Jon and lynn

With a running time of just over 50 minutes, Jon and Lynn create a triumphant release with their minimalist instrumentation and soaring vocal.

Opening with Never My Love which sets the scene for the LP. Jon Burr brings out some very strong sounds from the Bass, testing the extremities of each end of the scale, while Lynn Stein adds a sultry and smokey vocal.

Can’t Take my Eyes off of you is a superb composition and a highly challenging piece to tackle, yet the duo manage to create the sway and rhythm at the heart of the song. Lynn is able to showcase her vocal and takes complete control of the track, as Jon frames her voice with a sympathetic pitch.

Until similarly captures the swing effectively, which really shouldn’t be possible with just a bass to support the voice. Jon manages to pack in an unbelievable number of heavy notes to the track, (my fingers have numbed in sympathy), while Lynn’s voice seems to float away on a harp, keeping a great tempo to the piece.

On How Can I Be Sure, Jon begins the piece with a bow, which sets a completely new atmosphere to the piece, before picking the strings again as the song begins to gain tempo, with Jon reverting back to bow for the final chords.

Burr’s own composition Last Road To Home, sees the duo in superb syncopation, with some great connection between the two of them.

Folks on the Hill, finds Lynn putting on a virtuoso performance as the duo manage to bring real sentiment and soul to the track.

Downtown, what can I say apart from, how does Jon manage to handle the bass as fast as he does? Superb musicianship and vocal see the duo really soar in to a fine space.

The penultimate track The Best Thing for You, finds the duo in a playful mood and we even find an extended bass solo. A great, fun and tight track.

The final track When I talk to you, another Jon Burr composition, once again finds Lynn Stein giving room for her voice to soar and dive, like a bird swooping over a field.

Jon and Lynn is a well crafted release, which enables the duo to showcase their breadth of musical influence and it is very easy to feel that there must have been a full orchestra involved somewhere along the line.

The duo work well as the pitch of Lynn’s vocal is cleverly counter-balanced by the weight of the bass, generating an LP which has some real legs to it and is far more than a concept release.

The release is available as a download from Amazon Jon And Lynn* or as a physical CD release from our store.
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My thanks to Jon and Lynn for taking a double bass and vocal and taking the challenge fo creating some great music. Good luck to you in the New Year and I look forward to getting up some more reviews pretty soon, oh and do wish Farrar a good one too…

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Jon and Lynn band of the month

Band of the Month October 2009 top 20 chart

1. Jon and Lynn USA – up one place
2. Mono Stereo Sweden – new entry
3. Juliet Gough Denmark – up two places
4. The Fury! UK – new entry
5. Vaqueros Paganos Argentina – down four places
6. Ofeliadorme Italy – new entry
7. The Drums USA – down one place
8. The Gadsdens UK – New entry
9. Gary War USA – up seven places
10. Jointpop Trinidad and Tobago – new entry
11. Clues Canada – new entry
12. The Swing Movement UK – down two places
13. Operator Six UK – new entry
14. The XX UK – down six places
15. Divorce UK – down eleven places
16. Reader’s Wives Ireland – new entry
17. Bauchklang Austria – up one place
18. Brittni Paiva USA – new entry
19. The Pocket Gods UK – new entry
20. Chicros France – new entry

The band of the month is based on activity on the site over the month and by votes cast by readers of the blog over 7 days. With the top twenty spots comprising music from eleven different countries, there is no great surprise that the music is as diverse as the geography.

Lynn Stein and Jon Burr got together over the summer and decided to try out a concept that is a little different using just a bass and vocals and have created something of a phenomenon. Their ever growing fanbase appreciate the way in which Jon and Lynn have been able to improvise comlicated pieces to develop what is becoming a distinctive sound, with the clarity of Lynns voice and the accomplished bass picking by Jon. Having covered a few pieces, the indie bands blog was given an early listening to some of their original compositions, which went down particularly well with a large section of readers of the blog.

See more on the indie bands blog about Jon and Lynn including background and released material.

A a couple of hours ago, when I received the new release, I was delighted to hear a completely new avenue, with a remix of I think we’re alone now.

Jon and Lynn

Opening with just the bass, the track immediately hits the right tone for the song. The release provides Lynn with an opportunity to let her voice soar above the bass, whle Jon keeps the pace and syncopation of I think we’re alone now,  along with the sentiment of the track.

It isn’t easy to arrange such a well known song with just a voice and bass and still come out as having something additional to add to the original. I think Lynn and Jon have managed this, with a superb arrangement which as a duo brings out the real essence of the original and emotionally hits the very core of the song.

I like the remixes they have produced and it would be good to hear some more of their own original work, to see where the duo head next.

I Think We’re Alone Now  by Jon and Lynn

Keep in tune with the Indie Bands Blog for the latest across the globe in indie music

Jon and Lynn

While a jazz bass player and a vocalist may not make immediate sense on the indie bands blog,  at least watching the video before dismissing this as yet another one of my eccentricities.

Yes, I am a sucker for a strong Bass line and having had a Cockatoo myself, how could I not take an interest. The clarity and striking clean sound of the combination of voice and bass with nothing to cover any weaknesses, demonstrates the strength of the this duo making them absolutely deserving of a place on the indie bands blog.

The depth of the music explored by Jon and Lynn, would comfortably keep an orchestra with plenty to do, the fact that they take these tunes to the absolute bare minimum and make such a powerful impact, is a testament to both the vocal skills of Lynn and the bass playing of Jon. I look forward to seeing how this concept duo fair over the longer term.

‘Never my love’ featuring Farrar the cockatoo.

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I may be an old punk rocker, but I appreciate strong musicianship, which Jon and Lynn demonstrate in spades.

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