Words and video by: Joel Chico

I first saw Jesse Markowitz playing saxophone outside of the washrooms of Clinton’s during a Sadie May Crash show. To my surprise, I saw him step on stage and perform an amazing sax solo with Sadie. After meeting him at a party, I was intrigued to see him perform with his band Jesse and The Rippers.

I arrived at Bread and Circus in the heart of Kensington Market to find a cozy lounge with the stage right in the middle. The atmosphere was low lit, but illuminated the stage just right. The stage was set up perfectly for the audience to be directly across from the band with little leeway for the waitress to serve drinks. At around 9:30 Jesse and The Rippers took to the stage and magic happened.

The band started with a Duke Ellington song called “East St. Louis Toodle- Oo,” a great composition of jazz and up beat tempo. Jesse shines at tenor saxophone, creating a perfect sync and embodiment of classic jazz in the way he plays. Although the band’s name takes after Jesse, the amazing connection made by the rest of The Rippers proved to be a show to watch. The band consisted of Dave Atkinson on piano, Matt Roberts on upright and electric bass and Chad Davis on drums, musical fusion was made in a way that kept the audience on board for every note.
In keeping with the steady flow and beats of jazz, Jesse introduced La-Nai Gabriel to the stage to sing “Save Your Love for Me.” The moment she opened her vocal cords the audience erupted with cheer and were mesmerized by this spectacle of pure talent. She possessed the soul of Etta James and the range of Ella Fitzgerald. In accompaniment with the rest of the band, sparks flew through the air as the audience became astounded by the performance. The band continued to play amazing tunes ranging from Thelonious Monk, Ella Fitzgerald and ending their first set with “Telephone” by Erykah Badu.

As the band started their second set, Christine Bougie accompanied them on guitar. They played two of her originals “Hammy’s Secret Life,” an uplifting melody of notes flowing up and down the fret board, and “All At Once”, a beautiful ballad that contained a sort of duel between Christine’s guitar and Jesse’s sax. Feeding off each other’s vibes made the duo an amazing team. The band continued with performances of Radiohead’s “Nude,” beautifully sung by Le-Nai, Willie’ Nelson’s “Crazy,” a great country song translated into jazz by the band, as well as the Beach Boys’ “Don’t Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder),” which the audience grew quite fond of. As expected, the band played a wonderful rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “Since I’ve Been Loving You,” with Jesse’s sax emulating the notes sung by Robert Plant.  The band finished with “Be Easy,” by Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, a great up-beat mix of soul and funk, a perfect song to end a second set that only got better.

Jesse and The Rippers created a performance with such versatility and range that could only be made by musicians influenced by the greats. The chemistry between the band members was ecstatic, as they seemed to be playing off each other and not the notes on the sheet. Both sets were played beautifully, in a sort of a classic Bob Dylan way, in which the first was strictly acoustic, and then electrified during the second. It is that strong intensity and power between Jesse and The Rippers that will put them on the rise in no time. Not even John Stamos’s band could have played as good. It was a show that the audience of Bread and Circus wouldn’t forget.


Radiohead’s “Nude” by Jesse and the Rippers

This entry was posted on Monday, September 8th, 2008 at 8:10 am.