Jason Crosby and Friends
Wetlands Preserve, NYC 3/14/01

By Amy Peters

You may remember a couple issues back I wrote a review of the Jason Crosby Band live from the Downtown in Farmingdale, NY. Well, Jason and Friends packed the Wetlands on March 14, not only with the promise of his own remarkable talent on keys and fiddle and a top-notch 10-piece band, but with the promise of visits from special guests as well. And wow, did he deliver on all counts! While Oteil Burbridge (Oteil & the Peacemakers, The Allman Brothers Band; bass) and Lo Faber (God Street Wine; guitar) were billed as special guests, they were really integral members of the band. On top of this, very special guests Jeff Mattson (Zen Tricksters), Derek Trucks (Allman Bothers, Frogwings), Eric Krasno (Soulive), Melvin Sparks (The Upsetters, Curtis Mayfield, James Brown) and a very unexpected Stanley Jordan all showed up and kicked out the jams the whole night through!

Along with band members Dave Diamond (Pozzy Ghuru, Zen Tricksters) on drums, Bill Titus (Rainbow Trout, Pozzy Ghuru, Circus Mind) on guitar, Andy Pfaff (MJ12) on upright and electric bass, Jordan Katz (Rainbow Trout) on trumpet, Mike DeVilles on alto sax, Kebbi Williams (Oteil & the Peacemakers. OUTKAST) on tenor sax and Steve Finkelstein (Funk Filharmonik) on percussion, Jason and Friends (boy, does he have a lot of friends!) is a veritable who's who of Long Island and NYC's best musicians. The fact that there were at times two basses and four guitars on the stage at one time and it still sounded amazing, is testament to these guys' musicianship. Drawing tunes from Jason's newly released instrumental CD "Out of the Box", as well as tunes from various band members' projects, this was a monstrous jam of a magnitude not seen in these parts before.

The first set opened with "Zork", a seriously funky jazz tune, featuring Andy Pfaff on upright bass. Stanley Jordan stepped up during Lo Faber's "Waiting for the Tide" and proceeded to rip a fantastic solo, using his signature fretboard-tapping technique. Standing right next to him, Lo's face was alit in true ecstasy. Jeff Mattson came up for "Damn That Chicken" and he and Stanley Jordan traded licks, developing a jam that was pure fire! Drummer Dave Diamond does the near impossible - singing from behind the trap kit on three Pozzy tunes: "She Had Dreams," "Coming Back To You" and "Spirit Set Free," the latter of which Tom Circosta (Zen Tricksters) sat in on acoustic guitar. Melvin Sparks came up for Lo's "Hellfire," playing a beautiful old Gibson hollow-body electric, in a very old school, bluesy, bebop style. At one point, Oteil took the reins on drums, while Jason's kid brother Chris took over duty on bass for Leo Nocentelli's "Hype."

On the second set-opener, "Out of the Box," the CD's title track featured the full horn section along with Derek Trucks, who performed the slide solo on the CD. Derek played with the aplomb and emotion of someone well beyond his age. On "Two Times" Oteil and Lo traded solos, with Oteil's signature scatting on top of his bass lines. The slow and ethereal "Maybe Thursday" featured Derek again, this time with Jason on fiddle. The ONE thing I wished were different last night was that Jason should have been center stage. He was situated stage left, while all his guests were getting up stage right. Therefore, there was not a lot of interplay between Jason and his guests for a lot of the show. The guests and other band members seemed to really enjoy each other; Jason was just too far away. But Jay and Derek did get together on this one - even across the stage with at least 7 band members between them (Thank God for monitors!) The highlight for me was on "Coming Back to You" another Pozzy tune, sung by D-Squared. Everyone was on stage for this one, including Pete Baione on tenor sax as swell as Klyph Black, the bass player from the Zens, who lent a well-placed hand on background vocals. There was so much going on onstage - vocals, horns, many guitars, two basses - but it was all good. Stanley Jordan began a solo, somewhat tentatively, sort of feeling his way around the changes. Derek, standing next to him, began to play a theme that just really reverberated and took the whole thing to another level: up, up and away! The pinnacle of the evening for me was the climb to the top and the sick ride down to the bottom of that tune. The crowd was completely blown away.

Jason Crosby is a very busy man these days. In addition to his own project, he has been touring with the Zen Tricksters, Oteil and the Peacemakers as well as Susan Tedeschi (Best New Artist Grammy Nominee) and Pozzy Ghuru, drummer Dave Diamond's project.

Jeff Mattson and Friends opened the show, playing an acoustic set of Jeff's favorite tunes. Accompanied by Tom Circosta, Klyph Black and Dave Diamond of the Zen Tricksters, as well as "Banjo" Tom Hanoway and vocalist Randi Kent, Jeff took us on a journey through his mind and revealed many of his influences. Tunes by Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Rolling Stones, Graham Parsons, Richard Thompson, Bob Wills, Neil Young as well as Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead filled the set. Jeff's vocals truly reflect the emotion with which these tunes were written, as well as his own passion for them. Randi sang lead vocals on Parson's "Return of the Grievous Angel," with grace and sincerity, as well as backgrounds on Thompson's "Keep Your Distance." Bob Will's "Roly-Poly", was a highlight, with its Texas Swing/bluegrass sound, featuring Banjo Tom (Tom Banjo?). The Dead's "Lazy River Road was real sweet - the vocals exceptionally so. The Stone's "Moonlight Mile" was downright eerie. Neil Young's "Mr. Soul" got off to a rocky start, but ended up rockin' the house instead. Jeff's solos on his acoustic were incredible, even without the aid of a cutaway. Tom Circosta took a couple of killer solos as well - really beautiful. A great opening set from another of Long Island, NY's musical treasures.

Melvin Gibbs' Liberation Theology (featuring Hurt, Pete Cosey, Logic)
Symphony Space, NYC 3-24-01

By Dan Alford djalford@yahoo.com

Earlier in the day Logic joined a cast of 150 musicians helping celebrate Miles' 75th anniversary. He jammed with Sex Mob on material from Dark Magus, and would later play with Vernon Reid's Masque before heading down to the Knit for a late night show. In between he grooved with old pal Melvin Gibbs and his band, featuring Miles' guitarist Pete Cosey and James Hurt from Lettuce and Ekene and the Source, for more electric era Miles.

A fluttering flute interlacing with Cosey's fuzzy electrified chords. Gibbs' heavy hand stays steady on the beat, congas filling in the spaces. James and Logic both wash in with flourishes, resonance and screwy sounds. The drumming steps up a notch and locks for a short moment. It all drops to silence and Joe Lauano introduces a new idea. Gibbs hits it again, faster this time. Hurt is playing sparse rhythm while Cozy and Logic try to out do each other, quieting as a cool Eastern squall rises, bringing with it the flute. They find the gorgeous mid-song passage and mull it over. Melvin begins to play the Frelimo theme as Cosey makes himself more pronounced and bends the ideas. The Eastern flare is emphasized as the percussion rolls in, alluding to classical Indian concepts without being too explicit. Lauano and Cosey trade solos while Melvin keeps it deep- monsoon funk. The drumming locks up again and Hurts gets real in the background while Cosey goes at it against a Miles solo from Logic. Rain sticks and chimes wash down into what seems a close, but Hurt takes the opportunity to solo. Lauano brings in the theme and the band falls into place one by one, discordant at first but eventually finding the one. It's way too slinky and it hurts, coming in at about 19 minutes.

Melvin Gibbs' Liberation Theology (w/ Medeski, Hurt, Logic)
The Knitting Factory, NYC 3-24-01

By Dan Alford djalford@yahoo.com

Standing in the narrow passageways that make up the interior of the Knit for over an hour. They won't let anyone into the main space. The main space is small, but not as small as the little hallways outside. Somehow, though, they've seen it fit to cram those halls with wall to wall people and then yell at them for blocking the stairs. The vibe goes sour.

Sometime near 12:30 we're allowed to slip in through the tap room door and the music begins within five minutes. A ritual drumming quintet takes the stage and begins to deal out rhythmic circles and callbacks. Before long Medeski and James Hurt take the stage and fiddle with their respective keyboard. The trap drummer and another percussionist climb on board. Finally Melvin Gibbs walks out on the floor and settles down in front of a speaker. Some minutes into the show, Logic also sets up on the floor.

As the bass kicks in and the kit restructures the groove, something happens. It's hot and there's a tension and vibrations fill the room until it's unclear whether they come from the stage or the pressed crowd. The boundary is torn down and a thing far more primal than communication takes place. It is direct experience- not an expression of ideas or emotions; that would take too long. It is the emotion of a thousand thoughts manifest at once and gone in an instant. For the next two hours the very limits of reality are pushed to the bursting point as the crowd and musicians howl at the city as a collective force. The path can't be followed- it was lost in the traveling.

The Derek Trucks Band with Mark Diomede & Friends
The Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ 4/6/01

By Kevin Ford

Jersey Shore music fans were treated to a magnificent feast for the ears on April 6, as two of the finest improvisational guitarists on the scene today paid a visit to the legendary Stone Pony in Asbury Park. Mark Diomede of Solar Circus and Juggling Suns fame played an exciting set of classic covers interspersed with a dose of his trademark cosmic dance grooves. Among several highlights were a rousing "Iko Iko" opener and an inventive interpretation of McDill & Reynolds’ "Catfish John," with guest Dan Tepper on Trumpet. They followed this up with an absolutely stunning "The Maker." Bassist Kevin Kopack laid down a sweet rhythm while Diomede’s solos displayed the same power of subtlety that Jerry Garcia utilized in making this a Deadhead favorite. Tepper came back for Diomede’s original, "One More Time," playing a hypnotically soulful trumpet in the beginning, before Diomede took off on a wild, psychedelic solo that teased "Dueling Banjos" and climaxed in a hair raising crescendo between Diomede, Kopack, and rhythm guitarist Tim Morris. Morris then piloted a crowd-pleasing cover of Solomon Burke’s "Everybody Needs Somebody," sung over the melody of "Scarlet Begonias." The set ended with an excellent cover of the gospel classic "Sisters & Brothers," giving the already primed audience some cool down time before the next artist.

Derek Trucks kept the already fever-pitched energy of the crowd alive with an exhilarating set that ran the gamut from traditional blues and soul to progressive bop, funk, and reggae. Throughout the show, his band helped prove Trucks not only to be an accomplished axe-master, but an excellent bandleader with a keen ear for quality performers as well. On songs like "Yield Not," "For My Brother," and "Use Me," Javier Colon sang with a soul and mastery of range that wonderfully complimented Trucks’ fretwork note for note. In an era of pop vocals that veer toward the depressed or angry, it’s particularly refreshing to hear a singer that sounds like he’s having fun on stage. Kofi Burbridge played keyboards superbly throughout the night, but really amazed the crowd with his flute playing on "Yield Not" and Curtis Ousley’s "Soul Serenade." To the already bluesy and soulful mix, Burbridge brought a much-welcomed free jazz sensibility.

In perhaps the most bizarre moment of the evening, drummer Yonrico Scott called on to stage an Elvis impersonator complete with pompadour, aviator glasses, bellbottoms, and cape. While the band played "Don’t Be Cruel", Elvis twirled and karate chopped in the direction of each musician as Scott introduced them by name. Scott also took the opportunity to congratulate bassist Todd Smallie on his impending nuptuals. (April 22nd)

On each song, the spotlight-shy Trucks spoke volumes with his guitar. Rather than copying the usual heroes – Hendrix, Vaughan – he draws upon the influence of his forbears while finding his own voice; one that contrasts sharply with the standard classic rock sound of his uncle’s band. Yes, there is the slide, which Trucks used to make tunes like "Turn on Your Lovelight" and "Ain’t That Lovin’ You" weep, moan, and whistle with added fervency. Some of the best surprises of the night, however, came when he took off his slide and interpreted several jazz standards in a manner that would make Wes and Charlie proud. Of particular delight was a dead-on cover of Dexter Gordon’s "Cheese Cake", wherein Trucks played note for note the sax legend’s melodies on his Washburn. The familiar opening notes were likely lost at first on the crowd, but the smiles and raised eyebrows that soon followed confirmed Trucks ability to turn new audiences on to old favorites while putting a contemporary spin on them.

Much has been made of Trucks’ so-called lack of stage presence, and indeed it seemed at times that Trucks was looking through the crowd rather than at them. If visual distance is the price to pay for a set like Saturday’s though, it’s an affordable one at that. My guess is that long after the Jonnys and Kenny Waynes of the world retire to the oldies circuit, Mr. Trucks will still be in the studio and on the road, pushing the envelope and taking contemporary American music in new and satisfying directions.

An Evening with Reid Genauer

By Ann Collette

In a little café on the east side of Ithaca, NY, eighty-five people, some who weathered ten hour journeys, gathered for an intimate evening with an old friend. The venue itself set the tone for this most memorable event. The ABC Café, a vegetarian restaurant and music haven, located at 308 Stewart Ave., was the scene of a stellar performance given by Reid Genauer, singer/songwriter and former lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the ever popular Strangefolk.

After Genauer left the band last fall to pursue other interests, his fans languished in remorse waiting and hoping for the announcement of a solo date. On March 3rd, their long awaited hopes became a reality as Genauer sang his heart out at the sold out performance. After a much-needed break from a life on tour, an energized and refreshed Genauer was back in the spot light and never looked happier. With his guitar strapped in front of him, this storyteller sang tales both old and new to a group of exhilarated fans who hung on his every word.

Twenty-eight songs in two and half hours, Genauer tore through a myriad of intense tunes, taking the audience on a roller coaster ride of emotions. "Things That Fly" brought tears to a few eyes, while "Dance!" and "Side Step" blew the roof off the place and brought people to their feet. The evening was a reunion of sorts for Genauer fans who reminisced as Reid delivered classic versions of yesteryear songs like "Poland", "Woman Child", "Westerly", "Pooh Bear", "Valhalla" and "Rachael".

The scope of the set list featured a musical repertoire that clearly defines Genauer as one of today's most creative, inspirational and talented singer/songwriters. Encompassing an already hefty set list was the addition of "Borrowed Feet", a new addition to the classic creations crafted by Genauer.

When all was said and done, eighty-five glowing Genauer fans were treated to an evening they will not soon forget. With a standing ovation from a jubilant crowd, smiles abound as Reid took a humble bow and said farewell for the evening.

Is Reid Genauer back? This Genauer fan now knows that he never really left, and while his band of trusty followers are preparing for his next solo gig scheduled for March 31st at the OPL in Syracuse, one can only hope that this is the beginning of something wonderful.

Buddy Miles & Ray Manzarek
Tobacco Road, Hell’s Kitchen, NYC

By Suzie Creamcheeze I was going to drop off some flyers and meet John & Dave Sheeran, the owner of Tobacco Road located between 8th & 9th on W. 41st. I wasn’t even there for 5 min and Stanley Jordan pokes his head in the door asks Dave something and then heads back out. I though that was weird; but then these guys push a wheelchair through the door and to my surprise it’s Buddy Miles asking if he could do a couple of songs with his friend. Thinking that was the coolest I look at his friend and it’s Ray Manzarek of the Doors. Now I am staying for this set.

Buddy got up on guitar and played “Born Under A Bad Sign” then Ray Manzarek jumped up on keys for 3 more jam songs. The 5th song Buddy got up and played an instrumental on drums with Ray. The finale was a rippin’ version of “Hey Joe” with some keyboard parts that surely paid homage to Buddy’s old friend and guitar god Jimi Hendrix.

Tobacco Road is becoming one of those NYC clubs that you see famous bands & members drop by after their NYC shows that night. Dave has owned plenty of bars in NYC and this one is his prize establishment. The coolest logo, a psychedelic mushroom with the name Tobacco Road spelt in it is evidence this is the place for hip people. You never know who you’ll see. After the Blue Floyd show the pianist Johnny Neal stopped by to party with Dave and some of the bar regulars. I’ve seen members of bands come in here with their instruments and sit in with the band of the evening. Joe Boris from One-Eyed jack is a regular, bringing his mandolin in here to play with everyone on stage and even after hours with Sunday's Open Jam Guitarist, Landon. Hot Tuna guitarist Mike Falzarano has sat in numerous jams and is know to play solo on occasion.

Dave said it’s all in the vibe. The place has always been a pocket for Jazz cats in the “day’s of old” stopping by and sittin’ in with greats such as Charlie Parker and Dizzie. Now, it’s the new generation on Rock & Groove bands.

Come down for Tobacco Roads for plenty of fine shows in the days to come. Check out the web site for more dates and bands http://www.tobaccord.com/