The BonBon Plot Reinterprets Bossa Nova for Jacoby Audience

About this event

Compromise is key to making any relationship work. So it was when Will and Janet Buchanan started their band, The BonBon Plot. The trio will take the Jacoby stage 8:00 p.m. Friday, June 16, at Jacoby Arts Center, 627 E. Broadway, Alton.  

Janet Buchanan is the group’s vocalist and bassist, a folk singer and songwriter. Will is the guitarist who played in a blues-rock band during college. The third member of the band, Joe Burress, plays drums. Burress teaches and performs in the St. Louis area and has played with a variety of groups ranging from small ensembles to orchestras.

“Bossa nova isn’t really in the middle but it does have elements of jazz and folk,” says Will Buchanan.

Bossa nova’s roots reach back to 1950s and ‘60s Brazil. The music took the world by storm but lost its place in Brazilian culture after the military junta of 1964. Buchanan says it’s making a comeback.         

            Individually, the three have their own distinctive musical vocabulary; together, they create a unique blend of bossa nova, samba and modern French jazz with an indie twist to produce a fresh sound. 

“There’s something about the upright bass that is marvelous,” says Buchanan. He’ll play classical guitar with nylon strings, giving the music warmth and bringing out melodies. Burress uses drum brushes and “50 little bamboo rods tied together. It’s an interesting way to strike the drum.”

“We look at Nora Jones and others who come from jazz, who write crossover songs and we’d like to do that too with bossa nova. We’re reinterpreting the American Songbook.”

Buchanan gives an example.

‘“Walking After Midnight’ is a country song but we put a bluesy-jazzy melody to it. We try to establish in each song the kernel of the original so that people have something to follow.”         

Along with putting their own spin on standards, they’ll perform several original tunes, their “indie bossa nova.” The Buchanans have been to Europe a number of times, separately and together, and Will says half of their songs will be performed in English. The rest will be in Spanish, Portuguese and French.

The couple may look familiar to audience members. Janet was a member of a Somehow Peachy, an acoustic folk duo that performed at Jacoby in fall 2015. Will was on Jacoby’s board of directors several years and was “the guitar guy,” who occasionally provided background music for art exhibitions. The BonBon Plot is donating their proceeds to Jacoby as a fundraiser.

“Local arts centers are really, really important and it will be a shame if Alton loses Jacoby,” says Buchanan.      

To hear samples of the trio’s music, visit https://www.thebonbonplot.com/music.

Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door or follow the link at http://www.jacobyartscenter.org/tickets. Café seating is limited and is on a first-come, first-seated basis. Doors open 30 minutes in advance. A cash bar is available.

The public is invited to view the exhibit, “Carol Carter: Chapters,” which opens June 14 and runs through Sept. 23. The exhibit surveys the artist’s exploration of a broad range of subjects using intuitive techniques employing both large and small scale. Carter is a St Louis based painter and international teacher who most recently has been painting a series of small portraits of endangered species.

Gallery Talks on Saturdays at 2pm are free and open to the public to engage in hosted discussions on topics ranging from painting technique, intuitive methods, and making a living as an artist. A Reception for the artist will be on Friday, September 8, 6:00- to 8 p.m. For more information, please visit jacobyartscenter.org.