Gang of Four 10/2/15 Spaceland Ballroom

What to do if your band happens to release a near perfect punk-pop gem in 1979? If you are Andy Gill, the sole remaining member of England's Gang of Four, you ride the songs of Entertainment into retirement with a new cast of young guns. Playing some songs from the new What Happens Next release, Gill was clever to dot the entire show with songs from punk's infancy. Entertainment got a fancy 2 disc reissue a few years back, and is still a go to for punk snarl and expertly controlled feedback. New singer didn't miss on favorites At Home He's a Tourist, Damaged Goods, and the tribal Anthrax. How can you argue with lyrics like " love will get you like a case of anthrax.....and that's one thing I don't want to catch!"

Evan Parker 9/30/15 Cafe 9

British godfather of improv Parker makes his second stop in New Haven in two years. Parker on soprano and tenor, local guitar wizard Joe Morris, downtown reedman Ned Rothenberg, and young standup bass player. Parker, seated, looked like Burl Ives crossed with some atonal snake charmer, his soprano careening. Morris played a large hollow body, his arachno-fretology was fiery but restrained in tone. Rothenberg played tenor which he occasionally muted by blowing into his thigh. Rothenberg also played some bass clarinet  during the two song second set. The young bassist plucked, bowed, and scraped through the set, it's amazing how such a youngster can line up with such a stalwart cast.

Ozric Tentacles 9/27/15 Spaceland Ballroom

So, I'm driving to Spaceland to see British psychedelic troupe Ozric Tentacles, the B-52s Planet Claire comes on the box and the light of the eclipsing Super Moon is guiding me in. If only Sun Ra was chauffeuring me and my astronomical evening would have been complete. OT has been around since the jam Renaissance of the late 90s. Seemed like one or two original members. Noel Redding lookalike band leader on guitar and keyboards, mini Noel Redding on second keyboards, propulsive drummer (who I think was in Jamiroquai), and a stoned but talented Linda Hamilton on muscular bass. The Linda Hamilton character was a sight to behold, body builder arms that anchored the Brit-stoners through psychedelic Terminator territory. Thankfully wordless, (between their accent and dank haze, they could barely articulate the song titles), they were on autopilot on stage. Effortlessly careening from Prog to metal to dub to dance stylings.

Amir ElSaffar and the Two Rivers Ensemble 9/25/15 Firehouse 12

Amir ElSaffar's group was showcasing their new release Crisis. The ensemble is a mashup of middle eastern instrumentation and straight ahead jazz blowing. ElSaffar on trumpet, santur (an Iraqi hammered dulcimer), Ole Mathisen on saxes, Carlo Derosa on standup bass, new to the group drummer Dan, and Palestinian-American string players Tareq Abboushi on buzuq and Zafer Tawil on oud. I have seen this group before, but they seemed to have upped the ante on the eastern inflection, with ElSaffar even singing in the arabic microtonal maqam style. The seven part Crisis Suite with sections like "Flyover Iraq", "Tipping Point", and "From the Ashes" were all excellent. The ensemble also seemed tighter, with great sax-trumpet interplay even a few tease-nods to recently departed Ornette Coleman. In bringing the buzuq and oud to the fore, ElSaffar had an exotic backdrop for his modern jazz delivery. In an age when Iraq and the U.S. are unwanted bedfellows, this ensemble bridges the gap with music....the great equalizer.

Barrence Whitfield and the Savages 9/10/15 Cafe 9

Regional R&B legend BW made a stop at C9 to sharpen some songs from his excellent new release "Under the Savage Sky". The Savages, drums, guitar, bass, and saxes are the perfect backdrop for BW. Barrence is a sight to behold, built like a papasan chair or a whoopie pie with a booming voice and a trademark yelp, he takes on songs like a lumberjack. These guys were a staple at Toads in the 80s and 90s, and have the chops of a seasoned bar band. Thankfully, BW didn't try to walk down the bar as is his usual at C9. The set was short but sweet, including a nice Smokestack Lightning tease at the encore.

Pencilgrass 8/28/15 Spaceland

Touted as a "save the Space" show, local glam funk legends PG funked  and rolled on a mini reunion tour. While I'm not sure what the Space needs saving from ( either bankruptcy, or its inability to properly price designer beers),  PG was there for the party. Frontman Pren sporting his best American Hustle Christian Bale attire reminded us that PG had three types of songs: disco, funk, and reggae. Playing some familiar oldies and a few new tunes, PG was obviously sticking their collective toe back in the local water. They still had some swagger, albeit with a receding hairline. The lineup was foggy but came back upon viewing. Pren on vocals and guitarro, wiry keyboardist, trumpet/rapper, Eric the Willoughby's former barista and BlueMoon member on sax, guitar, bass and drums. All local denizens that I see at shows or in Pren's case stickered on every flat surface in town. These guys are fun, and have fun playing their music, it would make sense that they have a loose association that allows them to throw an occasional funk party at a local watering hole.

Gathering Of The Vibes 7/30-8/2/15 Seaside Park Bridgeport

Where to start, so much music packed in a weekend.
Thursday:
Banooba roots rockers on the second stage
Ryan Montbleu, Vibes staple who sounds like Jose Felician
Bombino : desert blues man brought some Touareg sights and sounds
Dark Star Orchestra featuring Melvin Seals. Classic set with the big man on organ.
Karl Denson's Tiny Universe: Dapper,funky saxman and his cast of characters on the late night stage
Friday:
The Word: too early a time slot for this supergroup. Medeski on organ, Robert Randolph on pedal steel, Luther Dickinson on guitar with the North Mississippi Allstar rhythm section of Chris chew and Cody Dickinson. I braved the heat for these guys.
Tedeschi and Trucks with guest Doyle Bramhall II. Power couple of the jam world show the perfect mix of blues singing and guitar wailing.
Tea Leaf Green: Reed Mathis helmed jam outfit.
GreggAllman: chilling version of Midnight Rider
The String Cheese Incident with David Grisman and Peter Rowan: great but quiet bluegrassy set with Panama Red, and Midnight Moonlight (to the light of a blue moon)
Saturday:
Kung Fu: area rockers with Tim Palmieri on searing guitar fry early on the main stage
The Primate Fiasco: gypsy collective moving up from impromptu gathering to an actual time slot.
Deep Banana Blackout: standard set from local vibes pimps. Fuzz sounding good on guitar.
Billy and the Kids: Kreutzman 's band of merry pranksters was the only member of the original GD.
Turkuaz: NYC funk noise collective with impressive girl vocalists
Warren Haynes featuring RR Earth: decent set from their collaboration. Nice take on Fleetwood Mac's Gold Dust Woman.
Wilco: great set but under- appreciated by the hippies. If you can't get into Impossible Germany from Sky Blue Sky, there's something wrong with ya. Warren Haynes comes out for closer.
Warren Haynes and The Seaside Allstars: festival highlight from this super supergroup. Branford Marsalis, Jackie Greene, Marco Benevento, Joe Russo, and George Porter........wow. Walk on Gulded Splinters, Dreams, Low Spark, that Radiohead song that everyone thinks is great, some Floyd, just an unbelievable weave job by Haynes the master. Warren holds the jam crown and will take any and all songs to play with. Closed with Sly Stone's Thank You Falletin Me Be Myself....classic.
Lettuce: Krasno's funk outfit graced the late night stage.
Sunday:
Preservation Hall Jazz Band: Legendary Nawlins group.
Zappa Plays Zappa: Dweezil has some technical difficulties with his set, his father would not be proud.
Cabinet: Area bluegrass outfit.
Weezer : I had no idea how many power pop ballads came from Weezer over the years, I knew almost
every song.
John Brown's Body: Reggae offering from this aging local outfit.
Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals: Great festival closer. Ground on Down, Don't Take that Attitude to Your Grave mixed with Concrete Jungle, Glory and Consequence, Always have to Steal My Kisses. Perfect festival closer, Burn One Down.