Jon Blondell returns to the basement of The Elephant Room to lead a set of jazz standards and original arrangements, blending traditional jazz with blues, funk and soul.
Jon Blondell returns to The Elephant Room on Monday, September 21, taking the bass for a set of jazz standards and original arrangements. It's a homecoming of sorts—Blondell has been a fixture of the Austin scene for decades, and he's coming back to the basement stage where he's played many times before.
If you've seen him around town, you probably know him as a double threat: he's as comfortable on the trombone as he is on the electric bass. This night, though, he's fronting the set from the bass, leading a lineup that'll pull from the jazz standards book and a handful of his own arrangements. The set is shaped by the night's lineup, so the exact mix of the two will depend on who's on stage with him.
Blondell's playing is hard to pin to one spot. He works in traditional jazz, but he lets in blues, funk, soul, swing, and New Orleans influences, and he's known for bringing a fair amount of energy and humor to the stand. His reach goes well beyond the jazz world, too—he's played with artists as different as Willie Nelson and Sublime. The Elephant Room has a long history with him; his 2010 release Alive! at the Elephant Room was recorded right here in the basement.
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The show starts at 6 PM at The Elephant Room, 315 Congress Avenue in downtown Austin. Seating is first-come, first-served, and the venue is 21 and over.
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