Business stuff:

Next month Tape Cases will focus on soundboards from Phil and Friends' incredibly productive fall 2000. That was the plan for this month, but I'm going to dip into the recent acquisitions file instead. Remember to send me any reviews, questions or comments; I always look forward to hearing from you.

Music:

The hiatus has been tough, no doubt about it, but Trey's certainly done well by it. His guest appearances and solo tour both showed a great vitality and playfulness. By the time anyone reads this Mike will be hitting the road, as will Fishman, but on Trey's work we can already reflect. And yet rather than consider the wheres and hows, the causes and effects, I'd rather just listen. (I did the heavy contemplation in my concert reviews last month.) In general the sounds are bright; they move. You'll move.

Trey Anastasio @ State Theatre, Cleveland, Ohio 2/26/2001
Disc 1
Set I: The Way I Feel, Mozambique, Acting The Devil, Makes No Difference, First Tube, Burlap Sack and Pumps, Aqui Como Alla, Waves, Bathtub Gin

Disc 2
At The Barbecue, At The Gazebo, Will It Go Round In Circles Set II: (Come On Baby Let's Go) Downtown, Signed Sealed Delivered I'm Yours, Sand, Sunday Morning, Nothing But An E Thing, Happiness In My Pants

Disc 3
Set II (continued) Windora Bug, Gotta Jibboo E: Mellow Mood

Disc 1 begins with a sleek The Way I Feel. The horns come in just right, Andy Morose sounding fine as he gels with Jennifer's solo. Trey plays sparse lines in his solo but does so at a level that helps them melt into the short loop that's running. Skillful. Russ shakes a shuffle throughout.

The first section of Mozambique sounds spectacular. The bright vibrating bleats of the horn section give this tune a new vibrancy. Grippo takes an extended solo that wins great approval from the audience. At just over 7 minutes, this song is a bit short. The horn-fueled madness keeps pumping with Acting the Devil. Ska is just plain fun. The classic Band ballad It Makes No Difference calms it down, but 1st Tube starts up right away. There is a great deal of texture on this disc. It really runs the gamut of styles. Trey sets up a fast, wide loop and runs over the intro. The horns are a perfect compliment on the heavy chords, and the machine that is Tony and Russ rises to the surface every now and then, reminding everyone why this works so well. On the long assent Trey creates an amazingly rich layering of sounds by himself without loosing the clarity of his voice. It literally burns up on reentry.

Burlap Sack and Pumps gets a very funky groove going. Solos from Andy and Grippo on tenor make up the first two verses. The drum interludes before the chorus make the drop so much sweeter. The third go round is Trey's turn and he holds it down, working a quieter, but intense line. He's in great form, slipping over the notes. It flows. He works up to the horn section to close it out.

With that solo in mind, the band slinks into the sultry passages of Aqui Como Alla. Nothing short of fantastic, it moves with a slow, subtle hand, touching each pressure point with casual intention. So smooth!

Trey explains that Waves is supposed to be like being out of sight of land. It's fragile and there is a repeated undercurrent that is reminiscent of KC Moan. Next he does Bathtub Gin solo. Well not really- the audience helps without any "sshhhhhh!" It's a fine communal moment. And if you're asking how far it could go, it's six and half minutes long with wacky vocal jamming and a beautiful one man acoustic jam. Trey loves Cleveland.

I really enjoy the second disc- grab it often, even when I haven't heard some of my other recent additions once. It begins with the duology of BBQ/Gazebo. These pieces work best when paired as they contrast with one another so distinctly. Each needs the other to balance its full flavor. The crisp inverted vortexes of sound in BBQ and the Christmas tragedy of Gazebo- a nice combo that perks up the ears.

The next three tunes offer a center of straight ahead, steady groovin' rock and soul music. Circles is the first set closer and builds to a furious bop as Trey starts to belt it out. His solo is long and aggressive. There is such a layering of sounds at the end that the song satisfies completely.

Come On Baby is equally energetic and well rendered. It also features another nice jam with Trey in the lead. Signed, Sealed, Delivered is carried by Jennifer's incredible, enthusiastic backing vocals- she steals the show and I can only think of her rocking out on this tune at Philly.

Without letting up, the band drives into Sand. It has the trademark steady groove of Tony and Russ flavored with tight horn arrangements. As the jam starts, Trey moves to the keys immediately. It's one of those moments when he's deeply in the groove, and reluctant to alter it. He dabbles very delicately in brief sounds. The horns come in with a nice arrangement and dig deeper. After a bit Trey plays the bass bars of a xylophone and falls into screwy, squiggling sounds, before rising up again on the guitar. The horns welcome him back. After drifting away again, the horns do their work of reestablishing the song, with more concentrated results this time. The horns are rotating notes and Trey starts to lay it on thick, racing ahead and stretching it out. Big sweeps of feedback and bent notes scream like a gale. Then the stage just burns up! When the song finds itself again, it doesn't pause for an instant, but charges into the station at full steam.

Sunday Morning has a classic Trey teenage romance feeling about it and offers a much needed cool down. "Grippo's gonna do it to you." Staying in the calmer vein, Nothing But an E Thing really shines with its fine sheen and excellent drumming. It's complimented by the Happiness In My Pants. This tune rolls, Tunisia style. So very slick- this is it! The play list on this disc is perfectly balanced with an opener that draws you in, a center of upbeat power grooves and three closing tunes that pulls you back to that listening that began the disc.

Disc three begins with Windora Bug. It's a very brave performance in that essentially nothing happens. Very quite and very mellow. Was that a wind, or bug? Jibboo, on the other hand, is a great show closer- solid, not too long. Like 1st Tube and Sand, this number glows bright when manipulated by its creators. Loops give way to clean, light playing and baritone sax. Nice rhythm guitar. An idea from Trey takes shape while the horns keep on the same line they've been on for 2-3 minutes. He starts to stretch out, jogging through scales, sustains and more rhythm before linking with the horn section. Hollow feedback effects light up a jamlet that rocks like the Streets of San Francisco theme. Mellow Mood is nice, but very short. I've come across this show with no filler, filler from Syracuse and filler from Boston. In this case, we'll leave it as is, and discuss the filler at some later time.

MMW @ The Palace Theater, Albany, NY 12-1-00
Disc 3
Partido Alto > We Are Rolling > Start/Stop > Dracula > Chubb Sub E: Swamp Road
W/ Trey

We're a couple of songs into the second set when Billy announces, "we've got another special guest." The crowd goes nuts before Billy can name him. They roll into Partido Alto and Trey jumps right in. He dances in the spaces between the drums while Medeski accents with piano and a slight organ. Drops to a stop and they light up again, Trey getting a little funky at the start, drawing in the organ. The guitar moves into some classic riffing and drops again into a drum solo- fast and light- that is pulled into We Are Rolling by Chris's wide bass. A loop rises up to blend with Billy's weird effects. Medeski layers himself on top and Trey does likewise, creating a tower of funky sounds that melt into each other. They spread it out and slide all over for an ecstatic few moments of playing. It's toothpaste for the brain.

Sounds dislocate and collide, tearing themselves apart- a field of debris where everyone feels comfortable thrashing about. A moment of clarity with Billy tapping on the cowbell and John fluttering on the Korg.

Dracula eases in with the ringing preceding Chris's downbeat. Labored breathing. The groove is smooth- locations and proportions have been established. Medeski seems to enjoy playing over the brief (manual?) loops. The sounds real down into hidden recesses loaded with screwy shadows. Thoughts are strange and partially forgotten before they are completed. Suddenly das vampire is on the prowl again, this time with a new energy. John and Trey interact nicely, each bating the beast in turn as Billy runs it down. The music spirals of track again, this time in a dilapidated garden. There is something of the wind and the stars in it. Dracula lurks at the outskirts, closing the circle with each creeping circumabulatory movement. You're already stunned by the time he pounces and withdraws to some hidden mausoleum.

Chris takes an extended solo on the upright that lands in Chubb Sub. The modern groove classic serves perfectly as a set closer, giving everyone a chance to blow out the stops. Sleek passages link each segment- more fine examples of collective jamming at its finest.

It's Official: The Band, Rock of Ages, Capitol Records CDP 792595 2

Disc 1: Don't Do It, King Harvest, Caledonia Mission, Get Up Jake, The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show, Stage Fright, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, Across the Great Divide, This Wheel's On Fire

Disc 2: The Weight, The Shape I'm In, Unfaithful Servant, Life is a Carnival, The Genetic Method, Chest Fever, Hang Up My Rock and Roll Shoes

Since Trey's cover of It Makes No Difference was a staple on the recent tour, I'd like to suggest The Band's double disc set Rock of Ages this month. It's also an appropriate choice because this recording from New Year's Eve 1971 features a funky horn section including Snooky Young, Joe Farrell and Earl McIntyre, among others. The first disc opens with a spectacular version of Marvin Gaye's Don't Do It that is super tight. This one gets down hard, pushed by Rick Dankos buoyant bass. The slower King Harvest, a labor song, shows the real depth of the songwriting skill in this ensemble. It's sleek and round, warm and skillfully rendered. This is one that Phil Lesh has considered as a cover and it will be sweet when it shows up. The Stage Fright and Dixie Down from the first disc are also particularly strong.

Disc 2 also has a great opening pair. The Weight is simply a fantastic song and it swings in this performance, Levon Helms coming through nice and strong. The Shape I'm In works well with the horns- very lively. A good sense of the overall essence of the tune. Disc 2 also includes some rarer tunes, including The Genetic Method and I Don't Want to Hang Up My Rock and Roll Shoes. The band was legendary for their musicianship and songwriting abilities as much as for their internal conflicts. Like Hot Tuna, they are musician's musicians and on these discs they are at their prime.