While Billionaires Bet Big on Bots, Lizzy & the Triggermen Goes All In on the Irreplaceable Power of Human Artistry in "Live at Joe's Pub."
In the age of A.I., autotune, and backing tracks increasingly replacing actual musicians, Lizzy & the Triggermen is doing something audacious: releasing a live album.
The 10-piece indie swing band is no stranger to going against the tide. They released their debut EP, "Good Songs for Bad Times" (against the counsel of their team) in April 2020. Despite the warnings that a world wide pandemic was a terrible time to release music, it ended up hitting #3 on iTunes' Jazz Charts, just under luminaries like Kamasi Washington and Miles Davis.
Their highly-anticipated sophomore album, "Live at Joe's Pub," was recorded last April at the legendary NYC venue. The album features some of the top jazz musicians from both coasts. "Half the band literally met the other half at sound check," Lizzy recounts. And yet the chemistry that resulted is the kind of alchemy bandleaders dream of.
Still, live albums are notoriously difficult. They require all of the stars to align: great sound, great performances, great audience, and that ephemeral magic that makes a show catch fire. Something cosmic was surely brewing that weekend in April which saw a blizzard in Boston, an earthquake in NYC and a solar eclipse.
But perhaps the key ingredient was the fact that the band had no intention of making a live album that night. In fact, besides Lizzy, none of them even knew it was being recorded.
"I splurged to have the venue film and record the show since it's such an iconic room for promotional purposes. But never did I dream that would result in an album," Lizzy recounts.
Months later she finally listened to the recordings. "It started with hearing John Allred's solo on “La Vie en rose” which just floored me. No shocker given he is one of the greatest trombonists alive." She quickly went from thinking "We have some great songs" to “we have a killer album." Thankfully, the musicians all agreed to its release.
What resulted is a 23-track album of "joyously subversive jazz" ranging from swinging renditions of campy favorites like "Ding-Dong! The Witch is Dead" to sultry originals like "Outta Your League" to operatic gymnastics in "I Love to Sing-a.”
But perhaps the surprise stand-out of the album is “When That Man Is Dead and Gone,” a powerful - yet virtually forgotten - Irving Berlin tune he wrote in 1941 about Hitler offering hope to a scared world that someday that evil man would be dead and gone.
The album is a celebration of human artistry - from the incredible arrangements (mostly done by former Benny Goodman lead trombonist, Dan Barrett) to the world-class musicianship to Lizzy’s charismatic banter. Even the album cover was hand-painted by LA artist, Ashley Urban.
"I wanted every aspect of this album to feel human, organic and visceral. I wanted the listener to feel how fun and recharging to the spirit it is to be at one of our shows."