Starting this spring, the Jerry GrilloHistorical Mystery Band will be on a tour of landmark local venues, trailed bycameras. Lisa’s husband, Tim Chiappetta of Milwaukee Metro Design, will editthe footage into a documentary suitable for the festival circuit.
“I thought it would be fun to dosomething more involved and of better quality than just something you throwonline,” Grillo says.
The singer and showman is no strangerto working with film and video artists. In the early ’90s, when his career asan interpreter of classic songs had just begun, Grillo did a short subject withMilwaukee filmmakerCathy Cook, who has since gone on to national acclaim. The intervening years,however, mostly have been devoted to making music. Grillo has released no lessthan eight CDs and recently posted an original song on his website.
Music will be the most significantaspect of the planned documentary, but not the only one. “To me, it’s ahistorical journey,” Grillo explains. “I’m picking venues that don’t normallyfeature jazz, located in buildings associated with Milwaukee history in some way.”
He chose the location for thisweekend’s gig at Café LuLu (2265 S. Howell Ave.) because the building once housedone of those favorite diners for Milwaukeenight owls, George Webb. On May 13, Grillo will take the show to the HarborRoom (117 E. Greenfield Ave.).
The Historical Mystery Band featurestop-flight local jazz musicians, including Kirk Tatnall on guitar and bass,Scott Currier on keyboards, Mike Caldwell on saxophone and Randy Maio on drumsand all manner of percussion. Several songs in the set list are instrumentalsby Tatnall and Currier, but the focus will be on songs chosen and sung byGrillo.
“I don’t go beyond the ’60sit’s hardto find songs that are good for me from beyond the ’60s,” he says, explaining arepertoire that runs roughly from Gershwin through Lennon and McCartney.Although in earlier years he was a purist, Grillo has become a creativeinterpreter. “I wanted to appeal to a different audience and create somethingmore exciting for the band as well,” he says, explaining the reggae rendition of“Witchcraft” and an “almost hip-hop” take on “Summertime.”
TheJerry Grillo Historical Mystery Band performs at 10:30 p.m. Saturday, May 8, atCafé LuLu.
