John Scofield & The Piety Street Band - BB King's, NYC 4/5/09
John Scofield & The Piety Street Band - BB King's, NYC 4/5/09
John Scofield, George Porter Jr. & Andy Hess - BB King's, NYC 4/5/09
NY Times: Jazz Guitarist in a Gospel-Soul Catharsis
Groove has always been an essential element for the jazz guitarist John Scofield, expressing itself in ways either subtle or obvious, depending on the setting. “Piety Street” (Emarcy), released last week, falls in the obvious category, with a fortunate twist: it’s Mr. Scofield’s old-time gospel album, recorded in New Orleans with a band drawn mainly from that city’s robust R&B scene. It’s a basic concept, and it makes all kinds of sense.
Scofield Does New Orleans in New York
I caught John Scofield’s show at B.B. King’s in New York last night, in which the vaunted jazz guitarist played in support of his latest CD, Piety Street, which combines New Orleans music, blues, gospel and jazz. Scofield appeared with the band from the CD, which includes multitalented keyboardist/vocalist/guitarist John Cleary, legendary bassist George Porter Jr. (of Meters fame), and drummer Ricky Fataar (Bonnie Raitt, The Beach Boys).
In front of a packed house, Scofield and band came on with little fanfare and no opening act, and played a scintillating hour-and-a-half-plus set. Sco, playing his Ibanez semi-hollowbody into a Vox AC30 (and a ton of pedals) was fluid and skillful throughout, mixing bluesy inflections with his usual jazzy sense of melody and rhythm. He masterly blended in effects such as wah, tremolo, and even a looping pedal to many of his solos and fills.
The band stuck mostly to the material from the new CD, which is mainly reworkings of old gospel standards like “Something’s Got a Hold On Me” (which was a big song for the Reverend James Cleveland) and “Walk with Me.” Lead vocals were provided by the ultra-talented Cleary, whose New Orleans-influenced piano style and organ parts (he used a Nord Electro 73 through a Leslie, which sounded very B3-like) and vocals were stellar throughout.
Porter Jr., and Fataar provided a super-solid foundation as well as background vocals (Porter sang a couple of lead vocals, as well). I wished the drums were a little more prominent in the mix, but the playing was great.
Other highlights included a remake of the Ray Charles number, “I Don’t Need No Doctor” on which Clearly picked up a guitar and showed off his formidable abilities as a lead guitarist; and an old Hank Williams song “Angel of Death,” which Scofield opened with a haunting solo part and later did an amazing solo where he masterly injected counter rhythms. The whole set, which included two encores, was superb, and Scofield and the band appeared to be enjoying themselves immensely.
Throughout his long and prolific career, Scofield has shown no hesitancy to experiment with other musical styles, and he’s done so again here with great success. The band will be touring into May. If you get a chance to go hear them, I highly recommend it. Great songs, great playing, great fun.
Live Review- JOHN SCOFIELD & THE PIETY STREET BAND
John Scofield and His Piety Street Band played to an almost full house last night at NYC's B.B. King's, and the performance was every bit as inspiring as the fantastic new record which was released this past week. (my review is HERE)
The band, New Orleans' keyboard player Jon Cleary, the legendary George Porter Jr. on bass and the criminally underrated Ricky Fataar on drums, along with Scofield, kept the revival mood consistent, with a repertoire that drew mostly from the new record's old time gospel selection.
Songs like "Motherless Child," "His Eye Is On The Sparrow," and "I'll Fly Away" while familiar by title and lyrics, bore little resemblance musically to the tunes we've been hearing for ages. The band's arrangements were almost swinging, yet the gospel groove, thanks to Mr. Porter, was never lost.
Everyone on stage seemed to be having fun with the opportunity to just play, especially Scofield, whose soloing on the record is kept to a minimum. One highlight was the Dorothy Love Coates' classic "99 1/2," where Jon Cleary was given the chance to show just why he has become a New Orleans' legend and a musician who people can comfortably compare to the great Professor Longhair. Another highlight was seeing Cleary pick up a guitar for the only secular tune of the evening, a very funky version of Ashford & Simpson's "I Don't Need No Doctor." I knew he could play, but I had forgotten.
I took some pics and video. Video is "Something's Got A Hold On Me," also from the solid new record. The tour is a short one, and at some point will no longer include George Porter Jr., so I suggest checking this great line-up out early, if they come to your town.
No comments:
Post a Comment