Sunday, August 11, 2019
Kaleta and The Super Yamba Band 8/8/19 The State House
Leon Ligan-Majek is a veteran Afrobeat and juju guitarist better known as Kaleta. He is credited with time in Fela's Egypt 80, King Sunny Ade's African Beats, and more recently spending time playing with Ms. Lauryn Hill. Kaleta has located the perfect backing ensemble, Brooklyn's Super Yamba Band. SYB is a loose collective of young Afrobeat acolytes who must have jumped at the chance to support this living lifeline to the originator of the genre. The group of hipsters had conga/ talking drum, drummer ( and band wrangler), bass, lead guitar, sax/ keys, trumpet to provide Kaleta's backdrop. The sound was pure danceable Afrobeat with all musicians double timing it on shakers or cowbells. Kaleta prowled the stage showing off his apprenticeship with the master which was dotted with a Toots Hibbert grunt and Fela-style "everybody say Ya Ya"s. Told a funny story of his brother locking him in a room with James Brown records. Afrobeat is an amalgam of African rhythms mixed in a stew of James Brown and Sly Stone for extended funk soul jams. Show highlight was the Fela cover "Black Man's Cry".
Thursday, August 8, 2019
Newport Jazz Festival , Fort Adams 8/3/19
Beautiful weather this year brought the crowds to the NJF Saturday. Always difficult to remember all the great things I saw, but here goes:
Joel Ross and Goodvibes: Young man vibraphonist had cool dreads and sharp backing band. Claims to be a protege of vibes master Stefon Harris.
James Francies Flight: Saw this young man light up the keys when he played with Nate Smith at YUAG. Big man from Houston has played with Pat Metheny and the Roots, not bad for a 23 year old.
Jenny Scheinman and Allison Miller's Parlour Game: Jenny on violin and Allison on drums, with bass and piano brought some gypsy swing. Scheinman does a good guest spot on Christian McBride's Live At Tonic recording.
Ravi Coltrane and David Virelles: Downright creepy how much Ravi looks like the old man. I've seen him several times and he has grown into the chops sown by the late great. Virelles on piano was a real treat. Some middle-aged Lions right there.
Makaya Mckraven: Chicago drummer and self proclaimed "beat scientist", MM has studied with the masters (Yusef Lateef, Archie Shepp). Solid crew playing with him, if he introduced them I didn't hear.
Dee Dee Bridgewater and the Memphis Soulphony: Jazz vocalist Bridgewater has had a checkered career. Largely overlooked in the 70s, Dee Dee moved to France to hone her chops. Excellent tributes to Ella , Horace Silver, and Lady Day emerged. On this outing, Dee Dee pays tribute to her birthplace with a horn filled slice of classic R&B and soul tunes.
Buika: Critically acclaimed Spanish chanteuse, Buika gave us some jazz influenced flamenco fusion on the main stage.
Ron Carter Trio: Standup bass legend Carter's bio reads like a Who's Who in jazz. Part of Miles catalog, Monk and many others. I've read that he's credited on thousands of recordings. On this date he's joined by guitar and drums. Ron's recent recording has him paired with novelist, poet, and painter Danny Simmons.
Ghost Note: Spin-off from the Snarky Puppy collective, this percussion and horn heavy crew were an odd assemblage. Lead man on drums, guitar player dressed as a super hero, bass, two guys on saxes and flutes, and a keyboard player. They kept calling out the keys man to say that he was in Toto. While I find this hard to believe, I really can get behind a band that boasts a super hero, a little Asian guy, and a keys man from Toto. They didn't bless the rains down in Africa, but they could have.
Hailu Mergia: So much music at this festival that they feel compelled to set up a tiny stage in a room in the fort and call it the Storyville stage. The headliner at this stage was Ethiopian accordionist Mergia who had some success in the 70s. The room was packed so we had to listen through the wall, sounded jamming, should have been outside.
Hancock, McBride, Colaiuta: The festival always lets me check at least one jazz legend off my must view list. On this day, Herbie Hancock ruled. Mostly piano, but some organ, he played his early monster composition Dolphin Dance and an awesome rendition of Footprints written by his friend Wayne Shorter. Joined by festival organizer and general jazz man about town Christian Mc Bride on bass and veteran drum wizard Vinnie Colaiuta. Hancock just turned 79, he did not look or act it.
Kamasi Washington: The Saturday closed with the Afro- futuristic jazz of Kamasi Washington. Joined by his regular crew, female vocalist, multiple drummers, monster bass, his father Ricky on sax and flutes, and Kamasi at the center of the maelstrom channeling Sun Ra and Duke Ellington and John Coltrane in the same circular breath.
Joel Ross and Goodvibes: Young man vibraphonist had cool dreads and sharp backing band. Claims to be a protege of vibes master Stefon Harris.
James Francies Flight: Saw this young man light up the keys when he played with Nate Smith at YUAG. Big man from Houston has played with Pat Metheny and the Roots, not bad for a 23 year old.
Jenny Scheinman and Allison Miller's Parlour Game: Jenny on violin and Allison on drums, with bass and piano brought some gypsy swing. Scheinman does a good guest spot on Christian McBride's Live At Tonic recording.
Ravi Coltrane and David Virelles: Downright creepy how much Ravi looks like the old man. I've seen him several times and he has grown into the chops sown by the late great. Virelles on piano was a real treat. Some middle-aged Lions right there.
Makaya Mckraven: Chicago drummer and self proclaimed "beat scientist", MM has studied with the masters (Yusef Lateef, Archie Shepp). Solid crew playing with him, if he introduced them I didn't hear.
Dee Dee Bridgewater and the Memphis Soulphony: Jazz vocalist Bridgewater has had a checkered career. Largely overlooked in the 70s, Dee Dee moved to France to hone her chops. Excellent tributes to Ella , Horace Silver, and Lady Day emerged. On this outing, Dee Dee pays tribute to her birthplace with a horn filled slice of classic R&B and soul tunes.
Buika: Critically acclaimed Spanish chanteuse, Buika gave us some jazz influenced flamenco fusion on the main stage.
Ron Carter Trio: Standup bass legend Carter's bio reads like a Who's Who in jazz. Part of Miles catalog, Monk and many others. I've read that he's credited on thousands of recordings. On this date he's joined by guitar and drums. Ron's recent recording has him paired with novelist, poet, and painter Danny Simmons.
Ghost Note: Spin-off from the Snarky Puppy collective, this percussion and horn heavy crew were an odd assemblage. Lead man on drums, guitar player dressed as a super hero, bass, two guys on saxes and flutes, and a keyboard player. They kept calling out the keys man to say that he was in Toto. While I find this hard to believe, I really can get behind a band that boasts a super hero, a little Asian guy, and a keys man from Toto. They didn't bless the rains down in Africa, but they could have.
Hailu Mergia: So much music at this festival that they feel compelled to set up a tiny stage in a room in the fort and call it the Storyville stage. The headliner at this stage was Ethiopian accordionist Mergia who had some success in the 70s. The room was packed so we had to listen through the wall, sounded jamming, should have been outside.
Hancock, McBride, Colaiuta: The festival always lets me check at least one jazz legend off my must view list. On this day, Herbie Hancock ruled. Mostly piano, but some organ, he played his early monster composition Dolphin Dance and an awesome rendition of Footprints written by his friend Wayne Shorter. Joined by festival organizer and general jazz man about town Christian Mc Bride on bass and veteran drum wizard Vinnie Colaiuta. Hancock just turned 79, he did not look or act it.
Kamasi Washington: The Saturday closed with the Afro- futuristic jazz of Kamasi Washington. Joined by his regular crew, female vocalist, multiple drummers, monster bass, his father Ricky on sax and flutes, and Kamasi at the center of the maelstrom channeling Sun Ra and Duke Ellington and John Coltrane in the same circular breath.
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