Praise the almighty algorithm! Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio (DLO3), you know em? Me neither. About a month prior to this show, my feed was barraged with “hey crew, we’re just back from our Europe leg of the tour and are jonesing to see our friends in the states”, “ get ready for some booty-shake blend of 1960s soul-jazz, slinky Nawlins funk, with a splash of acid-rock guitar” top that with some cool graphics and the algorithm worked. I was pointed to this show, and rightly so. Packed house to see Lamarr on organ (Hammond B-3 to be exact), Jimmy James on guitar, and Thunderfoot McDonagh on drums. The set was already underway when I arrived, searing instrumentals with great interplay between guitar and organ. DLO3 were all technical wizards and could have easily played the phone book, thankfully they stuck to funk and soul classics for a thoroughly enjoyable listen. Move on Up by Curtis Mayfield, Can’t Hide Love by Earth Wind and Fire, Marvin Gaye’s Inner City Blues, Ain’t It Funky Now by James Brown, and a Jackson Five tune that I couldn’t place were all expertly rendered in an instrumental soul vibe. James was a sight, a big fella whose afro scraped the house lights, that delighted an equally large Lamarr who had the benefit of sitting at his instrument. In addition to the setlist, song snippets tastefully layered in, made this music nerds head spin. I heard Bad Moon Rising, Seven Nation Army, Africa, Purple Haze, even a little tease of A Love Supreme! While James didn’t play left handed, upside down, like his fellow Seattle axe-wielding namesake, his picking was uncanny. He had a penchant for jumping time signatures and forcing the others to do likewise. The originals were less interesting, but with titles like Close But No Cigar and Al Greenish, they kept the groove flowing. We (I?) often deride the algorithm as some evil Zuckerbergian form of mind control, but I’m glad on this evening I was drawn like a moth to a funky flame.
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