Roll Call: Charles Williams & Amy Pike of the Bonaventure Quartet
November 20th, 2008 by Chad Radford in Listening Stack, Music news, roll call
For today’s installment of Roll Call we talk to Charles Williams and Amy Pike of the Bonaventure Quartet who received Creative Loafing’s Critics Pick award for Best Local Jazz Act this year.
Who are you?
We are the Bonaventure Quartet featuring the fabulous Amy Pike. The only all acoustic swing jazz group in Atlanta who is equal parts Julie London, Dwight Yoakam, Django Reinhardt, Cole Porter, Bob Wills, Madeleine Peyroux and Leonard Cohen. With a dash of Paprika and a hint of 920 beer for flavor.
Describe yourself in three words.
Romantic, Sassy, Swing
Who — dead or alive — would most you like to meet?
I’d like to meet Django Reinhardt. If he’s busy, then Amy would like to hang with Eartha Kitt.
Whom would you most like to slap in the face?
Sarah Palin. If she’s out shopping, then George Bush.
What song do you wish you had written?
“Between the Bars” by Elliot Smith. I’m a sucker for waltzes, and he nailed a lyric that is tragic and yet somehow redemptive and transcendent, all the while lilting and listing like the Titanic’s first post-collision moments… Great song. And Madeleine Peyroux ’s version is the best.
Elvis Costello or Elvis Presley?
As a songwriter, I like Elvis Costello. As a singer/performer/phenomenon Amy prefers Elvis Presley and she doesn’t care who knows it.
LP, CD or MP3?
LPs without a doubt. But even more specific, 78s. Try cueing up a 78 sometime of the Hot Club of France from 1938, sit back with a beer and smile while your foot starts tapping.
If you could start one trend, what would it be?
Virtual Word Balloons. Using existing holographic technology, I think it would be neat to have a sound triggered chip implanted so that whenever you wanted, your conversational snippets would float above you in a cartoon-like balloon.
If you could end one trend, what would it be?
Those little tattoos on the small of the back. Instead there should be a copyright symbol with your date of birth.
With whom would you most like to play a game of spin the bottle?
Charles: That’s easy: Scarlett Johansson…
Amy says Dwight Yoakam.
The Bonaventure Quartet plays three shows this weekend:
Fri., Nov. 21- Fernbank’s Natural History Museum Imax and Martinis: On Clifton Road off Ponce near Emory. $5 or free with IMAX admission. 6:30-10 p.m.
Sat., Nov 22 – Free in-store performance at Decatur CD. 3 p.m. 356 W Ponce De Leon Ave. in Decatur. 404-371-9090.
Nov 23 – Eddie’s Attic. 7:30 p.m. Individual advanced tickets: $10 / At the door: $13 / Tables: $50.
(Photo by Vincent Tseng).
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