William Tyler and The Impossible Truth w/ Garcia Peoples 8/22/23 Space Ballroom

  Jersey jam juggernauts Garcia Peoples have been positively reviewed in this blog before. Two guitars, bass, keys and drums make quite the racket. The show took place in the Space’s front room, smaller and more intimate, this room is usually reserved for quiet folkie offerings. GP is anything but quiet and I caught the last half of their set.  The tunes are stretched to the limit with elements of jam, krautrock, and jazz ebbing and flowing through the din. I’ve heard a version of their song One Step Behind recorded on WFMU that took 32 minutes to complete. Guitarist Tom Malach has good genes, his father Bob, who sometimes graces the stage, played flute and sax for Miles in the 70s. I would urge all readers to envision their fathers interacting with an acerbic icon like Miles Davis, ouch.

William Tyler is a guitarist from Tennessee. On this evening, he is joined by a stacked band of Nashville musicians. Bass, drums, and the session master Luke Schneider on pedal steel allowed space for William to explore. The beauty of having this show in the small room was my viewing location of the pedal steel, I could see that Luke had picks on all five fingers while operating a chrome phallus on the slide hand. Tyler has played with luminaries like Bonnie Prince Billie and supported indie vehicles Lambchop, Wooden Wand, and The Silver Jews. Tyler’s solo material is varied and reminds of other middle America masters like American Garage-era Pat Metheny, Paris -Texas soundtrack style of Ry Cooder, or the quirky fingerpicking of Leo Kottke. Tyler reveled in the band setting and obviously enjoyed turning it up to 11. Great set from this fascinating artist.

Ripe w/ Joe Samba 8/20/23 Harbor Park Middletown

 First offering from this year’s “ make Middletown cool again” series put on by Manic Productions at Harbor Park. Nice setting on the Connecticut river with some food trucks and a small stage. The word of the day is Yachtrockification. The act of filing down the sharp edges of any music genre smooths the product in an effort to increase popularity. Sonny Rollins and Kenny G are both considered jazz saxophonists, but one of them Yachtrocked the genre. On this evening, reggae-light purveyor Joe Samba takes the stage first. Reggae is a summertime vibe and Samba was capable in the delivery. A big fella lefty guitarist from Massachusetts, Samba rolled through his set. Cheeky reggae-fied cover of Dean Martin’s Mambo Italiano was a microcosm of Samba. 

Ripe is regional jam-pop outfit that graces many a festival stage. Big guy front man was backed by guitar, bass, drums, trumpet, and trombone. The set was yachtrocked jam-pop on the order of OAR or Spin Doctors. They opened with the trans positive cover of Lola by the Kinks. Ripe seemed to attract a younger crowd, and many knew the words to their”hits”. Free music, outside, nice weather is always welcome. I would have preferred some pointy edges though.

Govt. Mule 8/15/23 Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater Bridgeport

First time at this venue to get a view of Warren Haynes and company. The show was billed as Dark Side Of The Mule, their take on some Pink Floyd classics. The first set showcased original Govt. Mule tunes, a mixed bag of Molly Hatchet-like B-sides and other southern fried jamminess. Original songwriting and vocal prowess have never been the strong suit for the Mule, it is drum, bass, and guitar pyrotechnics that turns heads. Songs like Bad Little Doggie, Blind Man  In The Dark, and Lay Your Burden Down were capable. The classic instrumental Thorazine Shuffle was a highlight. The final song of their original set was titled Same As It Ever Was……nope, that will always be a refrain from Once In A Lifetime.

The second set was the meat of the tomato, a delicious sampling of Floyd classics. The entire Wish You Were Here record tumbled out, Shine On (I-V), Have A Cigar, Welcome ToThe Machine were deftly executed. Other classics appeared, Comfortably Numb, Breathe, Money, Run Like Hell, and two of my Meddle favorites Fearless and One Of These Days. Jackie Greene surfaced for the last few tunes for vocal duty and guitar counterpoint to Warren. Govt. Mule has always been a force in the live setting, and this show did not disappoint. The rub on this venue has been the possibility for bad sound, the open air and proximity to the water could give rise to problems, but not on this evening.

Newport Jazz Festival 8/6/23 Fort Adams State Park

 Skipped the Saturday, but returned for Sunday at the Fort. A more traditional jazz day showcased some icons, some newbies, and some in betweens.

Cimafunk: Afro-Cuban collective sang in their native tongue. Funky leader and a young woman on sax were flanked by many percussionists.

Somi: SouthAfrican songstress did a tribute to Miriam Makeba

Moodswing Reunion: Strong combo that started in the 90s. Joshua Redman on alto and soprano sax, Brad Mehldau on piano, Christian McBride on bass, and Brian Blade on drums. This group moved from straight ahead to some subtle free jazz passages.

Samara Joy: Grammy winning 20-something had a large fan base. Sang a nice Nancy Wilson cover before launching into her award winning debut. Hailing from the Bronx, Samara relayed her journey from SUNY Purchase to jazz vocal stardom, beautiful voice.

Diana Krall: Mrs. Elvis Costello, Diana has a gorgeous, smoky jazz voice. From behind the piano, she delivered a tight set of standards. I’ve Got You Under My Skin was the highlight.

Soul Rebels with Rakim and Talib Kweli: New Orleans brass outfit was guested with some hip hop royalty. Their high volume, high octane delivery bled into Diana’s set on the main stage.

Herbie Hancock: 83 year old veteran of the scene. This is the second time in recent years that I have had the good fortune of viewing this legend. While last time the set was grand piano, this one included organ, keytar, and even a vocoder passage. Joined by Terence Blanchard on trumpet, Lionel Loueke on treated guitar, were joined by bass and drums. The set was great and included Actual Proof, Rain Dance, and a slinky Chameleon from the Headhunters album. Played a great rendition of Wayne Shorter’s Footprints, another song that spends a lot of time on my turntable.

Newport Jazz Festival 8/4/23 Fort Adams State Park

 The Friday lineup at the Fest this year could easily have gone with the tagline “ take a hippie to Newport Jazz day.” I am fascinated by the lineups curated by Christian McBride, and there was plenty this year to satisfy this musical omnivore.

Angel Bat Dawid: Chicago based poet, clarinetist, educator. Was glad to start the day with a view of this free jazz, Afrocentric traveler. Please google image, at close to 300lb, Angel is an imposing stage presence. She growled and snorted rhymes about black families then launched into a clarinet tirade (air raid?). She moved to a hand held keyboard and whipped her band into a frenzy. The performance culminated with Angel writhing and convulsing on her back. Wasn’t sure whether to clap or call for a medic.

Butcher Brown: Funk, soul, hip hop, group that had some nice jazzy passages.

Big Freedia: once again, please google image. Gender bending nawlins originator of so-called “bounce” music. BF’s combination of rapping and gyrating was high energy. She/he/they, I’m pretty sure BF could occupy any available pronoun ( and a shit ton of adjectives), was flanked by two voluptuous dancers whose movements made my sunburn blush. The band was New Orleans funk that had a hard time keeping up with BF and the ladies. For the classic “Asses Everywhere”, BF pulled any available audience member (with an ass) on stage to strut their stuff. The refrain “I’m da queen dat gonna make ya bounce” was the ear worm of the day.

Soulive: Seminal jamband trio reunion. I’ve seen this group many times in the early aughts but they have not performed together in a while. Eric Krasno on smooth hollow body guitar with brothers Neal and Alan Evans on drums and organ. Wonderful versions of In Memory of Elizabeth Reed by the Allman Brothers and Heavy Weather by Weather Report. Both songs make frequent appearances on my turntable.

Durand Jones: Soul crooner channeled Lou Rawls with a pinstriped suit and white scarf.

Branford Marsalis: Sax playing brother of jazz royalty was a fill in for Kamasi Washington. While some fill ins are uneven (I’m sorely reminded of George Wein putting the Brecker Brothers as a fill in for Nina Simone back in the 90s….not even), this fill in fit the bill. Branford’s set with Joey Calderazzo, William Ledbetter and Jason Faulkner was tight.

Domi and JD Beck: Odd duo of piano prodigy Domi and drummer JD. The tunes were modern classical leaning with a good version of Wayne Shorter’s Endangered Species. Domi looked exactly like a Bratz doll.

Dave Holland: Pillar of jazz bass is credited on many classic recordings including the Miles Davis standout In A Silent Way. He was accompanied by the always enjoyable Kris Davis on piano with sax and drums.

Joe Russo’s Almost Dead: That’s right, Grateful Dead tribute outfit JRAD headlined the Friday. Christian McBride knows the pull of JRAD and their ability to sell tickets. Garcia was a lover of all genres and the overlap of improv fits. While the Dead were known to occasionally tackle a jazz tune, this set was pure Jerry. King Solomon’s Marbles- the NyQuil-tinged Row Jimmy-Let It Grow-Estimated Prophet-Terrapin Station and closed with the classic Brokedown Palace.