The Blair Mansion, an historic home located in Silver Spring, Maryland, has been hosting concerts, murder mystery theater, and fine dining for decades.  Recently, it has taken on jam sessions and jazz concerts with the help of Gary Grainger of Acoustic Alchemy.  I decided to trek up to the Mansion to see saxman, Jaared, and his band.  Jaared has been a local DC favorite, playing numerous venues around the area, as well as heading over to England a few times each year to play alongside Peter White or for his own solo shows.  His backup band consisted of Bennet Shur on guitar, Mike “Tony” Echols on bass, Attila Molnar on keys, and newest addition, drummer Robert Wright.

The crowd was small but enthusiastic and ready for some good music and fun.  Jaared came out hittin’ it hard with several songs from his latest CD, Addiction.  “That’s All Right” was up first featuring Jaared on the soprano sax.  “Night in Rio,” again on the soprano had keyboardist Attila Molnar playing alongside the sax, and offered a terrific solo.  Mid song, Jaared brought out the EWI (electronic wind instrument), which really hands out some cool sounds, adding much flavor to the song.  “Crosswalk” is a very upbeat, funky, radio friendly tune led by a hard driving alto sax performance.

The crowd was totally primed after those opening tunes, and then settled in for a few old favorites.  “Ain’t No Sunshine,” with Mike “Tony” Echols on bass and vocals, was well done, as was the Roberta Flack song, “Feel Like Makin’ Love.”  The Michael Jackson hit, “I’ll Be There” was done as a very moving tribute to drummer, Dianne Grainger, who passed away in early August.  She was Jaared’s drummer and friend since she was a little girl, and it was obvious that she was greatly missed.  The tune was done absolutely beautifully with a stirring soprano performance.

Two more songs from the Addiction CD followed, “You Like Me Don’t You,” with Jaared on lead vocal, and “Jamaican Winds,” featuring guitarist Bennett Shur on the nylon string guitar.  “Maputo,” “Waiting on the World to Change,” and “I’ll Be Around” continued.  It was crowd pleasing when “Happy Times” from the Hangtime album and “Piccadilly Circus” rounded out the set.

Jaared’s personality and versatility shine through when he plays, and particularly when he’s playing his original, more contemporary, music rather than the cover tunes.  This is why Jaared remains a favorite of the hometown crowd.  The audience left fulfilled and happy after 90 minutes of terrific music.