Nektar 2/11/20 The Iron Horse Northampton

Welcome to this installment of the Prog Blog. Nektar is a second wave prog outfit from the UK. Second wave meaning they arrived in the early to mid 70s as the prog train was rolling. Prog gets a bad rap, sure there were the white bellbottoms, the inane lyrics (" mountains come out of the sky and....stand there"). I argue, that for every punchline, there is an equal and opposite upside. How many of us have had our musical consciousness formed by the bucolic pastoralism of Jethro Tull, the sourkrautrock motorik of Can, the sinister drone of King Crimson, the classical trappings of ELP, or the concept-laden behemoth known as The Pink Floyd. Nektar had no hits, they had no inflatable pigs flying over Giants stadium, their keyboards didn't shoot fire, they had no flautist in tights, but they had some touches of much that is prog. Reading their back story, it seemed that their lack of success could be attributed to poor marketing and across the pond translation of the 1973 record Remember The Future. So happy am I to report their resurfacing and landing in Northampton. As with last year's gray and grizzled crowd watching Nick Mason, this rapt crowd hung on every guitar solo. The group had three original members, drums and two guitars/vocals. Joined by another guitarist and keys they plowed through some of their compelling hitless catalog. Trippy video backdrop was tasteful, with one sequence paying homage to musicians ( influences) who have died. An added bonus was that the main vocalist sounded eerily like Robert Wyatt. They were promoting a new record, The Other Side from which an excellent encore I'm On Fire came from. Remember the Future, hmm, now that's a concept.

Roomful of Teeth w/ Dublin Guitar Quartet 2/1/20 Battell Chapel

Modern classical is a genre not commonly found in this blog. Sure I have reverence for Philip Glass, Steve Reich, and Terry Riley. Even my bike ride to the New Haven Green to see the Kronos Quartet do sound check was fascinating. This event put on by Yale's Institute of Sacred Music was a must see. Roomful of Teeth is an acapella octet from Massachusetts. Four women and four men, they were arranged horseshoe shaped from high to low in front of the altar in Yale's beautiful chapel. Their artistic director Brad Wells introduced the evening saying that it was the end of a two week mini tour and that it was sort of a homecoming since half the members are affiliated with Yale. The group's first piece was Vesper Sparrow billed as an " eclectic amalgamation of imaginary birdsong and my own interpretation of Sardinian overtone singing" as quoted by composer Missy Mazzoli. The second piece Psychedelics by William Brittelle came in three parts: Deep Blue ( You Beat Me), I Am The Watchtower, and My Apothecary Light. The interplay of the male and female voices was wild and the tune sounded like Frank Zappa pied-pipering the lollipop kids through the Short Forest (much respect to Billy the Mountain)
Next up was the Dublin Guitar Quartet. That's right four blokes from the old sod armed with acoustic guitars. While they didn't talk ( as to confirm their heritage) their names were a dead giveaway; Brian Bolger, Patrick Brunnock, Tomas O'Durcain, and Chien Buggle, glorybejesus! The Quartet started with a piece Aheym by Bryce Dessner ( another Yalie and founder of the indie-rock phenom The National). Aheym means Homeward in Yiddish and was dedicated to Dessner's grandmother. The guitars oozed a gypsy Eastern European feel. Their next piece was String Quartet No. 2 by Philip Glass. All of these musicians must pray at the altar of Glass and this piece sounded straight outta Koyanisqaatsi. After a brief intermission, both groups came out to perform a piece by Nico Muhly ( please google this guy) How Little You Are. Seven brief movements ( vignettes?, movemettes?) started with subtle guitar then we're layered with voices. The lyrics were " an extended meditation on the words of pioneer women in the nineteenth century". The mournful feel of pushing through the beauty of nature toward the unknown was evident. At one point the female voices did a wonderful wolves howling at the moon sequence. The chapel was packed and I always need to throw gratitude at Yale for opening an event like this for free. While this music isn't for everyone, it was fascinating to witness.

Catherine Russell Quartet 1/17/20 Sprague Hall

Happened upon Catherine Russell from the library jazz bin with her 2006 release "Cat". On that recording she did a jazz diva version of the Grateful Dead's New Speedway Boogie which piqued my interest. Like Cassandra Wilson slightly before Cat, they do modern popular songs in a jazz setting. After that release, I had lost track of her. Fast forward to now and she is headlining Yale's Ellington Jazz Series in support of her Grammy- nominated 2019 release Alone Together. I learn from the concert flyer that her mother was a pioneering vocalist/guitarist and her father was a legendary pianist/ bandleader and Louis Armstrong's longtime musical director. On this evening she came with a jazz swing quartet. Matt Munisteri on Django-style guitar, Konrad Paszkudzki on piano, and Tal Ronen on double bass rounded out the group. I learn that Cat's versatile voice has graced over 200 albums including stints with David Bowie, Cyndi Lauper, Paul Simon, Steely Dan, Jackson Browne, Michael Feinstein, The Holmes Brothers, Wynton Marsalis, and Roseanne Cash, as well as the soundtrack to Boardwalk Empire. Russell's current flair is mining. By mining I mean that she enjoys scouring early music's back catalog to dust off and spit shine songs that have long exited our musical conscious (let alone our Spotify playlist). Tunes by Fats Waller, Willie the Lion Smith, Louis Jordan and others dominated the set. I was struck by how she was able to annunciate the lyrics to make them front and center. Show highlight was the Jordan classic "Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby".

Angela Davis 1/16/20 Woolsey Hall

While not strictly a musical event,  this lecture by civil rights, check that, rights icon Davis, started with an excellent acapella group singing We Shall Overcome. As part of a broader celebration of Martin Luther King Day at Yale, Professor Davis gave a fitting start to this tumultuous year. Under the unofficial banner People Get Ready, Davis spoke of meeting King, his opposition to the Vietnam war, and the societal vestiges of slavery that undermine freedom for people of color in this country. While trying to project positivity in the rights struggle, it is hard not to grapple with the specter of the" occupant of the White House" or " he who shall remain nameless" as a stain on the movement. Davis spoke for an hour to a rapt capacity crowd at Woolsey railing against mass incarceration as a continuation of our country's dark past. She commented on this administration's First Step Law, which on face looks like an attempt at federal prison reform but in reality is a lame swing at a Fox News talking point. 2020 will emphasize the war between good and evil, make no mistake, People Get Ready, We Shall Overcome.

Garcia Peoples, Chris Forsyth, and Ryley Walker 12/28/19

My show attendance has waned a little in 2019, but this evening should count as three. Epic triple bill of guitar psychedelic jamminess from some of the top minds of this genre. Initially taken aback by the complete inverse of the stated lineup, the reason became clear as the show evolved. New Jersey hippes Garcia Peoples took the stage first. Two guitars, muscular bass, drums, and a Mr. Rogers sweatered dude on keys. Rhythm guitar and bass player took some vocals, but it was the mop top pyrotechnics of lead guitarist that seared the cortex. Imagine a cross between Jerry Garcia and Buckethead ( if you don't know Buckethead, please YouTube y'all some) with a smattering of Steve Howe. This guy had a built in trip-o-meter that was set to 11. GP's set was almost over before they played anything remotely recognizable from their excellent recent slab One Step Behind, a record that boasts the sax and flute playing of the lead guitarists dad who is credited on some Miles and Stanley Clark outings.
Chris Forsyth, from Philly, is an experimental guitarist with ties to Television's Richard Lloyd. His downtown cred is bolstered by affiliations with Loren Connors and Derek Bailey. He is usually backed by a unit he calls the Solar Motel Band, on this evening he used the capable services of GP. Forsyth also has an excellent 2019 release All Time Present, from which he played a fantastic rendition of Mystic Mountain, a fitting spotifyable slice of this evening's offering.
Next up was solo Ryley Walker who sarcastically quipped " it should be easy following those two raging bands". The evolution of Ryley is striking, from the early Brit folk meanderings of Primrose Green to the recent Thurston Moorey items on Deafman Glance, his output showcases his restless spirit. Kind of an asshole ( a quality that I admire in an artist), Ryley enjoys interacting with the crowd verbally with one exchange commenting on CT's moniker of the Nutmeg State, and it's infamous resident Vince Mc Mahon. The music on this evening was electric guitar noodling, he claimed he got some toys for Christmas. He did play The Roundabout from his excellent 2016 release and welcomed the entire crew onstage for a drone-psych finale.

Bassoonarama 12/16/19 Sudler Hall

Wouldn't be Christmas season without an installment of Dr. Frank Morelli's bassoon class doing their annual holiday recital. The 2019 concert was "Happy Anniversaries", a musical stroll through some important dates. In 1894, the Yale fight song Boola Boola March hit the charts (via pony express I guess). The tune sounded as if it was made for 8 bassoons. In 1969, yes you heard right, women were first admitted to Yale. In honor of this woefully out of date date, Morelli accompanied the female bassoonists in his class. In 1924, the former dean and professor of composition Ezra Laderman was born. Laderman composed a solo piece for his student and protege Morelli. In 1678, Antonio Vivaldi was born. The male members of the troupe performed a couple of movements of the Concierto in C major. In 1969, the first of the Godfather movies was released. Scored by the peerless Nino Rota, the bassoon crew played the Godfather waltz, the Godfather theme, Michael's theme and the Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana. All of these selections were familiar and striking in the hands of the crew. Also in 1969, the world watched the moon landing. In homage to this event, the bassoons played Fly Me to the Moon and Moonlight Serenade. In 1969, Sesame Street began, you probably don't remember the episode where Big Bird says " what the cluck is going on here?, you mean women can't go to Yale?! Boola Boola my ass!". In honor of this great show, the bassoons played Rubber Duckie. The final date was 1919, the year that Yale changed its official color from green to blue. The medley started with Kermit's Bein' Green, on to Duke Ellington's Mood Indigo, and ending with the Elvis classic Blue Christmas. The sight and sound of multiple bassoons having fun means Christmas to me.

Patty Larkin 12/15/19 mActivity

Patty Larkin is a singer songwriter from Wellfleet. On this evening, Patty played what happens to be the final concert at mActivity. Turns out that the gym hours bump in to Fernando's East Rock Concert Series. Patty has amassed a decent body of work over the past 30 years. The "Regrooving The Dream" record would be a desert island pick for me, and her live album "A Go Go" gives a good view of her live experience. In scrolling through her discography, one sees that Patty  works and re works tunes over the years. Setlist included: Best of Intentions, Chained to These Loving Arms, Coming Up For Air, Tango, Dear Heart, Beg To Differ. Show highlights were the self-deprecating Don't and the closer Book I'm Not Reading. Encored with a frenetic rendition of Me And That Train. Yes, we " believe girls can play guitar".