I started out the evening being way too late on the scene to get into the 6:00 pm Jane Monheit show. The person working at the door of Kilbourn told me the room was SRO and closed. I wondered if the people still waiting in the alley had any idea they were waiting for nothing. Unless they were planning on standing there until the 10:00 show . . . That's one that I'm really sorry I missed, but I heard that she does come to town every once in a while. I'll have to catch her next time.
So I ended up loitering over near Max of Eastman Place scanning the show listings for what to do while I waited for Joe. As I was standing there, an former neighbor/friend showed up with his pals, Skip, Paul and Phyllis. We headed into Max's for the 6:00 pm show - Brazilian singer Joyce Silveira Moreno. Said a quick hello to Kevin Hart in the bar and a quick goodbye to Rich Russell on my way out about 6:30. Since we were in the bar, we couldn't really hear too well, but what I did hear sounded like enjoyable dinner music. The group sitting and listening to her seemed entranced.
We wandered out of there and down to the East Avenue and Chestnut stage for the 7:00 show of Nils Landgren's Funk Unit. I had heard a couple of their tunes last night, and they were fun and funky. So, I was looking forward to seeing them again. They were introduced, they came onto the stage, said hello, and the sound for the keyboards was messed up. So, after dilly-dallying for a moment, they left the stage to wait while things got fixed. It was taking a while, and Nils Landgren came back out and entertained us solo with his red trombone. First he played the whole trombone, then he took off the bell, and played what was left. Then he played just the slide piece, then the mouth piece and then just made noise with his mouth. It was all surprisingly good, and it took up just enough time to get the keyboard amplification problem solved.
Then, the Unit, as a whole, took the stage and funked out! The crowd was dancing from the first note. Joe arrived on the scene, and he thought the group was really good. The crowd obviously loved the funky vibe - our very own PTF should be playing out more - people want this stuff. It's a feel-good dance groove that makes people happy.
We had to leave to grab iced tea and a "health" cookie at Java's on our way to see Jeff Beck's 8:00 show at the Eastman. We cut it so close that I needed to find the ladies room as soon as we'd been seated, and by the time I came back, Jeff Beck was into his first tune. Knowing nothing about Jeff Beck, I was expecting a sort of Pat Metheny meets Allan Holdsworth kind of thing, not the rock concert that this show was.
Jeff Beck is such a huge talent, Narada Michael Walden (drums) was killing, Jason Rebello (keys) was excellent, but I was totally blown away by Rhonda Smith, the bassist. Now you know I love my Victor Wooten, and I saw the SMV Thunder Tour last year (Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller and Victor), which was absolutely phenomenal and one of my favorite shows of all time. But I've got to tell you, Rhonda Smith could hold her own with those guys - technically and soulfully - and she does it in stilettos. And, guys, I've got to tell you, that says a lot. She was an awesome player, she had a great singing voice, she could totally rock out, and she was wearing killer shoes. She's my hero.
After that, we wandered about a little bit on Jazz Street, caught a few tunes by Djabe, ran into my new friend - photographer, musician, music scholar and more, Gerry Szymanski, then ran into my jazz blogger friend, Greg Bell, got ice cream and then headed for home on a funky, rocked-out vibe.
Looking forward to The Lawnmowers and Tinted Image tonight - both free shows by excellent local musicians. I might try to catch Ibrahim Electric at the Montage depending on weather and other factors. If my daughter comes down, we'll see Smashmouth after the other two free shows.
Enjoy the last night of the 2010 Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival - the best yet, IMHO.
yours in music,
Tracy
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment