Headless Household Mixes It Up at SOhO
Long-Standing Act Plays Sometimes Excellent, Sometimes Meandering Set
Headless Household’s greatest strength — their versatility — is also their greatest weakness. The many-headed experimental jazz outfit helmed by the brilliant writer-musician Joe Woodard played SOhO on Wednesday, January 11, showcasing abundant talents with an alternatively pleasing and perplexing set that was sometimes spot-on and other times a case of too many cooks. Songs such as “How the Mighty Folly” brought forth saxophonist David Binney’s excellent soloing, while “I Love You, Too” showed Woodard and Nicole Lvoff’s dark-horse pop writing skills. Other pieces, however, such as the rock-tinged “Hotel Cozy,” were somewhat meandering and inchoate, and in ways the group’s free-form mission came off as disorganized. Intentionally undefined though they are, with a more anchored focus, they could shine all the brighter.
