David Haack asks “Who Am I?”

Saturday night the David Haack Trio released their new CD, “Who Am I” to an enthusiastic audience at Java Joe’s 4th St. Theater. The Trio is David Haack as the lead singer and guitarist, Colin Peterson on bass, and Patrick Baker on drums. Joining them for the show was tenor sax man Michael Chesnik. Chesnik, an Iowa native, now resides in Japan where he plays with jazz groups. His guest spot with the Trio is one of several performances this week, mostly centering around his alma mater at Ankeny High School.

The CD Release show had a rollicking party atmosphere, with nearly every seat in the 4th St. Theater filled and lots of shuffling back and forth to the counter at Java Joe’s for drinks and snacks. Whether folks were listening attentively from their seats or mingling around the edges of the room, they were clearly moved and driven by the music.

Haack has a versatile voice that can be as searing and heart rending as Joe Cocker’s one minute and as lonesome and melancholy as Nick Drake’s the next. He especially enjoys tickling the audience with tongue-in-cheek blues songs sung with a lilt and cadence reminiscent of Ray Charles in his early days. There were times when I thought the glint in Haack’s eye would spark a fire and the feeling was not lost on the audience who whooped and laughed along with the story-telling songs.

As good as their original songs are (and the CD is all originals), I’m especially impressed by their covers. A warm and faithful version of Billy Joel’s New York State of Mind (featuring a gorgeous solo by Chesnik) was followed by a cover of I Want You/She’s So Heavy by the Beatles that came straight from the gut. Other crowd pleasers included a Led Zeppelin song and Hard to Handle by the Black Crowes.

You should be seeing the CD around town starting this week and you can find the David Haack Trio on Facebook and MySpace for more information.

Some photo highlights: (Click on any of these photos to go to the Flickr set for more.)