Christine Ohlman w/ George Baker Cafe 9

Need to make a point to tell the crew at c9 to get the website correct. The billing for this show had CM headlining, so I was surprised to enter just as she was ending her set. A good Take Me to the River and a later duet with GB was all I got from the beehive queen. Both of these artists are local legends, with GB having a stool in the joint with his name on it. Baker on guitar, drums, bass, and a Caucasian organ player that had to be one third of Baker's age. I always wonder how these associations happen, the kid looked like he could have been GB's paperboy. The band was tight and breezed through a nice set of soul and blues numbers. Excellent cover of Muddy Waters' Mannish Boy was the highlight.

Bassoonarama 12/18/17 Sudler Hall Yale

It's beginning to look a lot like bassoonarama, everywhere I go. The annual holiday concert and bassoon recital is gaining in popularity judging by the near capacity crowd at Sudler Hall. Some Christmas songs to start, followed by duets and trios of the Yale bassoon class ( there were six students and the bassoon playing prof). Selections by Mozart, Symphonie Fantastique by Berlioz, and a lively composition by a South American composer. Some Christmas music to round out the evening seems to drown out the hyper-commercialized holiday madness and replace it with happy holiday sounds. The sound of the bassoon, and the bass-blast of the large contrabassoon, can be mournful in many settings. The arrangements of holiday classics shows the happier side of this underrated instrument.

Okey Dokey 12/11/17 Cafe 9

Another bad decision for a band name, Okey Dokey came from "the south". Didn't have a chance to preview the music for this manic Monday, which always makes for a curious listen. OD was a quintet with lead singer, guitar/vocals, lead guitar, keys, and drums. Scruffy twenty somethings, OD put out kind of a warp of soul, garage, and surf sounds. Campy frontman wore an ill-fitting US navy jumpsuit as he bounced and sashayed on and off the stage. Original songs had good harmony vocals. The band had the Deer Tick "don't give a fuck" ethos coupled with the wandering singer who could just as easily high five you as hump your leg, made for a guarded listen.

Landing Party 12/8/17 Stella Blues

Caught some second set material from LP, newest groove outlet from former Turbine frontman Ryan. Gathering Of The Vibes stalwarts Turbine dissolved when Ryan took a stint touring as harmonica maestro for Culture Club, I guess he "tumbled for us". On this outing, drummer, drum pad, bass, and Ryan on guitar, vocals, and 3-d printed harmonica. The jammy groove that was Turbine is still evident with Ryan attaching his phone to the guitar for a trippy effect. Maybe the guitar was calling the harmonica, " yo, 3-d printed ! That's dope". Didn't get the chance to dis the name Landing Party, isn't the whole point to "not land"? Anywho, local groovers still plying the trade to some paisley head bobbers.

Nels Cline/ Larry Ochs/ Gerald Cleaver Trio 12/8/17 Firehouse 12

Closing show of the 2017 Fall Season at F-12. Guitar chameleon Cline has been reviewed in this blog in various incarnations in the past. Lead guitar for the cult of Wilco where he joins Jeff Tweedy in a spin vs. spazzfest. In an acoustic duo configuration with an equally skilled Julian Lage, or on this particular evening a free-form burble-off with sax player Ochs, and drummer Cleaver. Cline isn't shy and he starts right in with some metal droney material. Ochs, a member of the ROVA Saxophone Quartet looked exactly like the muppet sax player. Droopy face, shades (at night), bald with scraggly long gray hair spooling down from the equator of his skull. Ochs burbled sideways to Cline's forward bursts, Cleaver cleverly keeping time in the back. Cline seemed obsessed with the technique of tapping the guitar neck from behind creating various sounds depending on where the fret hand was at the point of thwack. Cleaver at one point does some cymbal scraping that sounded like a bus with bad brakes trying to stop The second set consisted of one long improvised freakout which was not easy listening, but it is always great to be in close proximity to a truly original artist spewing his truly original art.

Benjamin Verdery Yale OIS, 12/6/17

Kind of an oxymoron, Yale prof and classical guitarist Verdery expounding on American Guitar at the office of international students. I usually see Ben in a less talkative formal setting at Sprague Hall, but it was a treat to hear him explain how guitar affected his formative years. He starts with The Ventures, Link Wray, and the genius of Les Paul. The showmanship of Chuck Berry and how he influenced the British Invasion. The blues work of Robert Johnson laid the groundwork for the creamy note bending of B.B. King. Hendrix's amazing take on The Star Spangled Banner at Woodstock followed by his acoustic rendition of Hear My Train A Comin ( a staple on many a Burke mixtape). Duane Allman's stellar use of bottleneck slide on Statesboro Blues and Joni Mitchell's open tuning technique on Amelia. Ben has collaborated with Andy Summers and Leo Kottke, and has taught indie royalty Aaron and Bryce Dessner of The National. The underlying theme was that American Guitar reflects the melting pot that is America, a notion that seems to be under assault in today's vitriol. Ben closed with a couple of tunes, one was a beautiful slide inflected piece about a peninsula on the island of Maui ( Ben spends time in Hawaii), the other was his classical guitar reading of Purple Haze with touches of Hey Joe and The Wind Cries Mary.