Newport Jazz Festival 7/29/16 Fort Adams Newport RI

Rainy start to the Friday at Newport, but the weather cleared and kept the crowds down. An overcast day was welcome instead of the baking sun. I must admit that the last time I was at Newport Jazz, I was there to see Nina Simone in her twilight years. She cancelled, and the festival scurried to fill the void with the Brecker Bros. Years of poor lineups, overcrowded concert field, and an exponential increase in "rules", has kept me away from the Jazz and hipster-laden folk festival. I'm not sure if the winds of Jazz are changing, or we just got lucky, but I had a thoroughly enjoyable time.
   Etienne Charles is a dapper trumpeter from the Caribbean who also spent time on congas. Full band and Latin rhythms were deftly displayed. Charles had a checkered suit red tie and matching mint shirt and mint-rimmed glasses.
   The Heath Brothers have been around a while. Jimmy and Percy (drums and sax)led a band of relatively young lions. Mid set, Jimmy points out that he is going to turn 90 in October.
   Kneebody is a groove Jazz jam band. Guitar, bass, drums and keys stretched out on some prog type numbers. They mentioned that this was the second year in a row at the fest and were genuinely happy to be here.
   Steve Coleman and the Five Elements played on the Quad stage which was located inside the fort. A barrage of avant sqiuggles was passed around Coleman's group. With his hat on backwards, Coleman appeared to be the same age as his group, but actually was twice or three times their age.
   Tyshawn Sorey and Alloy played the Harbor Stage. I have seen this drummer back up many players at the Firehouse, and his restrained but forward leaning brushwork was well-received
   Festival highlight was Kamasi Washington. LA based sax player's  debut album The Epic was on everyone's best of list. A sprawling three disc opus careens from Miles to Mingus. Kamasi is an imposing stage presence, he looks like Rosie Greer with wardrobe by Sun Ra. Two full drummers, standup bass player who rapped, amazing teenaged pianist, female vocalist, and trombonist had a high energy Afro-futurist vibe. At one point, Kamasi said he would welcome the man "who taught him everything he knew" to the stage. While I was busy looking for John Coltrane, Kamasi's father Ricky came out to lend a hand on soprano sax and flute. Kamasi has ripped it up at Bonaroo and other festivals, and is a torch bearer of the next thing in Jazz.
   Tierney Sutton and The Joni Mitchell Project played from the extensive Joni songbook. Caught an excellent version of "The Dry Cleaner from Desmoines", and some classics from the Court and Spark album.
   Donny McCaslin has been reviewed in this blog before. He mentioned that he played on the final David Bowie record Blackstar, and said it was a moving experience. He had a keyboard player that coaxed some odd noises from his setup.
   Galactic was the final act of the day. These Nawlins festival stalwarts are more at home in the hippie jam world, but their roots in the bayou make them a great go-to for a get up and dance end to the day. With Corey Henry on trombone and a charismatic young female vocalist added to the regular crew of Ben Ellman on sax, birthday boy Rich Vogel on keys, and the timekeeper Stanton Moore on drums, Galactic was the perfect end to a renewed Newport Jazz Festival.

Spirit Animal w/ Wayward City 7/27/16 Bar

Heard the last couple songs from Wayward City. True power trio with guitar/scream vocals, drums, and an amazingly energetic 6-string electric bass. The song structure was loud rock and roll with active bass leadership.
New York's Spirit Animal threw some spoken word type hiphop vocals at their style of rock. Hipster guitar, bass, and drums were fronted by a powerful vocalist. The singer showed signs of Red Hot Chili Peppers front man Anthony Keidis, with an equal dose of Eddie Vedder and some Jagger-swagger. He danced around in front of an Atari vintage keyboard (the keyboard seemed more like a dance partner than an instrument). They played songs from their recently released EP, with a show highlight Black Jack White.

Arc Iris 7/21/16 Cafe 9

Providence based theatrical troupe Arc Iris landed at Cafe 9 as an intergalactic funk soul trio. Capable drummer, male keys/vocal, and female keys/guitar/trumpet/vocals had a glammy vibe. A friend saw them at Mountain Jam and spoke of a theatrical, costume-based experience. The drummer and male keys were clothed normally, the young lady on the other hand, had an unusual latex onesy, Clydesdale leg warmers, and some Sun Ra type accoutrements with facial glitter that made her look Bjorky. Space funk with soul touches were welcomed by the medium crowd. Awesome choppy version of  Joni Mitchell's Blue. At one point, the girl donned a weird cocoon cape from which she emerged chrysalis-like mid song.

Jounce w/ The Zambonis 7/20/16 Bar

Veteran local opener The Zambonis brought their brand of garage pop to Bar's back room. Decked out in hockey jerseys and helmets, guitar, bass, rhythm guitar, keys , and drums let off a big sound. I have seen this band several times over the years, and feel foolish for not recognizing the hockey-centric themes to their tunes.
Jounce played several Gathering of the Vibes, but usually was saddled with a poor time slot. Power trio of guitar, bass/vocals, and drums, Jounce landed on the Rock side of the jam spectrum. Compact and noisy set included a guest guitar appearance by local hero Ray Neal.

Eric Burdon and the Animals 7/15/16 Hamden Town Center

The summer outdoor concert series at Hamden Town Center often has a gem of a show at their bandshell near the middle school. Blues/soul/psychedelic legend Burdon brought a decidedly young crew of Animals to the stage on this hot evening. You don't realize the hits until you find yourself singing along with each tune. Set list included: Spill the Wine, Monterrey, Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood, and of course The House of the Rising Sun. Excellent covers of Leadbelly's In The Pines, Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick by Ian Dury and the Blockheads, and a nice Bowie tribute of Space Oddity into Sky Pilot. Did not recognize a hilarious tune about the death of Bo Diddley. Closed the show with a triple encore of It's My Life, We Gotta Get Out of this Place, and the Sam and Dave classic Hold On , I'm Comin. Burdon has always had a woozy vocal delivery that slurs him into legendary status, it has aged like fine, albeit spilled wine.

Nite Jewel 7/7/16 Bar

LA based pop-tronica outfit Nite Jewel played to a sparse crowd at Bar. Dreamy synth pop came from a trio of musicians. Leader and singer Ramona Gonzalez coaxed beats from her keyboards. The trio had another female on keys and a young gentleman with a hat on a compact synth drum. Gonzalez' vocals are made for the dance floor, and her recent clubby collaboration with Dam Funk (aptly titled Nite Funk) is sure to be stretched out on the club circuit. When watching a live performance of this type of music, it's hard to reconcile the skills needed to play the instruments. In the Jazz, or jam, or rock worlds, virtuosity or originality is rewarded. In the dance pop world, it's song structure and beats that garners the prize. There's no doubt that Nite Jewel are gifted at their craft, but there is a fine line between a dance pop drummer and a gamer with a hat.

DJ Logic 6/30/16 The Acoustic, Bridgeport

After an early outdoor concert in Middletown, it made sense to hightail it down 95 to catch a set from DJ hero Logic. Haven't been to this venue since it was a fairly unattractive classroom without chalkboards years ago. They have changed the setup by moving the stage up front, getting a decent bar and sound system, and staying in business. Entered the show to the classic "Eyes Open but Dead", then on to "Hypnotic" from the fantastic Anomaly record. Alone on stage with two turntables and a Mac mini, Jason Kibler blew some doors. "Intergalactic" by the Beastie Boys was woven throughout the set, with jams from James Brown, Curtis Mayfield, and some deep ska references. Concert highlight was a mesmerizing take on Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine". Logic came out for a beer with us, and I gushed about his back catalog (MMW, Christian McBride, the Berkfests, and Vernon Reid). At first I felt sad that such a monster talent of turntablism was hanging by himself, but then realized that DJ Logic is his own boss. Soundtracks, radio jingles, ad snippets, would all sound better if touched by the hand of Logic. I did laugh with him about his missing the Harriet Tubman show at the Firehouse last year because he was "sick and stuck in Japan".

Nation Beat 6/30/16 CFA Courtyard, Wesleyan

Nation Beat is a Brooklyn collective that plays an amalgam of Brazilian funk and New Orleans party music. Charismatic female singer/percussionist, guitar, bass, and drums filled the air on a beautiful night out in Middletown. Original songs sung in English and Spanish gave a positive view of the recently embattled Brazil. In true Latin style, the singer jumped off stage and shimmied with the crowd before launching into a show ending conga line.