Alto/tenor saxophonist
Roy Nathanson assembled an extensive guest list for
Fire at Keaton's Bar and Grill, a sprawling concept album telling the story of a fictional nightclub that's destroyed in a fire and the ways its patrons are affected. Singers like
Elvis Costello,
Debbie Harry,
Nancy King, and
Richard Butler portray some of the characters, while
Charles Earland occasionally sits in with the band, which is populated by several of
Nathanson's fellow
Jazz Passengers, among others. There's no small amount of fairly straightforward bop and soul-jazz to be found here along with
Nathanson's usual eccentricities, but that helps evoke the fictional bar's smoky late-night atmosphere. There's a lot to take in here, but in the end, it's well worth it. ~ Steve Huey