Leo Sidran: All Bets Are Off
Joe's Pub425 Lafayette Street, New York 10003
Leo Sidran brings All Bets Are Off to Joe’s Pub on November 27. The available listing confirms the title of the night, but does not specify whether Sidran will perform solo or with a band, nor does it describe the set as a release show, tribute, residency, or guest-led program. Expect the focus to be on Sidran’s songs and broad musical vocabulary rather than a billed supporting lineup.
Born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin, Sidran is now based in Brooklyn and works as a multi-instrumentalist musician, songwriter and producer. Across eight solo albums, his work explores the space between pop, jazz, Brazilian music and singer-songwriter forms. His production credits include Jorge Drexler’s Oscar-winning “Al otro lado del rio,” Alex Cuba’s Latin Grammy-winning Healer, and Kevin Johansen’s Grammy-nominated Mis Americas; he has also produced records by his father, Ben Sidran, for two decades. Jazz Magazine says, “Leo Sidran makes pop music swing,” while Jazz Times calls his compositions “smart, sharp, and sparklingly original” and hears a voice with “an amalgam of his father Ben with a hint of Donald Fagen.”
The stage is set in a converted library space with a striped bar and photos of legends like Leonard Cohen and Amy Winehouse lining the walls. You'll find yourself seated on velvet couches or at candle-lit tables, close enough to hear every note from the back. The sound, engineered by technicians who've worked with John Legend and The Notorious B.I.G., is consistently ranked among the best in New York. Three shows a day, dinner and drinks served throughout, and a menu ranging from Italian small plates to craft cocktails; it's a place where music and conversation flow together, and where both rising stars and legends have made their U.S. debuts.