Music
Press
The Jonbear Fourtet employs a rarely-used lineup: guitar, vocals, drums, trumpet. If this were a pop-rock band, we’d have Cake. But the trumpet is about all that connect Jonbear and John McCrea. Jonbear and his lads are a jazz band playing pop ditties. If I had a smoking jacket and a pipe, I’d probably slap the vinyl of Melt That Cold on my turntable and discuss weighty topics with my New Yorker-reading friends.
That is, except for the fact that the jazz occasionally turns into jubilation. The party-hearty mood that the Fourtet occasionally channels is fun beyond reason, and totally doesn’t fit with the bearded, philosophical stereotype that is called up on first take.
Now, this isn’t big band, swing-style jazz; you’ve already been told that there are only four dudes in the fourtet (Ben Folds, take notice). The jazz comes from the guitar, whose strum patterns and style are very specific to jazz; the jazz drumming; and the trumpet’s bright tone. The pop comes from the clearly pop-minded song structures and the hummable melodies in the vocals.
The Fourtet pulls off the mashup of jazz and pop very deftly, never getting too cerebral or too sugar-coated. This is doubly impressive when considering the lyrics, which are made up of cute images (the first three song titles are “Peaches and Puppies,” “Bumble Bee,” and “Mr. Spring”). It takes talent to take a serious medium and inject life (and irony) into it effectively.
And that’s exactly what they do for most of this album. Standout “Bumble Bee” uses the trumpet to great effect as the main melody-maker. This is a standard operating procedure for the Fourtet, as the guitar often carries the rhythm and structure of the song, but the trumpet’s presence is especially noted here. This a faster track, one of the more jubilant ones, and it’s a foot-tapper and a sing-along. There are crooners, like the sultry “Mr. Spring” and the dreamy closer “Snow Ice Cream,” where the vocals take front and center with their breathy, intriguing tone.
The only detractor on Melt That Cold is that with only three instruments (and maybe a second guitar here and there), the album starts to feel repetitive in the middle. The mood shifts and tempo changes help, but there needs to be a little more variety; the Fourtet needs to get some extra cameo instrumentalists on their next album to create a full experience.
For those of you who like something different, this should be the next thing to satiate your desire. It’s definitely without compare in my mind. I’m sure there’s someone out there doing stuff like this, but not many. An admirable and enjoyable effort by the The Jonbear Fourtet
- Independent Clauses
Norman-based Jonbear Fourtet presents an interesting, fresh take on modern jazz/pop in their new album, “Melt That Cold.” Diverse and full of surprises, “Melt That Cold” is a spirited album from a promising band. Is it jazz? Blues? Pop? Swing? All of the above and more.
At first, I was slightly nervous they might not be any more than glorified elevator music, but Jonbear Fourtet reveals a surprising amount of soul. Let’s just say you wouldn’t expect a band with song titles like “Peaches and Puppies” or “Bumble Bees” to be this sleek. For the most part, the album is pretty mellow, but not at all boring or predictable. Lead vocalist Jon Barnoskie has a smooth, bluesy voice that perfectly compliments their genre-bending sound.
Highlights off the record include “Bumble Bee”, “Let’s Get Into Trouble” and “Mr. Spring”, and although the album does hit a few rocky patches, for the most part it is an easy and enjoyable listen. While there is no doubt that the members of Jonbear Fourtet definitely have a good thing going for them, a few of their songs are somewhat repetitive. After a great start, the end of the album slows down considerably. Although it isn’t an unpleasant result, it’s simply that a few of their songs seem to be relying on the same formula.
The production of the album is impressive, especially considering it was produced by members of the band out of their house. Full of elements that seem sporadic – a pop-like riff here, a perky trumpet there – “Melt That Cold” seems to do just that; it is impossible to listen to this album and not feel a little better than you did before you started. Obviously mainly influenced by music of past decades, Jonbear Fourtet does a fantastic job creating a sound that is original and completely their own.
Jonbear Fourtet will be Saturday March 11 at the Opolis. You can check out more at their MySpace page
- the Oklahoma Daily
Even a brief listening to the musical stylings of local group the JonBear Fourtet will very likely draw comparisons with the hammock-compatible sounds of Jack Johnson and John Mayer, in no small part due to the vocals of lead singer/rhythm/bass/harmonica player Jon Barnoskie.
And you know what? There's far worse company to be in.
The unapologetically mellow Norman light jazz fourtet's honeyed sounds have a way of making listeners walk a little slower and at least notice the wildflowers growing by the roadside if not stop to smell them. Oh yeah, and smile, most likely. Helping bring a smile to your face are Chris Schroder on trumpet (good stuff), Nathan Harwell on drums and backup vocals (beautifully done as well) and Kyle Reid's work on lead guitar (the perfect leaning counterpoint to Barnoskie's sun-tea-with-blackberries voice). I've got no clue how long they've been jamming together but I hope they stick with it for many years to come.
If you're having one of those cold-bitter-cup-of-joe days where everything goes wrong but at least you've got a stretch where you can listen to a little music for a half-hour or so, "Melt That Cold" has just enough sugar to give you a sweet memory regardless of foul weather, exhausted-sounding bill collectors, weird dreams or whatever.
Extra-special treats are the noirish "Mr. Spring," the spooky fun of "Pretty Ghost" and the strongly Johnson-esque romp "Let's Get Into Trouble."
If you missed their March 11 gig at Opolis, there's hope: The Fourtet is playing an acoustic show tonight at the Second Wind Coffee House with Fundamental Elements on Campus Corner.
For more about the JonBear Fourtet, visit www.myspace.com/thejonbearfourtet.
-- Adam Scott
- The Norman Transcript
Discography
Melt That Cold
Photos
Bio
His footsteps scraped across the cobbled sidewalk as he clumsily attempted to peel a banana with one hand while holding his guitar case in his other. Just as he reached to take a bite, he heard his name called out through the warm August morning in a voice that chilled him to recognize. It was the voice of a man who he had dreamt about meeting for as long as he could remember, but he hesitated because he knew that man had been dead for almost twenty-five years. As he turned to face the voice, his breath froze in his chest as his fear was confirmed. In the back seat of the slowly approaching Cutlass sat Muddy Waters, the man who had first sang him the story of the times, the life, the blues. As the car slowly rolled past, the ghostly passenger pointed a finger at the guitar case now hanging lazily at the side of the mesmerized pedestrian and in voice deeper than the South itself muttered, “Do it.”
The Jonbear Fourtet was never planned to happen, the same way someone does not plan to find twenty dollars laying on an empty sidewalk. But when someone is staring down at Andrew Jackson and his green eyes are staring right back, they know what to do. Jonbear found himself in a similar situation, so when the father of the Chicago blues drove all the way from the afterlife to deliver this simple message, Jon knew what to do too. He had to tell his story. He had to sing his songs. And he would ‘do it’ with The Jonbear Fouret.
Stories like these have transformed The Jonbear Fourtet into the stuff of folklore. There are accounts ranging from Jon’s dream about Muddy to his drummer’s power to cast spells with his enchanting rhythms. The guitarist can even supposedly summon the fires of hell through his playing but cannot afford the risk of incinerating amplifiers at every show. Whether the numerous stories told in and between songs at The Fourtet’s performances are true is something for the listener to decide, but believer or not, listeners do agree on one thing. No matter where the music may or may not have come from, they know that they haven’t heard anything like it before. The tunes are new, yet nostalgic at the same time. Some are content to sit and tap a foot, others may find themselves reminiscing over places they’ve never even been. Fact or fiction, music or myth, when The Jonbear Fourtet performs, an invitation is extended to everyone in the audience to enjoy some music, listen to a story, and have some fun. Who knows? Maybe even Muddy will show up…
Links
