Checking out the scene: Lisa Fischer and Grand Baton at SPACE
Chris Gillock for the Evanston RoundTable
Feb 26, 2025
Music fans in Evanston are incredibly fortunate. We have two magnets that draw the world’s best artists — Northwestern’s Bienen School of Music and 16 on Center’s SPACE. The legendary R&B vocalist Lisa Fischer has been caught in SPACE’s force field before and made another annual visit on Monday to the venue, 1245 Chicago Ave, playing not one but two shows. Her shows are gifts to music lovers in Evanston.
Fischer is a serial collaborator and tours with two groups. In January 2024, she came to SPACE with Ranky Tanky, a Grammy Award-winning, Charleston, South Carolina-based quintet that plays music of the Gullah culture of the Sea Islands off the coasts of the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida. On Monday at SPACE, she brought Grand Baton, a trio from New York City who mix progressive rock, psychedelic soul, African music, Middle Eastern harmonies, Caribbean rhythms, classical influences and post-bop jazz. When Fischer’s electrifying vocal pyrotechnics are added to the musical stew, the resulting product is mind-boggling. Fischer and Grand Baton took the crowd at SPACE on a unique musical journey.
Fischer spent most of her career as a backup singer, working with everyone from the Rolling Stones to Luther Vandross. Due to her status, she was one of the stars of the film 20 Feet From Stardom, which won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2014. Fischer’s range and passionate expressiveness place her in Aretha Franklin/Chaka Khan/Beyoncé territory, and she won a Grammy in 1992 for her hit record, How Can I Ease The Pain. Her great R&B song Quiet Storm was included in Fischer’s set on Monday, presented in a mashup with Superstar, the Carpenters’ hit from the early 1970s.
Fischer’s late show Monday night consisted of 11 inventively interpreted classic R&B and rock songs. A poignant addition to the set was a minor-key version of This Land Is Your Land, folksinger Woody Guthrie’s critical response to Irving Berlin’s God Bless America. Grand Baton laid down a galloping beat and Fischer delivered Guthrie’s lyrics with great intensity. The set covered a creatively selected group of hit songs, from Jumpin’ Jack Flash by the Rolling Stones to Hurt by the Nine Inch Nails. Fischer also included Killing Me Softly as a tribute to Roberta Flack, who died earlier on Monday.
Each song provided ample space for the members of Grand Baton to demonstrate their impressive skills. Guitarist, vocalist, arranger and musical director Jean-Cristophe (JC) Maillard served as the tentpole of the group, contributing long, fiery solos and vocal harmonies. He alternated between solid-body electric guitar, an amplified acoustic guitar and the seldom-heard Goldtone electric banjitar, a hybrid guitar/banjo that can get as loud as any instrument on the planet. Richie Goods demonstrated mastery of the electric bass and stand-up acoustic bass, and he laid down a head-banging heavy metal bass line on the group’s version of Led Zeppelin’s Rock and Roll. Drummer Thierry Arpino was a creative, occasionally mischievous percussionist, playing an expanded drum kit (chimes, finger cymbals, etc.) and leading the audience in finger snaps during the group’s version of Fever. He also straddled a cajón for one song and played the heck out of that thing.
Fischer's voice sored
Fischer’s voice soared and emoted throughout the set. At age 66, her instrument retains all of its youthful power. The woman’s vocal range is enormous, from the baritone register to the “whistle soprano” range. Fischer uses it creatively and evokes a moody atmosphere by adding reverb and delay to her amplification. Her stagecraft and microphone technique were superb, and she was rocking a hat that only a diva can wear without looking weird.
The audience was joyful, diverse and united in its admiration for Fischer and Grand Baton. The cheering at the end of the show went on for a very long time. With luck, Fischer will be back at SPACE next year.
Set List:
Monday, February 24, 2025 at SPACE
- For the Love of You, (Isley Brothers)
- Addicted to Love (Robert Palmer)
- Superstar/How Can I Ease the Pain (Carpenters/Lisa Fischer)
- This Land is Your Land (Woody Guthrie)
- Fever (Peggy Lee/Little Willie John)
- Rock and Roll (Led Zeppelin)
- Never Too Much (Luther Vandross)
- Hurt (Nine Inch Nails)
- Jumpin’ Jack Flash (Rolling Stones)
- Killing Me Softly (Roberta Flack)
- Message in a Bottle (Police)
Chris Gillock is a blues harmonica player, vocalist, non-profit board member and retired investment banker. He is also an occasional blogger – you can find his blog at https://g-freethoughts.blogspot.com/. Chris is now a music writer for the Evanston Roundtable. He has lived in Evanston since 1976.