In casual balladic grooves in “Lament,” ferocious clashing of harmony and rhythm in “The One I’m Not Supposed to See,” stately, beat-driven jazz in “Redemption Road,” and passionate crooning ala “Stockbridge Fanfare,” Robert Miller’s Project Grand Slam assemble what could be the first must-own live indie record of 2022 in their new album The Shakespeare Concert.
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A near-perfect blend of jazz and adventurous rock n’ roll composing, The Shakespeare Concert takes a collection of songs that longtime PGS fans already know by heart and brings them into 2022 sounding like one collective jam that was designed to draw a big reaction out of listeners right from the start of the first song in “I’m Falling Off of the World.” Intentionally rigid in spots and yet constantly sporting a sense of unpredictability – largely spurred forth by the downright decadent bass slinging of Miller himself – this is a tracklist that demands a straight listen without ever shuffling the material as to really appreciate the depth of the music as it was meant to be heard. There’s no cherry-picking the specks of sonic gold from “New York City Groove” or “My Baby;” once you’re in the passenger seat with this band, you have to buckle up and simply hold on.
Robert Miller once again is charged with leading a cast of very talented big personality players in The Shakespeare Concert, but between his excellent leadership skills (as demonstrated in the arrangements of “It Is a Miracle to Me” and “Aches and Pains”) and the fact that this might be the most skillful set of musicians he’s shared a stage with thus far, everything comes off without a hitch here. “Yeah Yeah,” “Redemption Road,” “Constable on Patrol,” and “Juliet Dances” produce the biggest compositional challenges for the crew, but their individualism actually does a lot to facilitate a smooth feel to every stitch of audio on the record. Take for example “Lament,” which features a vicious duel between the strings and the winds in what could have been the most incendiary and unkempt moment on the LP – instead, these players are gunning for the hook together, representing everything that I love about a live jam session. The grooves have a way of taking over the narrative for everyone, including our singer, in The Shakespeare Concert, but it only results in a more compelling and full-bodied listen for anyone on the other end of the speakers.
Instrumentally speaking, this is probably the most complete and the most tantalizing crossover jazz record I’ve had the pleasure of reviewing in 2022 so far, but I’ve honestly come to expect so much from Robert Miller’s output that I’m really not all that surprised at the caliber of this most recent content. His is one of the most accessible supergroups in the business right now, avoiding the pitfalls that come with making a so-called niche sound for audiences of a certain aesthetical pedigree. There’s nothing hard to love about The Shakespeare Concert, and traditional PGS supporters and casual listeners are likely to agree.
Jodi Marxbury