Joel Paterson proves that Christmas music never gets old
Joel Paterson
Very much so  as Chicago guitarist  Joel Paterson  and friends established Friday night at the Green Mill Jazz Club.
For starters   Paterson  belongs to a small but sophisticated coterie of Chicago jazz musicians who make early- and mid-20th-century musical traditions seem very nearly contemporary. Groups such as the Modern Sounds and the Fat Babies prove that great repertoire never gets old  as new generations of musicians refract it via contemporary sensibilities.
Yet listen to  Paterson   bassist Beau Sample and drummer Alex Hall deconstruct Christmas music  and youâre forced to admit that thereâs still something new to be said inside of these songs.
 Paterson  and the trio opened with one of the best of the bunch  âIâll Be Home for Christmas â the spare lines and elegant understatement of his solo guitar cutting to the essence of the piece. Moreover  by intertwining the famous melody with alternate themes   Paterson  evoked the spirit of Les Paul  whose innovative overdubbing techniques established the template for this kind of sound.
Patersonâs âHi-Fi Christmasâ album amounts to an homage to Paul  and by performing several compositions from the album   Paterson  not only articulated  his  debt to the old master but also showed how Paulâs influence resonates in jazz-guitar playing today.
Nowhere was that more apparent than in the cheekiest moment of the set  when  Paterson  played a solo version of âI Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus â but accompanied by that track from the recording (minus the lead guitar). In effect   Paterson  was overdubbing  his  live solo part with the already overdubbed track  as fitting a salute to Paul as one might imagine. To hear  Paterson  weaving all these melodic threads in real time was to appreciate anew Paulâs genius  as well as  Paterson âs heartfelt testament to it.
This was the most ambitious moment of a set that otherwise reveled in the joy of familiar tunes sweetly played. Believe it or not   Paterson  spun worthy new motifs from âJingle Bellsâ and  stepping away from seasonal repertoire  evoked Chet Atkinsâ fingerpicking manner in âCaravan.â
But not everything was about Christmas   Paterson  inviting singer Oscar Wilson and organist Chris Foreman to the stage for deep excursions into the blues. Wilsonâs urgent vocals on âReconsider Meâ benefited from Foremanâs staccato chords and abrupt swells of sound on Hammond B-3 organ.
When Wilson left the stage   Paterson  and Foreman partnered on the slowest version of âWinter Wonderlandâ Iâve ever heard  the performance just barely hanging together thanks to the guitaristâs consistently sustained melodic lines and Foremanâs atmospheric accompaniment (including an evocative blues coda).
 Joel Paterson  performs at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Green Mill Jazz Club  4802 N. Broadway; $15; 773-878-5552 or www.greenmilljazz.com.
RELATED:  Joel Paterson  gives new meaning to Modern Sounds Â»
Very much so  as Chicago guitarist   [TGT]   and friends established Friday night at the Green Mill Jazz Club.
For starters   Paterson  belongs to a small but sophisticated coterie of Chicago jazz musicians who make early- and mid-20th-century musical traditions seem very nearly contemporary. Groups such as the Modern Sounds and the Fat Babies prove that great repertoire never gets old  as new generations of musicians refract it via contemporary sensibilities.
Yet listen to  Paterson   bassist Beau Sample and drummer Alex Hall deconstruct Christmas music  and youâre forced to admit that thereâs still something new to be said inside of these songs.
 Paterson  and the trio opened with one of the best of the bunch  âIâll Be Home for Christmas â the spare lines and elegant understatement of his solo guitar cutting to the essence of the piece. Moreover  by intertwining the famous melody with alternate themes   Paterson  evoked the spirit of Les Paul  whose innovative overdubbing techniques established the template for this kind of sound.
Patersonâs âHi-Fi Christmasâ album amounts to an homage to Paul  and by performing several compositions from the album   Paterson  not only articulated  his  debt to the old master but also showed how Paulâs influence resonates in jazz-guitar playing today.
Nowhere was that more apparent than in the cheekiest moment of the set  when  Paterson  played a solo version of âI Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus â but accompanied by that track from the recording (minus the lead guitar). In effect   Paterson  was overdubbing  his  live solo part with the already overdubbed track  as fitting a salute to Paul as one might imagine. To hear  Paterson  weaving all these melodic threads in real time was to appreciate anew Paulâs genius  as well as  Paterson âs heartfelt testament to it.
This was the most ambitious moment of a set that otherwise reveled in the joy of familiar tunes sweetly played. Believe it or not   Paterson  spun worthy new motifs from âJingle Bellsâ and  stepping away from seasonal repertoire  evoked Chet Atkinsâ fingerpicking manner in âCaravan.â
But not everything was about Christmas   Paterson  inviting singer Oscar Wilson and organist Chris Foreman to the stage for deep excursions into the blues. Wilsonâs urgent vocals on âReconsider Meâ benefited from Foremanâs staccato chords and abrupt swells of sound on Hammond B-3 organ.
When Wilson left the stage   Paterson  and Foreman partnered on the slowest version of âWinter Wonderlandâ Iâve ever heard  the performance just barely hanging together thanks to the guitaristâs consistently sustained melodic lines and Foremanâs atmospheric accompaniment (including an evocative blues coda).
  [TGT]   performs at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Green Mill Jazz Club  4802 N. Broadway; $15; 773-878-5552 or www.greenmilljazz.com.
RELATED:   [TGT]   gives new meaning to Modern Sounds Â»