Tag: jimmy herring

Fusion Lives with John Mclaughlin and Jimmy Herring at The Egg

“FUSION LIVES!” This was the mantra repeated by an enthused patron during breaks between songs at The Egg on Thursday, November 2nd. Few would disagree with her this evening, one that included the legendary and inspired sounds of Mahavishnu Orchestra great John McLaughlin and the 4th Dimension, with Jimmy Herring and the Invisible Whip opening the night on the Meeting of the Spirits Tour.

Herring’s new group includes former Aquarium Rescue Unit bandmate Jeff Sipe on drums, Matt Slocum on B3 organ and clavinet, Kevin Scott on bass and Jason Crosby on keyboards and violin – and they were just the opening act. Groovy funk lines from Scott laid the foundation for flowing instrumentals, with hints of the Flecktones heard in spots throughout the set. Crosby and Slocum blended together perfectly, and Sipe sat masterfully behind the kit. “Les Brers in A Minor” was a delight to all, nodding to Herring’s time with Allman Brothers Band and respect to the late Gregg Allman.

As John McLaughlin took the stage with the 4th Dimension, the audience was ecstatic, with chirps of excitement coming out of the crowd in a raucous ovation. This being McLaughlin’s final tour, he played little new material, “El Hombre Que Sabia” in tribute to Paco Lucia, and made the music of Mahavishnu Orchestra come alive once again.

There were instances where the foursome onstage – Mclaughlin, Gary Husband (drums/vocals), Etienne Mbappe (bass) and Ranjit Barot (percussion) – sounded like they were recreating Frank Zappa songs, but with fewer personnel needed to build compositions to a frenzied state before returning to earth. Mbappe’s tone on bass was like an Altoid – curious strong, for he was wearing gloves the entire night. Jazz musicians gonna jazz I guess. Husband’s vocal effects on the kit and his superb double team with Barot (and later, with Sipe) drove the set towards a triumphant close.

The Invisible Whip joined the 4th Dimension for Mahavishnu Orchestra compositions, and altogether with nine musicians on stage, Jimmy’s jazz rock and John’s jazz fusion took alternating turns leading the way, with McLaughlin stepping to the side at times to let Jimmy and the rest do their thing. When McLaughlin broke out the two-necked guitar, the audience was captivated. When he wailed on the whammy bar of his Paul Reed Smith ‘PRS,’ it created a most unique and melodic tone, not a wank on a note for show. Combined together, these two legendary guitarists, John Mclaughlin and Jimmy Herring, along with two powerhouse drummers, brought to mind influences that could be found among the music of Col. Bruce Hampton and Aquarium Rescue Unit, Phish, Frank Zappa, and all the rest who take a ride on the spacious musical journey that is improvisation.

November 5, 2017
John McLaughlin Kicks Off Meeting of the Spirits Tour in Buffalo with Jimmy Herring

Jimmy Herring and the Invisible Whip struck the match. John McLaughlin and the Fourth Dimension fanned the flames. Together, using material from a 45 year old band, McLaughlin’s Mahavishnu Orchestra, they built a blazing fire inside the University at Buffalo Center for the Arts Wednesday night on the Meeting of the Spirits Tour.

It was the first night of a fusion guitar lover’s dream tour, dubbed The Meeting of the Spirits. It will be the last ever North American visit for the legendary British septuagenarian guitarist.

The opening set from Jimmy Herring’s new solo outfit, was anything but your typical opening set. The seats in the theater were full and the crowd was at full attention from the first notes. Herring showcased his talents in restrained spurts, masterfully directing his bandmates through 50 minutes of exhilarating instrumental fantasies. His crack squad of Jeff Sipe, Jason Crosby, Matt Slocum and Kevin Scott were with him every step of the way through a seven-song set including “1911” and “Jungle Book.” Their mid-set rendition of “Les Brers in A Minor” made clear that it was a jazz fusion tune hiding out in a Southern rock band all along.

McLaughlin’s Fourth Dimension is another band brimming with talent. Bassist Etienne Mbappe, drummer Ranjit Barot and keyboardist/drummer Gary Husband all had ample space to showcase their talents throughout the set. Masterful bass solos were met with drum solos complete with mind-boggling scat drumming. Husband made the synthesizer a chameleon, realigning the sound continuously. “Kiki” and “Miles Beyond” gave way to more mellow material like “Gaza City” and “El Hombre Que Sabia,” a tune McLaughlin meant to record with Paco Delucia before he passed away, which now he plays as an homage. He wandered the wide-open stage as he played, effortlessly creating guitar sounds that were impossibly perfect at impossible speeds. As their set ended, McLaughlin was ready to keep it going, calling for Herring and band to come out. Call it a first night mix-up, apparently there would need to be a quick break.

For the third set both bands combined to form a 9-man fusion supergroup. This was headphone music and luckily the theater’s acoustics were up to the challenge. The sound was impeccable. And the playing was too. Double drummers, double bassists, double keys, and McLaughlin pulled out the double-neck guitar to boot. Somehow as the band doubled in size it only grew tighter. McLaughlin played facing the band for most of the set, not only lead-guitarist but musical director, steering the monster band through a selection of classic Mahavishnu Orchestra tunes. “Meeting of the Spirits,” “Trilogy,” “The Dance of Maya,” not quite as fresh and vital as they were 40 years ago, but still powerful and invigorating. The maestro was in and the class was in session. “Eternity’s Breath” showcased the intensity of a band where every member is a secret weapon. Though perhaps they were most impressive on the mellower “Earth’s Ship,” as the bassists weaved lines around each other and the rest of member’s distinct sounds were teased apart gently to beautiful effect. The inner mounting flame was burning, unfortunately it couldn’t be eternal.

Leaving a Buffalo stage for the last time, McLaughlin said his final goodbye to the city with a quote from the Eagles, of all things, “We may lose and we may win though, we will never be here again.”

Take it easy, John.

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November 3, 2017
Granddaddy of the Jam Scene, Col. Bruce Hampton, Dies While Passing the Torch in Atlanta

Col. Bruce Hampton (born Gustav Valentine Berglund III) collapsed onstage at a celebration of his 70th birthday at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta May 1. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported his death hours after Hampton was rushed to the hospital by ambulance.

Photo: Melissa Ruggieri/Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Hampton turned 70 on April 30 and was taking part in an all-star salute to him at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre on May 1. He collapsed during an encore performance of “Turn on Your Love Light.” Hampton sang while encouraging 14 year-old guitarist Brandon Niederauer to take a solo. It was during this solo that Hampton collapsed onto an amplifier. Many witnesses to the scene thought it was a ruse. Those thoughts changed to concern as he was rushed off the stage to a waiting ambulance.

The Colonel’s guest list for the four hour long show exhibited the true multi-generational impact he had on the Atlanta music scene. Joining him onstage for the tribute event were: Warren Haynes, Phish’s Jon Fishman, Drivin’ n Cryin’s Kevn Kinney, R.E.M.’s Peter Buck, John Bell, Dave Schools, Duane Trucks and Jimmy Herring of Widespread Panic, Blues Traveler’s John Popper, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Oliver Wood, Karl Denson, Chuck Leavell, Billy Bob Thornton and major league pitcher Jake Peavy.

Born in Knoxville, TN in 1947, Hampton founded the avant-jazz Hampton Grease Band in Atlanta, recording the 1971 album Music to Eat for Columbia Records. This album garnered the title, “Second worst selling record in Columbia history” upon its release, but in a retrospective review of the reissue, The Vinyl District describes the album as:

The fertile zone where the Mothers of Invention and Captain Beefheart’s Magic Band intersected with the outbound psychedelia of The Grateful Dead and the sturdy blues-rock of The Allman Brothers, as a huge dollop of surrealist humor was slathered over the entire mess. Simply put, Music to Eat is an amazing document.

Hampton went on to form what would become his most well known band, the Aquarium Rescue Unit, featuring Oteil Burbridge, Jimmy Herring, Rev. Jeff Mosier, Matt Mundy and Jeff Sipe, all prominent members of the early jam community. From there, he joined forces with Bell, Popper, Eric Schenkman of the Spin Doctors and all four members of Phish to put together the H.O.R.D.E. Tour in 1992. Inspired by Perry Farrell’s alternative traveling festival Lollapalooza, H.O.R.D.E. outlasted Lollapalooza and in its wake, inspired the second wave of improvisational jambands.

Aside from his musical hi-jinks, Col. Bruce Hampton also had a role alongside Billy Bob Thornton in the 1996 movie Sling Blade, was the subject of the 2012 documentary Basically Frightened: The Musical Madness of Col. Bruce Hampton, Ret. and also appeared in the 2014 Run the Jewels video for “Blockbuster Night, Pt. 1.” He also starred in Mike Gordon of Phish’s first feature length film Outside Out in 2001 as a guitar “out”-structor and as the voice of Space Ghost’s mentor, a potted shrub, in a 1998 episode of Space Ghost Coast to Coast entitled “Warren.”

Hampton lived his life outside the lines, influencing generations of musicians. He went out exactly the way he should have, performing an encore of “Turn on Your Love Light” among several generations of those he influenced, passing the torch to a young guitarist who will always have Hampton in his life.

May 2, 2017