On Sunday, August 25, Beau Fleuve Music & Arts Festival hosted their third annual festival at Silo City in Buffalo. The one day event, an “Ultimate Sunday Funday,” lived up to its name and featured more than 30 performances of all genres of music, as well as art installations, a silent disco, vendors village, beer and wine garden and much more.
The big takeaway from the festival was the diversity of the event. Artists and performers included Curtis Lovell, Miller & the Other Sinners, DJ Magic, The Sofa Kingz, Heather Russell and many more. From the music to the art, those that attended were of all ages, walks of life, backgrounds and nationalities and enjoyed a care free day with the historic Buffalo Backdrop of the Silos.
Check out the festival recap video below, and a photo gallery from the festival here.
A great movie can act as a time capsule, documenting a specific era in time to relive, revisit and enjoy in the days to come, and that’s essentially what Turkuaz did in late 2018 while filming a live performance, which was promised to be released as a film at a later date.
“None’s A Ton is our first time truly capturing the Turkuaz show experience in a live concert film,” shares Turkuaz frontman, Dave Brandwein, who also co-directed and is credited as an Executive Producer on the film. “It’s something we’ve dreamed of doing for a long time and finally, it has arrived. This film is sort of a ‘best of’ of our favorite moments that have developed on stage over the last five years of non-stop, coast-to-coast touring.”
On Tuesday, September 10th and for one night only, Turkuaz will screen their feature film debut, None’s A Ton, in their hometown of Brooklyn, NY at Prospect Park’s Nitehawk Cinema.
“We feel it’s the next best thing to being at a Turkuaz show (and maybe, it’s even better if you have your feet up with a bowl of popcorn!),” adds Brandwein. “We want you to feel the raw energy, the sweat and the excitement, but from the comfort of your own home, smartphone, or however, you choose to enjoy it.”
For this very special film debut, fans are invited to join members of Turkuaz and the film’s co-director and Executive Producer, Dani Brandwein, for the screening premiere of None’s A Ton over dinner at the lovely Nitehawk Cinema located in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. Directly after the film premiere, fans have the opportunity to participate in a Q & A session with band members and the film’s directors.
For an elevated experience and a chance to score some exclusive merch, fans can upgrade to VIP for a meet & greet opportunity, photo with the band and a signed movie poster, in addition to the above offerings. VIP ticket holders must also purchase a GA ticket.
GA tickets and VIP upgrades for the None’s A Ton premiere are .
Turkuaz Fall Tour Dates
9/10 – Brooklyn, NY – Nitehawk Cinema Park Slope !
9/20 & 9/21 – Perris, CA – Same Same But Different Festival
9/20 – 9/22 – Felton, CA – Mountain Sol Fest
9/29 & 9/30 – Tokyo, Japan – Blue Note Tokyo
10/4 – 10/6 – Kings Beach, Australia – Caloundra Music Festival
10/11 – Atlanta, GA – Terminal West *
10/12 – Mills River, NC – Sierra Nevada Concert Series
10/13 – Pittsburgh, PA – Rex Theater ^
10/19 – Washington, DC – Night At the Point
10/20 – Corolla, NC – Mustang Rock & Roast
10/31 – Toronto, ON – Velvet Underground * 11/1 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom * 11/2 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Putnam Place
12/5 – Fairfield, CT – Warehouse ~
12/6 – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of The Living Arts ~
12/7 – Salem, VA – Salem Civic Center %
12/12 – Kalamazoo, MI – Bells Brewery #
12/13 – Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue Theater #
12/14 – Nashville, TN – Exit / In #
12/31 – Boulder, CO – Boulder Theater$
1/7 – 1/12 – Miami, FL – Jam Cruise
* w/ Wild Adriatic
^ w/ Andy Frasco
~ w/ Great Time
! notes None’s A Ton Film Premiere
% w/ The Isley Brothers
# w/ Paris Monster
The two-day music and arts event, Adirondack Music Festival, returned to Lake George this past weekend for its fifth year in a row. Held once again on the serene LG section that is Charles R. Park, this year’s ADK Fest felt like the most well-received and celebrated yet, as many attendees seemed to vocally attest. If you were in attendance this weekend, you most likely at some point overheard someone discovering the festival for its special charm. Something along the lines of: “I can’t believe how nice this festival this is” and “Well, I am definitely coming back next year.”
As with every year since its start, ADK Fest opted for a classic setup with two main stages of music, set side by side—the style adopted by big-time events like Gathering of the Vibes and the first few years of LOCKN’. This format, which has bands perform back to back without delays, kept the energy on the field, and white hot, from early morning through sunset, as well as kept collective excitement packed into one shifting, intimate crowd.
A number of recently highly popular musical acts made their debut at ADK Fest. Midnight North, for starters, features members of The Terrapin Family Band and have been a hot ticket over the last year or so. Dead-relation aisde, Midnight North is its own beautiful creation, an americana powerhouse of band that displays a strong breadth of songwriting through dynamic, soulful musicianship. Members of this band were well connected within this music scene from the west coast and sat-in with many other artists as well.
Other buzz-generating artists performing at ADK for the first time ever were artists like The People’s Blues of Richmond, Marco Benevento, and G. Love and Special Sauce. People’s Blues, PBR for short, surely must have unexpectedly knocked a number of ADK patrons out of their musical comfort zone with their fearlessly-intense style of garage-punk blues. But the trio’s ceaseless, air-tight musicianship won many fans over as well. Marco Benevento’s own power-trio took the main stage just a few hours after them and wielded their own no-holds-barred mash of indie-pop, funk, and glam rock.
It felt strange to see G. Love perform a midday set at three in the afternoon -here was an artist, after all, that surfed high through the 2000’s on a number of big hits, but he was a highly received set nonetheless. In addition to a solo acoustic intro, the guitarist and hip-hop-inspired vocalist careened the edge of the stage above a swath of outward hands and starry-eyed expressions. G. Love’s collaboration with Twiddle frontman, Mihali Savoulidis, saw the two trading vocals for guitar riffs on a version of Hall and Oates’ “I Can’t Go For That,” which was much better than the “What I Got” that happened between the two in Twiddle’s headlining show later.
ADK Fest Day 1: G. Love and Mihali cover Hall and Oates. Photo: James Sullivan
Yet the four man dance-ready jamband, Twiddle, still performed a huge couple of sets to close out Saturday evening, to an elated audience that swamped the park’s concert area all the way to the vendors in the back. Highlights of their two closing sets were a guitar-shredding collaboration with Midnight North frontman, Graham Lesh, on their original “Subconcious Prelude” and then the foursome’s searing finish on “The Box.”
Another artist who met the crowd with a freewheeling sense of stage presence was the northeast jam scene’s golden girl, Hayley Jane. Fronting her band, The Primates, for a midday Sunday set, Jane sang face-to-face with a rail-climbing mass of highly excited young women. Hayley and The Primates as a unit announced their decision earlier this year to go on hiatus. This set at ADK Fest was undoubtedly an emotional one for many, despite the fact that Hayley, in her true style, beamed with smiles and soul through her own set. The joy transcended others that she guested on stage such as with polyrhythmic dub-rock band, Bartika, and then Jane sat in with Everyone Orchestra’s set a bit, after her own.
In a very special move, Adirondack Music Festival booked an Everyone Orchestra set for its day two second-to-headlining spot. EO shows are, of course, completely improvisational from start to finish and are always performed by a mix of artists from different bands. Lake George’s set was pretty substantially stacked for its members. Solo artists Haley Jane and Ryan Montbleau handled lead vocals (with the latter also offering some nice guitar solos here and there), while Deep Banana Blackout’s, Fuzz Giovanni, handled lead guitar work.
Saxaphone legend Sam Kinninger was a secret weapon here, shining up the band’s various types of funk and rock jams with amazing melodic work. Kinniger and the rest played beside a hefty rhythm section that included moe.’s Vinnie Amico on drums, TAB’s Tony Markelis on bass and Steve Moltiz on keys. Highlights here were a belly-laugh inducing, reggae-tinged sing-along about golf pirates. Super creative vocals led by Ryan Montbleau followed with an extremely moving, soul inspired jam which Everyone Orchestra impresario, Matt Butler, built a vocal tribute to the recently passed Neal Casal.
ADK Fest Day 2: Everyone Orchestra Pays Tribute to the late Neal Casal. PC: Miles Hurley
While some roll their eyes at cover bands, Pink Talking Fish works extra hard and thinks creatively to stand out from the ever-growing pack. The quartet began their set with a great surprise in The Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage,” which Phish has covered on rare occasion. In a climax to their set, PTF reprised a bit of the magic from their Junta album extravaganza at The Capitol Theatre earlier this year, which had Pigeons Playing Ping Pong’s Greg Ormont act as Master of Ceremonies. Here at ADK Fest, PTF began with a beautiful segue-sandwich from “You Enjoy Myself” to Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” and back. Upon returning to the Phish hit, Ormont joined the band mid-song, to first engage in some trampoline-style jumping with bassist, Eric Gould, and new guitarist Cal Kehoe. They finished with a very kooky vocal jam.
It was another strong move to have Pigeons Playing Ping Pong return to close the festival Sunday evening, just as they did last year. These four jam-funk players having seen a truly meteoric rise recently (they will be headlining Explore Asheville this coming December). A few highlights for their near-explosive set included an electronically charged collaboration with Steve Moltiz on their own tune, “Live it Up,” and a very colorful jam on Deee-Lite’s “Groove Is In The Heart.”
Major music events in Lake George, NY like Adirondack Music Fest often share in a little community-favorited crown jewel—a post festivities top-off at local music hub, King Neptune’s Pub. Being a time-tested spot for upstate bands to play, King Neptune’s always sees great crowds, but then really turns out when late night performances go down.
For Saturday night’s musical extend, nearby favorites, Funktional Flow from Buffalo, and New Haven, CT’s, Eggy, offered a proper finish to a full first day of music. Eggy, coming from the fertile music scene in New Haven, made a grand introduction for themselves in this venue, and they rocked the opportunity big time. The groove rock four-piece blasted their way through intense versions of originals like “Shadow” and “One More Dance,” along with improvisationally-heavy takes on covers like Traffic’s “Low-Spark of High-Heeled Boys.” For a set-topper, Eggy invited Midnight North keyboardist, Alex Jordan, for a blissful and high-powered take on the band’s “Buying Time.”
ADK Fest Day 1: Eggy rocks late night w/ Special Guest Alex Jordan. PC: Miles Hurley
While night one’s crowd was impressive, festival buzz Sunday afternoon must have spread like wildfire to make late night two’s crowd even more massive and energetic, for Neptune’s at the tail end of the weekend was nearly flooding out the door. After Sunday night’s originally scheduled openers, psychedelic funk outfit The New Motif, had to cancel their slot and the evening switched around to second act, Annie In The Water, opening before a festival-family superjam close out.
Annie in The Water thus kicked off with a very uplifting display of original music, with some cover hits thrown in for good measure. A presentation of styles ranging all the way from folk rock to reggae to even some hip-hop was connected via strong, confident solos and endearing vocals. Members of Lucid, Magic Beans, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong coalesced into one family-type super jam set, for a final set at Adirondack Music Festival, that seemed to represent everything this dynamic music scene is about. At one point in this performance free-for-all, three keyboardists—Magic Beans’ Scott Hatchey, former Formula 5’s Matt Richards, and PTF’s Richard James—hammered away on one rig at the same time, for a spectacle that was also technically impressive.
As with any festival, there’s more musical experiences than can be reported on. From piano wizard Marco Benevento and his trio debuting material from their new record (Let it Slide), to upstate jam favorites Lucid commanding the main stage mid-Saturday as they do with fervor every year, ADK Fest’s fifth year was artistically overflowing. All of this top-notch live music was met resolutely throughout the weekend with a positive and welcoming vibe, upheld via a sense of strong community and creativity. For mid-size festivals Adirondack Music Festival is one of the best you can experience in the ever-musically-fertile land of upstate NY—yet here’s to a steady growth from mid-size to who knows how big.
Check out a gallery of images of Adirondack Music Festival 2019 below, courtesy of photographer James Sullivan.
Every third Thursday of the month, starting September 19, Buffalo is going to be getting funky at MFDF Funk Nights at Nietzche’s, presented by NYS Music.
Guitarist Matt Fantini of Space Junk and keyboardist Donny Frauenhofer of Intrepid Travelers, DF3, & THE TRUTH will be your hosts, bringing in a rotating cast of local, regional, and national artists each month for a night of improvised heavy funk. This month will feature John Fohl from Intrepid Travelers/Big Martha on drums, James Benders from grüvology/DF3 on bass, and Ellen Pieroni from Folkfaces/THE TRUTH on saxophone.
Admission is $5 at the door, and the events are 21and over unless accompanied by a guardian. Upcoming dates for MFDF Funk Night are Sept. 19, Oct. 17, Nov. 21 and Dec. 19.
Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds have announced a final stint of shows before lead singer Arleigh Kincheloe embarks on maternity leave, with a second baby on the way, due in October. But that has not stopped her from holding true to the nitty-gritty Dirty Bird funk that goes down each and every time the band hits the stage.
The Dirty Birds had just performed a free show at Athens Riverfront Park in Athens, NY. For the last three dates fans will flock to Chattanooga, TN; Jersey City, NJ and a final cap at Brooklyn Bowl on September 14.
Kincheloe told NYS in a phone interview how it is just time to take a break from the road, rightfully so. However the front-woman stuck out the entirety of her pregnancy touring on the road, where as she did not with her first child. Despite the reactions by some fans, mothers especially, this is a true gift, taking the bands family ties to a second generation. Kincheloe is nothing short of grateful and glowing to be moving around stage with her child. Spiritually, and quite literally, Kincheloe feels her newborn-to-be on stage with her, making for a unique and special run of final shows.
Arleigh, rocking out with her newborn-to-be in Athens, last Friday.
Touring vigorously with Kincheloe’s latest realise Gold, the band spent the latter half of 2018 and early 2019 on the road selling out venues, including the accliamed Levon Helm Studios. Gold was produced and co-written in collaboration with Carter Matschullat (Chef’Special, Secret Weapons) at Brooklyn’s DØØM Studio, and made NYS Music’s Best Album of the Year in 2018, below.
The glimmer of Gold has caught our eyes. The overanxious wait for another Dirty Bird release had us on edge. In the past three years we have been deprived of the nitty-gritty funk powerhouse and soulful horn section that is Sister Sparrow & The Dirty Birds. While Gold is everything we want, this record is a spotlight on the undeniable front-woman Arleigh Kincheloe, a.k.a Sister Sparrow. This razors edge has captivated fans – a blend between modern-pop shimmer, electronic accents and that Dirty Bird flare.
NYC has waited for a Rowdytown. We finally got one last Friday as Big Gigantic’s Rowdytown New York 3D descended into the Brooklyn Mirage to a sold out crowd. Hippie Sabotage, Shallou, Louis Futon and ilo ilo were the supporting artists at this high-energy EDM event. The industrial views of Manhattan from the venue combined with the onstage sensory odyssey made for a crazy night of music.
Ashe sings with Big Gigantic
Ilo ilo started off the evening. Little is known about this enigmatic duo, though recently they took Louis the Child on a scavenger hunt through New York City to release the track “come thru.” Their eclectic mix of electro-pop and bass distortion really got the crowd going.
ilo ilo
Los Angeles-based Louis Futon brought his exciting mix of electronic hip hop, r&b and soul to the stage next. He was joined by Hailey Niswanger (flute, saxophone), Jawann Blanchey (drums) and Ariel Shrumpet (trumpet), with Blanchey on stage the entire time. His blend of fresh beats, organic instruments and clever visual displays was particularly tasty.
Louis Futon
Shallou, also from Los Angeles, kept the party going with delicious ambient and house melodies. The venue was almost full to capacity at this point, and the crowd was really digging Shallou’s visual production.
Shallou
Big Gigantic took the stage to a roaring crowd wearing 3D glasses. The band members include Dominic Lalli (saxophone/producer) and Jeremy Salken (drums). Behind the band sat a huge LED screen with vibrant 3D imagery that coordinated with the lights on stage and at high points in the venue. Big Gigantic played new hits and old favorites, starting with songs like “Touch the Sky” and “C’mon.” Halfway through the set, singer Ashe joined the band on stage for their recent collaboration, “Friends.”
Big Gigantic’s Dominic Lalli and Jeremy Salken
Sacramento, California’s Hippie Sabotage provided even more high energy as the late night entertainment after Big Gigantic’s monster set. This indie electro duo isn’t afraid of late nights, as they started at 2:20 a.m. and blazed into the night.
NYC is still reeling from our first Rowdytown 3D party. The outdoor festival feel was well executed, bands were on point, and the venue was perfect for the occasion. NYC looks forward to the next one.
To paraphrase the Downchild Blues Band, the 2019 Chenango Blues Festival had everything you need, almost. The lone exception was a few bouts of rain and lightning. Even then, the staff anticipated the weather, advised festival-goers, revised the schedule, kept things rolling with minimal interruptions, and were rewarded with a spectacular rainbow once the rain subsided.
Norwich’s native son, Brian Golden, kicked things off on the main stage. Golden has a long history of playing in Syracuse-area bands before eventually moving to Nashville, where he met his wife and band mate, Aletha. The Brian Golden Blues Experiment encompasses his interest in blues, but also makes room for Aletha Golden’s powerful voice on soul/R&B/gospel-styled songs, which included a powerful cover of “I Shall Be Released.” More information is available here.
Up
next on the main stage was a returning crowd favorite, Johnny
Sansone. A multi-instrumentalist, Sansone had fans up and dancing
with his energetic accordion playing on zydeco tunes, adding Delta
blues and swamp rock numbers throughout the set.
Johnny Sansone
The tent stage is traditionally where CBF presents emerging solo/duo acts, or artists that might cover different ground than traditional blues. There were a couple of highly anticipated performers there, beginning with Jontavious Willis. At just 23 years old, he has caught the attention of venerable blues men Keb’ Mo’ and Taj Mahal, who combined as Producer and Executive Producer on Willis’ Spectacular Class, released in April of this year and available for purchase here. Willis proved to exceed expectations, showing prowess, showmanship, an easy rapport with the audience, and surprising covers of a roof-raising version of Ray Charles’ “What’d I Say?” and a crowd sing-along on Prince’s “Kiss.” This is an artist not to be missed.
Jontavious Willis
“When I heard him play I said to myself: this is how the blues, as I know it, is going to stay alive. Jontavious Willis is the first blues musician I’ve seen in over 30 years that I would pay to see – and he’s only 20 years old! I’ve seen the best. Jontavious is the real deal.” [Paul Oscher, noted blues musician, and former harmonica player in the Muddy Waters Band]
Multiple Blues Music Award winner and Grammy nominee Danielle Nicole took the stage for an abbreviated set cut short by the first rainfall of the day, which made it impossible for her to continue on the main stage. Still, she displayed the powerful vocals and driving bass guitar that were staples of her debut album Wolf Den and last year’s Grammy nominated Cry No More. Hear her music and check out her tour schedule here.
With rain falling, the infield crowd shoehorned into the tent stage area to see Pokey LaFarge. A performer with a distinct vintage fashion style, LaFarge’s set had elements of ragtime, swing, country, and certainly blues. He was often hilarious and seemed joyous to receive such an enthusiastic response. A highlight was his very recently penned tune, “There’s Always Something to Drink About.” LaFarge commented that he wrote the song a few days prior to the festival, after contemplating his decision to “try” to quit drinking last month.
“…those…storms that rip up the world as you know it, and leave, like a sacrifice, a rainbow to make you forget what has come before.” ― Jodi Picoult, Picture Perfect
While festival staff scrambled to protect equipment and clean up the main stage, it was decided not to wait, but to switch the Downchild Blues Band from the main stage to the tent stage. Frankly, it was a stroke of genius as the legendary band, celebrating their 50th anniversary, was able to replicate the feel of pulsating, crowded Canadian venues they had played for upwards of 250 to 300 shows a year for many of those years. Led by top-notch harmonica player and guitarist Donnie “Mr. Downchild” Walsh, with award-winning vocalist Chuck Jackson, the group played songs from throughout their history, including their famous “Shotgun Blues” and “I’ve Got Everything I Need (Almost),” as well as the high-energy “Mississippi Woman, Mississauga Man” from their 2017 release, Something I’ve Done, which features songs written by five different band members. The band’s impressive history and music can be found here.
Joe Louis Walker had a couple of surprises for fans during his set. Piano player extraordinaire Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne, easily the best-dressed person in attendance, joined what had initially been billed as a trio. Walker is a familiar face to Central New York blues fans, having played in Utica years ago and more recently at Funk N Waffles in Syracuse. He shared stories of the elder blues men that gave him a chance when he was just starting out and paid tribute by playing a song by Earl Zebedee Hooker. The second surprise was when Walker paid it forward by inviting Jontavious Willis to join him. Willis looked elated as he grabbed Walker’s red and black Greco guitar and smiled all throughout his time onstage.
Once
the rain ended and the
rainbow appeared, perennial
blues festival circuit favorite Tab Benoit took to the main stage. A
dynamic guitar player with a distinct vocal style that mixes his
Cajun roots with a whiskey-soaked sound more often heard in country
music, Benoit is an original in a genre that often relies on familiar
forms. A power trio with just Benoit and a rhythm section, the band
had fans crowding up front and singing and dancing along.
Tab Benoit
Closing out the day was Mississippi Heat band leader Pierre Lacocque, an impressive harmonic player and singer in his own right, directing a slightly stripped down touring version of the band, which sometimes features a horn section and multiple guitarists. The band still packed a punch and Lacocque was perfectly willing to share the stage and shine a light on the other performers, including the magnetic Carla Stinson on vocals for several songs and very special guest, Chicago legend Lurrie Bell on guitar and vocals.
Now in its 27th year, the Chenango Blues Festival is revered by fans far and wide. They have a fantastic knack of identifying and presenting emerging artists that create thousands of brand new fans. Valerie June, Ghost Town Blues Band, Davina and the Vagabonds, Southern Avenue, Nikki Hill, and Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton come to mind in just the last few years. They also showcase known crowd pleasers and veteran acts that deserve an appreciative, responsive audience. They treat fans and artists with respect, pay attention to details, and just do things right. It’s a simple formula, but that doesn’t mean it’s simple to do. However, those are exactly the reasons why it is many fans’ favorite festival each and every year.
Woods Fest Music Festival is quickly becoming a “can’t miss” event in Central New York, featuring many of the best emerging and established bands in the region and New England.
The all-day festival also featured a Super Jam to finish the night on the big stage. The jam saw members of Nina’s Brew and The Old Main joining Annie in the Water on stage to finish the festival. Following the outdoor festivities, the music continued inside the lodge until sunrise.
Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe brought their brand of optimistic funk to White Eagle Hall in Jersey City on July 31 for an enthusiastic Wednesday night crowd. With them for an opening set of reggae and saxophone showmanship was DeLa and Steady Rock Easy. DeLa is the saxophone player for Slightly Stoopid, the San Diego reggae outfit with which Karl Denson has recorded and performed with as a sought after horn player himself. And I must say… Karl Denson is a hell of a bandleader!
Seriously, this guy is relentlessly generous. When you share the stage with some of the top-notch talent in the music business, there’s plenty of room to share in the groove.
DeLa and Steady Rock Easy
Pulling from a selection of bouyant reggae beats from his latest studio effort Opening Night, on which Denson is a guest musician, DeLa and Steady Rock Easy provided a straight up and joyful delivery. DeLa’s chops are seasoned, and tasteful, greasing the wheels for the ride Karl Denson and Co. were about to venture on. For the finale of the opening set, DeLa spoke, “If Karl Denson is in the house, we’d like to get him up here…. Oh I guess he is here!” Denson then came out for a collaborative saxophone duo to close out the Steady Rock set.
Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe
The most glaringly obvious thing about Karl Denson is his humility. Tiny Universe is widely regarded as one of the most talented and lively acts on the planet and, in addition to being a founding member of Greyboy Allstars, Denson was tapped by legendary rockers The Rolling Stones in 2014 as their touring saxophone player. In fact, the Stones played Metlife Stadium just one day after this gig. That’s quite a resume’ already, not even counting his impressive list of studio sessions and sit-ins. All of this, suffice to say, is enough to fluff anyone’s ego. Despite that, it seems that Karl Denson keeps a tighter grasp on his own humbleness than he does on his instruments. He grins and dances on stage with a tambourine as much as he fires on all cylinders with his saxophone or flute.
Gnomes and Badgers (out now via Seven Spheres Records) is Karl Denson’s commentary on today’s political atmosphere. A handful of the songs from that album made their way into Wednesday nights set, like “What If You Knew,” “Gossip” and “Can We Trade.” Each track is toe-tapping, no matter the pace, and laced with positivity. It’s uplifting that there is so much music being created right now that is built on optimism as opposed to avoiding hope for the future, given the state of affairs around the world.
Karl Denson shakes the tambourine during “Under My Thumb”
There were also some throwbacks. “New Ammo,” from the album of the same name, is a racer. There’s also the Rolling Stones cover “Under my Thumb,” which abandons the lyrics in favor of harmonized horn lines of the vocal melody instead. Throughout all of it, Denson took a lot of opportunities to point, glance, and shift towards other members of the band as if to say, “You take a solo! Now you take a solo!” Again, hell of a band leader.
The closer, “Time to Pray,” was a fresh reminder that none of us are in a competition. Each member of the Tiny Universe team was shining bright and grinning in delight, reveling in each other’s stamina. The lyrics “Kneelin, kneelin, there is no other way / You think it’s time to win, I think it’s time to pray” gives weight to this idea; it’s not about being right, it’s about sharing in hope for a more positive and optimistic future. A blazing guitar solo, plenty of flute action, an up-tempo beat to drive the dancing festivities, and a huge, rising organ build up drove it all home on a high note.
Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe
Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe is on tour through the end of August and takes on a Fall Tour from September through November.
Setlist via guitarist Dj Williams:
Catching Sparks, Everybody Knows That, Satisfied, Gossip, What If You Knew, Rich Man’s Welfare, I’m Your Biggest Fan, Can We Trade?, Under My Thumb, New Ammo, Time to Pray.
The legendary Herbie Hancock brought his current gang of talented musicians to New York City’s Beacon Theatre last week and delivered a great mix of old and new by the jazz great. Thundercat opened the evening with his unique R&B, jazz-funk flavor and vibrant energy. Hancock then put on an incredible performance to a full house and showed NYC that he has still got it.
Thundercat and Dennis Hamm
Thundercat, aka bassist Stephen Brunner, started the evening off with his band that included Dennis Hamm (keyboards) and Justin Brown (drums). His eclectic songs and talented synergy with the band was evident from the beginning. Thundercat made several dedications, including to the departed Mac Miller and Ras G, as well as to Nintendo Switch lovers (video gamers).
Thundercat and Justin Brown
NEA Jazz Master and 14-time Grammy winner Herbie Hancock’s line up included Vinnie Colaiuta (drums), James Genus (bass), Lionel Loueke (guitar), and Terrace Martin (sax/synthesizer). Hancock showed his deep appreciation for his band by introducing each member individually. Bass player James Genus was announced as the current house bass player for SNL. Drummer Vinnie Colaiuta and jazz guitarist Lionel Loueke were up next for the all-star introductions. Multi-genre instrumentalist and producer Terrace Martin, who according to Hancock has known and worked with Thundercat for years, rounded out this impressive team.
Herbie Hancock
The band began with a feeling of old by starting with a jazz improvisation, followed by the classic “Cantaloupe Island.” The band introductions were up next, followed by the Headhunter’s “Actual Proof.” Flautist and vocalist Elena Ayodele lent her services on the next two songs. Hancock went into new territory with his skills, instruments and musical style, and gave the crowd a healthy serving of his new material. He is no stranger to new directions and this material had a fresh blend of hip-hop, R&B, jazz and funk. It will be exciting to see where Hancock goes with his new vision.
James Genus on the bass.
The band returned for an encore of the fan favorite “Chameleon,” which was teased earlier in the evening. Thundercat joined the party on stage to make this a memorable rendition. All musicians came together at the end for a final bow, which had the audience on their feet cheering. NYC certainly enjoyed the opportunity to catch up with this legendary musician.
