.”

So you bring these two together and you have one impressive evening.

After helping get everyone situated Bob Boone, dressed to the nines, welcomed us and introduced the performers, who began the evening with "Learning How To Fly, " It was a song of their own composition, one which I was unfamiliar with. It set the tone for the evening because its theme is love.

Take this moment,
open up your eyes
You're learning how to fly

What was impressive is their straight up willingness to take risks. No props. No backing band. And in the second song, even Tuck accompaniment was silent as Patti told a story about her High Heel Shoes Addiction. It was no ordinary telling, as she sang in great detail about this “problem” and clearly enjoying every minute of it, with Tuck likewise just watching in rapt attention, an appreciative smile on his face. Think “Alice’s Restaurant” with scat.

The show was just getting underway as they entered into Nancy Wilson’s You Don’t Know How Glad I Am, another love song.

My love has no walls side to side
That makes my love wider than wide

At this point it was apparent that Tuck is no ordinary jazz guitarist as he goes flipping through the chord progressions. Even so, we had no ideas how extensive his flashes of brilliance were going to become as the evening unfolded.

This was followed by two more love songs, including Bless You for the Good That’s In You by Mel Torme & Peggy Lee.

They then reached out to the audience and asked if there were requests. The audience selected Little Wing, In My Life, and Time After Time. When Tuck played the opening bars of the Jimi Hendrix classic, it couldn’t have been more perfect.

Before leaving the stage for a short break Patti told a story about advice she received under a magnolia tree from a 93-year-old woman on how to make love last. She also shared how she and Tuck with different from one another in three critical ways. First, Tuck is a vegetarian, whereas Patti truly enjoys a thick, juicy steak now and then. Tuck doesn’t drink, whereas Patti is au contraire. Finally Tuck doesn’t use profanity, and she admits that some language does fly out of her mouth sometimes, whereas the strongest language she ever heard Tuck use, once, was Jeepers.

During her break Tuck played the most astounding version of the 20th century’s #1 hit song, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." Jaws were dropping all over the place. (Several people had to pick theirs up off the floor.) This was followed by another instrumental equally mesmerizing.

Before Patti returned for the latter portion of their performance Tuck was joined by Sam Fazio, whom Tuck & Patti had been recently producing an album for. Fazio delivered a heartfelt "Eleanor Rigby." Patti then joined and the trio did “Let’s Go” before Sam left the stage.

For their last number they did Take Care of Yourselves, another love song. This was followed by a standing ovation with much shouting and applause, and an encore.

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Related Links
Tuck & Patti
Tuck & Patti and the Mystery of Turning Keys
If you're into jazz, there really are a number of opportunities here locally in the Twin Ports. The Oldenburg House in Carlton is just a hop and a jump to our south with many great acts from Chicago, Detroit and the Twin Cities. Here are a couple blog posts about that scene.
Pippi Ardienne at the Carlton Room
Cookin’ @ the O: Oldenburg House a Jazz Hotspot
Also, Duluth Fine Pianos has been showcasing live jazz here in Duluth on many Friday nights.You can find details here at the Twin Ports Art Blog

Keep your eye on The West for more upcoming shows. Thanks, Bob,.