In the 19th century, Beethoven sanctified it. In the 1940s, Frank Sinatra crooned over it. And in the 2000s, Ben Folds rocked it. What is it? The piano, of course, the oldest and most versatile instrument to ever grace the worldwide music scene. In the centuries between when Beethoven composed his 5th Symphony and Folds rocked the suburbs, the piano has served as the backdrop for countless musical acts to rise to fame. One such artist, Danish music man Bent Fabricius-Bjerre, used the instrument to pen the 1962 hit "Alley Cat" under the pseudonym Frank Bjorn. The languid song wasn't unusual for the era's style, and neither was the suave attitude of the artist who created it. What's unusual, however, is that both song and artist are back forty years later on Jukebox, a revival of classic piano infused with today's dance grooves.
Now 79 years old, the self-described "coolest cat on the block" operates under the name Bent Fabric, and has reorganized his piano-playing skills to appeal to a whole new audience. The resulting album is an eclectic mix of jazzy rhythms and snappy pop that will have listeners coming back for second and third listens. Pleasantly odd and surprisingly appealing, Jukebox pairs lively, old school piano tricks with funky house music to create an entirely unexpected blend of musical magic.
In addition to "Alley Cat," which knocked Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel" from the No. 1 spot in 1962, Bent Fabric's five-decade long career has seen him play alongside Louis Armstrong, provide the score for ballets like H.C. Andersen's "The Ugly Duckling," and appear in films like "The Stepford Wives" and "Jersey Girl" — yes, that Bennifer flick. Needless to say, the artist's career was illustrious enough without Jukebox, which was released in his native Denmark in 2004. But the album, just now being released in the United States after massive European success, is a welcome addition to the mix. And the pun is very much intended; for indeed, the album is a mix in the purest sense of the word, from the alternation of female and male feature singers to the interwoven elements of piano grooves and techno production.
The title track, for instance, is an upbeat slice of Europop heaven wedged in between the Fatboy Slim-esque "Bam Boogie" and the charming infatuation track, "It Feels Like Love." Continuing the discotheque vibe is "Everytime," a cutesy, frothy track featuring Peter Frondin. Though not anything to write home about, the songs reflect both Fabric's European background and his '60s success.
Similarly, "Haven't You Noticed" is pure manufactured sunshine, though somewhat unoriginally worded — the chorus includes the lines "Haven't you noticed/ That I'm in love with you/ What am I supposed to do?/ It's true that the two of us were meant to be together." The song's stylish rhythms excuse its triteness, however, unlike the groan-inducing track "Just Be There for Me," which is too European for its own good. Remember, of course, that this is the continent that brought us the overly vapid and sugary Spice Girls and S Club 7 (remember "Never Had a Dream Come True?") Some of Jukebox's tracks reflect this unfortunate side of Europop, though the album stays mostly a toe behind the line of annoyingness.
What is most interesting about Jukebox, however, is the album's finale — the classic version of "Alley Cat." After an album full of quirky techno melodies, Bent Fabric's return to his original hit is refreshing. The track's lazy, saloon-tune quality is juxtaposed to the rest of the album's synthesizers to show just how far the artist, and music in general, has come since the era in which "Alley Cat" was originally released. This evolution, of course, is sometimes admirable and sometimes abominable, but Jukebox manages to showcase the former. From 1962 to 2006, Bent Fabric has created both classic and funky music that has garnered much praise and success. He again succeeds with Jukebox, a record that puts the piano back in dance and the fun back in mixing music.
4 out of 5
