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.

Dunia and Aram w/ Artsouca 7/27/23 Cafe 9

 Dunia and Aram are a NYC-based couple that have been playing music together for over 20 years. Their guitarist collaborater was the main focus of Artsouca. Along with the couple and a female drummer, Artsouca bowled through several genres. African, prog, krautrock, the music focused on the fluid lines of the guitarist. I heard Pat Metheny, Habib Koite, even some lithe Jan Akkerman (from Focus) in these guitar centric jams. All guitarists kneel at the altar of Hendrix, this guy played a slinky strut Afro-version of Voodoo Chile with Dunia capably handling the vocal duty.

Dunia said she was from the Bronx. Her dreads and the reggae undertones implied island descent, but she had little in the way of Jamaican accent. For Artsouca, she played percussion and sang, but when the same four people morphed into D and A, she moved to guitarro. Aram played a standup low profile electric bass, you could tell he was versed in the low end of dub and reggae. The drummer was a big woman who I happened upon while she was doing a pre-set toke. “You’re late for work” I remarked, as she took her place behind the kit. Nice set of island inflected jams were played to a sparse crowd. Their take on Billie Holiday’s Strange Fruit lacked cohesion, but a nice reading of Joni Mitchell’s Blue was welcome. With building after building of yuppie condos sprouting in the vicinity, I find it hard to believe that more people would not walk to attend this show.

Peter Stampfel 7/1/23 Neverending Books

 Wow, where to start. This show was billed as 7/1 7pm , 7/2 9pm. Which could either mean two concerts, one twenty six hour concert, or a recurring typo. Given that the artist is 90, I went with typo. Peter Stampfel is founder of counter-culture folk collective The Holy Modal Rounders. Denizens of the early 60s Greenwich Village, THMR were on the scene as a nascent Bob Dylan graced The Gaslight. Political protests against the Vietnam war and reams of LSD seemed to ensue. Alliance with Ed Sanders and Tuli Kupferberg led to the formation of The Fugs. Often cited as the first “underground” band, The Fugs shunned political correctness and instrument-playing prowess for irreverent atonal chaos serving as the house band to many an Allen Ginsberg proto-rave. Fast forward 70 years, and my interest is piqued. Bashing the wisdom of putting on any show at this motley beleaguered attempt at a “bookstore”, is nothing new here. Ragtag collection of discarded office chairs, musty Nancy Drew paperbacks, and one lonely used copy of a Graham Parker record, exude sadness rather than charm. We arrive late to view Stampfel onstage with ukulele and a spiral notebook of visual clues. His “singing” is labored and punctuated with guttural growls. The uke “playing” is also debatable, one might assume that 70 years of performance might allow him to hone his craft. The real instrument seemed to be the reams of LSD. Stampfel routinely started cackling, or launching into Tourette’s-ish moherfuckinfucks throughout the performance. The notebook attempted to steer the proceeding. One passage had him expounding about “love everything that happens to you” while another had him tackling the “bad-guy” song genre with a Stagger Lee lilt. He tried one song where he strung together a rapid fire of fiddle tune names and asked the audience to spot the imposter. Apparently, Bonny Bloody Sword has yet to be penned. The audience was sneaking sideways glances as if to ask “are you seeing this?” We left early, so the verdict as to whether the show was 2 or 26 hours long is still a mystery. As we exit, the guy at the door says that Stampfel’s voice is shot and he’s really stoned. What is unclear, is the timing of when these conditions came on. I am still processing the notion of witnessing an acid-ravaged anti-musician nonagenarian.

Rufus Wainwright 6/27/23 Ridgefield Playhouse

 First time at this comfortable venue. Opener was Lucy Wainwright Roche, she is Loudon’s child by the folkie Suzzy Roche. Suzzy has a sister Maggie that perform as The Roches. Introspective Brooklynite folkie, Lucy is a new mom who used her genetic deadpan comedic delivery to warm the crowd. Ended with a nice folk rendering of Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” in homage to defiance needed to fight recent incursions on the rights of US citizens.

Rufus Wainwright is Loudon’s child by the folkie Kate McGarrigle. Kate has a sister Anna that perform as  Kate and Anna… wait a minute, is this deja vu within the same post? Loudon seems to have a very specific type. Rufus and band take the stage wearing bejeweled black tunics in support of his recent release Folkocracy. Joined onstage by guitar, keys, bass, drums, and backing singers sister Lucy and California vocal juggernaut Petra Haden. Two full sets of music that was rooted in folk but careened in all directions. A makeshift video feed showed Polaroids and videos of young Rufus interspersed with current Rufus videos set in Laurel Canyon. The Canyon is an oft-cited crucible of 70s folk a la CSNY and Joni Mitchell, and seems to be home for current Rufus. The setlist rambled: Black Gold, a collaboration with his mentor Van Dyke Parks, a Hawaiian song, an Italian song (sung in Italian), a show tune, an opera song styled for folk, Harvest by Neil Young (the album version has an excellent duet with Andrew Bird), Nina Simone’s version of Cotton-eyed Joe, Hush Little Baby, Islands in the Stream (yes, the campy chestnut by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton). He said that no folk show would be complete without some Bob Dylan, then launched into an excellent Ring Them Bells. Closed with an acapella close vocal harmony version of Wild Mountain Thyme, giving each member a verse. It seems that Loudon was onto something, by juicing the gene pool with musical talent mothers, father, sister, aunts, it seems he has created a musical omnivore by default. The name checks were plenty; residency at the Carlisle, writing and performing an opera with his husband in Madrid, duetting with Brandi Carlisle for Pride month, Laurie Anderson and Jimmy Fallon at his next month’s Montauk show, the list went on. Ridgefield Playhouse has upped its game. Normally a venue for artists in their twilight, was glad to catch this important artist in his prime.