Eighth Blackbird- Ayanna Woods and Sam Hasting in Concert review by Julia W. Rath

Recommended *** In their final show of the season, Eighth Blackbird’s Chicago Artists Workshop (CAW) presented Ayanna Woods composer, singer, and bass guitarist and Sam Hasting, guitarist, on June 30, 2021. The first concert since the beginning of COVID that featured a live audience, this CAW production was simulcast via the internet through their website. There were seven contemporary-sounding compositions all together: the first two were solely instrumental pieces (“Patience” and “Independence”), while the other five were a combination of guitar playing, vocals, piano (by Lisa Kaplan) and percussion (by Matt Duvall). These songs were called “Peak Outside”, “Chimney”, “Holding You Together”, “Empty Thundercloud”, and “Trouble.”

The first piece “Patience”, which was entirely for piano, reminded me too much of finger and chord exercises with their repetition, although I could imagine the sound of falling water as the chords progressed. The next piece “Independence” was also repetitious but finally broke the mold towards the end. I liked the fact that in both pieces, Woods made some of the harmonics in the piano music seem as if they were influenced by folk guitar or bluegrass banjo.

Woods has great acoustic skill; she creates all the component sounds in her compositions with a fine edge. Yet the biggest downside to her music is that much of it is rather tedious. The same words, the same vowels, the same concurrence of musical notes, and the same harmonies often repeat themselves ad infinitum—yet come together very pleasantly. By and large, when she finds a solution that she likes, she runs with it… almost too much. In order to progress from simply liking the way things sound to having them express deeper meaning, Woods needs to develop more self-assuredness in her writing and composing—and even in her demeanor. As she admitted during the aftertalk, “I’m scared to write words.” What would add a tremendous amount to her maturity as an artist is for her to step back and reflect on what the next step in her personal growth might be. I would like to see what she produces twenty years from now, because she has a lot of potential. I suspect that’s the reason she’s been given so many opportunities to write for other musical groups.

As part of the duo, Sam Hasting does a meticulous job accompanying Woods on his guitar; he briefly sings in one of the numbers. The two have worked together in other bands, and she has a certain comfort level when she performs with him.

Despite the “awesome” sound check that we were told about at the onset of the performance and the fine blend of sounds in the first set, a microphone problem in the second and third sets reared its ugly head. It seemed as if Woods’s microphone* was fizzling out. Her vocals were apparently being picked up by other microphones, making her voice sound hollow. She has a pleasant voice, and I wanted to hear her all of her lyrics better. As time went on, nearly everything began to sound muddy except for the clear pitch of the bass glockenspiel. Towards the end of the hour-long program when Woods thanked everybody for coming, the online audience could barely hear a word she said. Was this technical issue evident in the studio or just remotely? Sadly, the last song “Trouble” was an apt name to describe this unfortunate turn of events.

In addition to being instrumentalists, Lisa Kaplan, director of CAW, and Matt Duvall, CAW’s assistant director, served as our hosts for the evening. They interviewed Woods and Hasting and took questions from the audience via the live interactive chat function. Nick Zoulek, on video, and Mike Hilger, on audio, rounded out the team.

In sum, the livestreamed concert was competent and a nice hour’s-worth of entertainment.

Ayanna Woods and Sam Hasting in Concert was produced at the CAW/Eighth Blackbird facility at 4045 N. Rockwell Street, in Chicago. Tickets for this one-time event were $20 each or whatever you can afford.

To learn more about this presentation and future offerings, please visit their website: https://www.eighthblackbird.org/.

Note that “The Aviary is a dynamic flock of funders who are helping Eighth Blackbird’s mission to move music forward through innovative performance, advocate for new music by living composers, and create a legacy of guiding an emerging generation of musicians.” To donate to their organization, please go to:
https://www.eighthblackbird.org/donate and click on “Donate Now.”

*Please note that the microphone Woods used on stage is an Electro-Voice RE20 Variable D Dynamic Cardioid Microphone, which is one of the best broadcast microphones available on the market today. Although I am no professional, I’m not so certain that this is the most appropriate microphone for singers to use. My suggestion would be for Eighth Blackbird to try out different pieces of equipment and see if they work any better.