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BRENT THOMPSON & HIS WANDERING CIRCUS

Please do not be put-off by their clown makeup. Even if you suffer from coulrophobia, the clowning is, thankfully, kept to a minimum, is never precious, and at times adds to the joyous and poignant moments. And what moments! If you can imagine a vintage VW bus being driven by Bob Dylan and loaded with Jerry Lee Lewis, Mama Cass, John Lennon, Lenny Kravitz, Chris Robinson, and various jazz legends, then you are starting to get an idea of what this circus is about.

Based on the two performances I have seen, their shows have kicked off with the band’s wonderful Mardi-Gras style entrance with the clowns playing sousaphone, whistles, maracas and hand percussion, while leading into Thompson’s original instrumental “Tennessee Redbone.” Pianist Ben Maney shines throughout the show, and punctuates this song with flairs of Thelonious Monk and Charlie Mingus, while Jamie Warren gleefully responds on trombone and Kirk Fleta wails on harmonica. The full band is also together for the beautiful and mysterious “Head of Mine” and the raucous and soulful “Guilty Hat.” This is where Thompson earns the right to wear his big afro wig. Between his passionate vocals and the growing momentum of the changes in this song, plus Maney and Fleta having out-of-body experiences, and the backup vocalists getting funky, it is all but impossible to remain seated. One sign that this band is something special is the reaction of their audience. At first, the crowd is talkative and socializing, but it isn’t long before the room gets quiet and people are closely listening. It is also not unusual to see spontaneous eruptions of excitement from audience members. The music is that powerful, arresting and interesting.

The emotion provoked by “Guilty Hat” is followed up by a dreamy and orchestral original entitled “Go Where You Want to Be.” Here, Maney switches to organ, which adds a nice variety and cinematic quality to this song. Thompson said the title to this song came to him “like a freight train and he had to write his feelings down and explain them. I have said this to many friends who feel stuck in certain places in their lives.”

Thompson refers to his delightful and gently Dixieland fused “I Get High,” as “the almighty love song. With so many vices to chose from, the feeling of being with someone you love trumps them all.” When I saw the band perform this song at World Grotto, the audience was enrapt, but a lone cowboy leapt up and danced a slow and sexy soft-shoe. (You gotta love that.) The backup vocals on “I Get High” are stunning, as they are “On The Road to London.” This beautiful and mournful song is graced with Kellye Thompson’s vocals backing brother Brent, with Alexia Pantanizopoulas on cello. Another first-rate quality about the Circus is that not all of the performers participate in every song. The variety of instrumentation is well organized and executed, thus not overwhelming or tiring the listener.