Early Evening Jazz: Jason Fabus Plays & Sings

Jason Fabus plays and sings at Berlin on Friday, November 13, as part of the venue's Early Evening Jazz series. He's leading the Jason Fabus Trio, and the set is built around the American Songbook from the 1920s through the 1950s—the era of Gershwin, Porter, and Berlin, when the great standards were being written. It's a wide stretch of music to pull from, so the trio can lean into the slow ballads and the faster swing numbers without having to stick to one particular decade.

Having Fabus on both the horn and the vocals changes the dynamic from a standard jazz set. Instead of just instrumental versions of these songs, you'll hear the lyrics too, which brings the melodies closer to the way they were originally written. The trio format keeps it lean, with the piano and bass filling out the sound around him. It's a familiar territory for anyone who knows the American Songbook, but hearing it played and sung by one person gives it a different feel than a singer backed by a band.

Berlin is in the North Loop, and this one falls on a Friday afternoon, so it's more of a pre-dinner thing than a late-night outing. The set runs from 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM, and there's no cover charge. If you're in the neighborhood on a Friday afternoon and want a couple of hours of jazz before the evening really gets going, this is a good way to spend them.