Gobruccio with Stephen Haynes 3/10/22 Best Video

Legend has it that Bob Gorry, guitarist and “Go” in Gobruccio, rode the train to NYC and happened upon avant- cornetist Haynes. Gorry going to study composition with Butch Morris, and Haynes doing time with Cecil Taylor, I’m assuming the conversation veered far from sports and weather. On this evening, a small crowd got a glimpse of spontaneous improv. With Gobruccio acting as the “rhythm” section, the group played a series of pieces. Pete Brunelli on fretless bass, and Pete Riccio on spare drums accompanied Gorry and Haynes. Haynes played cornet and what looked like a flugelhorn using a variety of mutes, flowerpots, and cookware to attenuate the sound. This music must be seen live to appreciate the interplay, glad to have it back.

Robert Randolph and The Family Band 3/4/22 Mohegan Sun Wolf Den

 Close your eyes, and conjure the notion of a free show in the heart of a casino. If poor sight lines, questionable sound, and throngs of O2 tank-tethered oldsters dropping their life savings into slots comes to mind, you’d be wrong. Many of the shows that grace this stage, are acts in the twilight of their career, Herman’s Hermits and the following nights headliner….Charo. So it was with amazement that I was able to view sacred steel guitar wiz RR, from a good vantage point, with excellent sound, and only a whiff of elderly slot seepage. Randolph plays a sit down pedal steel guitar ( unless he breaks multiple strings as on this evening), joined by the “family” on bass, another guitar, and drums. When strings break, he switches to a strap-on axe that has the same style of perpendicular to your body arrangement as the sit down variety. Seems like this is a pretty common occurrence, cuz we saw the roady move with pit-crew speed to restore, twice. Shows start promptly at 8 and run till 930, perfect interval for these guys to show their chops. Started with Skip James (a la Cream) I’m So Glad. Moved into an excellent Outside Woman Blues. Next stop was funk, some originals, great bass solo that I’m sure teased One Nation Under a Groove. Moved on to the War chestnut Me And Baby Brother. A Hendrix section ensued with Red House and then Foxey Lady. Randolph said he was happy to see people’s smiling faces again, even teasing Vanilla Fudges “set me free” section of You Keep Me Hanging On. So whether it is the Hoochie Coochie of Robert Randolph or the Cuchi Cuchi of Charo, consider me a new fan of this venue.