Album Review: Al Jarreau – Wow! Live at the Childe Harold

I’ve written many times of the important work being done by Zev “Jazz Detective” Feldman. Zev is an archivist par excellence, and in recent years he has brought a bounty of heretofore unheard music to market. Tirelessly traversing the globe, Feldman has succeeded in unearthing top-quality recordings few even knew existed. Among his latest discoveries is a live radio broadcast of an Al Jarreau concert.

Recorded at the Childe Harold club (weird name, but whatever), Wow! documents at 1976 concert in Washington DC. Backed by a trio of Tom Canning (Rhodes and ARP String Ensemble), Ben Atkins (bass) and drummer Tom Drake, the versatile vocalist serves up eleven tunes. Listeners expecting to hear Jarreau’s best-known material are advised to look elsewhere; at the time of tis concert, the then-36 year old vocalist had yet to break as a major star. His best-known hits (including “We’re in This Love Together,” “Mornin’” and the theme song from Moonlighting), his Grammy Awards and his honorary degrees were all yet a few years ahead of him.

But the qualities that would fuel those successes were already well in place in 1976. With the superb backing of his band, Jarreau showcased his amazingly versatile vocal prowess. His extensive vocalization defines “jazzy,” and while it’s not for all tastes, for those who appreciate it, it’s brilliant. Jarreau’s readings of others’ songs (James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain”) are distinctive; the phrase “making the songs his own” is oft-used, but it’s especially apt here. Were it not for Jarreau’s brief spoken introduction, one might not immediately recognize the song. Same for Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five,” which can only be described as… weird.

This crystalline recording captures Al Jarreau shortly before his big breakout, and is a fine addition to the man’s body of work. Jarreau passed away far too young in 2017 at age 76.