Sun Ra Tribute Concert 5/11/22 Best Video

 How lucky to be able to attend an outdoor tribute to jazz pianist and legendary intergalactic traveler Herman Sonny Blount aka Sun Ra. Ra famously claimed to be from Saturn piloting his Arkestra through jazz, R and B, spoken word, and any other medium he could lay his hands on. He is too multidimensional to describe here, but for the uninitiated, please Google and YouTube this master bandleader. The tribute concert was helmed by local guitarist Mykael Ross, joined by sax, trumpet, drums, congas, bass, and ofcourse keyboards (both Prophet and Korg).The band was proficient in paying homage, with guitar and bass holding down the affair. The breadth of material is vast as Ra released hundreds of recordings, with posthumous recordings coming fast and furious. On this evening, the set list included: I’ll Wait for You, East of the Sun and West of the Moon, Sunology, Sunrise. Show highlight was an excellent rendering of Space is The Place. The crowd was safely returned to earth after a brief and welcome tour of the galaxy.

Jonathan Kreisberg Trio 4/21/22 Sudler Hall at Yale

 The Yale Undergraduate Jazz Collective has done it again. A loose collection of jazz nerds assemble a spring festival to celebrate jazz. On this evening, guitar wizard Kreisberg along with drums and standup bass was the offering. Kreisberg’s bio showed him holding down guitar duties for the late great polychromatic-turbanned Dr. Lonnie Smith. Smith died last September so Kreisberg struck out on his own. Nice evening of mainly standards showcased the fluid style of the hollow body guitar. In the style of Wes Montgomery or George Benson, the trio played How Deep is the Ocean, a speedy Moonlight in Vermont, You and the Night and the Music, and Easy Living. Closed with and excellent version of My Favorite Things.

Les Filles de Illighadad w/ DJ Shaki 4/12/22 Cafe 9

 Delighted to see DJ Shaki aka Rick Omonte back in the show promoting game. For those locals too young to remember, before there was Manic Mark of Manic Productions, there was Rick of DJ Shaki presents. Rick presented countless interesting, usually world beat inflected shows around town. In addition to his duties as bass player in local psych legends Headroom, Rick is a dj who spun records as a warmup to this show.

Les Filles de Illighadad is a quartet of women from Niger who play the signature style of  “ desert blues” popularized by Tinawaren and Mdou Moctar. Guitars, chanting, and simple percussion lead to a hypnotic blend of world music transporting the listener to a bazaar on the edge of the Sahara. Dressed in their traditional garb, with one member performing in full face covering hijab, these women gave New Haven listeners a taste of their craft. An egalitarian affair, the members took turns leading the charge. I’m reminded of a snippet from a Mdou Moctar show where his handler explained that he had to make his own guitar and practice in secret for fear of religious reprisal. Imagine then, the artistic journey taken by four women in the same circumstances. Very enjoyable listen. I wished there was some interpreter to put the songs in context, but not surprised that these trailblazing musicians have the confidence to power across the globe on their own. Merci beaucoup.

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.

Bonobo with Jordan Rakei 2/23/22 College Street Music Hall

 Ambient, trance, trip hop, downtempo, acid jazz. Does anyone out there know what these terms mean? (I always thought the last one was munching a handful of blotter and listening to Bitches Brew) The descriptors thrown around in the electronic world are dizzying to the point of confusion. The two artists that I review here fall under the electronic umbrella. They are internationally popular and garnered a pretty full crowd, problem is, this music, by definition, wants to be relegated to the background.

New Zealand born, London based Rakei is a multi-instrumentalist. He had keyboards and sang honey voiced tunes that approximated muzak with a backbeat.

Bonobo is the brainchild of  dj and producer Simon Green. He has produced and worked with such luminaries as Erykah Badu and Gorillaz, with some Grammy nominations in the mix. Green had keyboards and decks and played bass. He was joined by guitar, flute/sax, drums, another keyboard, and occasional female singer. While that may seem like a pretty full band, the music it produced didn’t engage, and maybe that’s the point. Club music is a backdrop for dancing, checking your phone, and chatting with your friends. The show was billed as Fragments Live, Bonobo’s recent album with Rakei guesting. They did a full set, and judging by the head bobs in the crowd, a decent rendering. I genuinely like this music, and don’t mean to dog the musicians, but I’m used to live music that engages. Maybe if I danced more, checked my phone more, and chatted with my friends more, this show would have come into focus.

Ryley Walker 1/20/22 Cafe 9

 It takes a certain amount of grit and determination to power through touring in a pandemic. Ryley Walker has that covered. This tour warrior has been in the area multiple times recently, the most recent was an opening slot for Dinosaur Jr at CSMH ( I did not attend, you’re welcome ears). Walker has also released 5 recordings in the past year, mostly collaborations with like- minded avant noodlers. On this evening, the setup was a trio with Walker on a wide array of guitars, with big fella on bass and drums. Started the show with Popeyes Garage, then Shiva’s Dustpan. Walker’s inter-song banter is hilarious, kind of like the rapid fire musings of Robyn Hitchcock as shot through the lens of the TV show Shameless. He went off on this story about how he makes so much from royalties that allows him to send his fake son Rupert to an Ivy League education, only to find him experimenting with meth and K2. He also said he was in New Haven once and saw “Third Eye Blind on the quad” and chanted “no new stuff” at them, a story that sound highly suspect. The group rolled a 7 minute skronk into a great version of The Halfwit in Me, followed by an excellent Roundabout. He told the crowd to buy some vinyl and “ give it to your uncle who has lost touch with reality”. Closed with Primrose Green, some songs never get tired.