Category Archives: concert reviews
Serious Funk and Sweet Soul Music Ruled the Night
By now my regular readers should know how much I love music from New Orleans, so the fact that I went to see Galactic at the House of Blues should not be a surprise.
Galactic
Galactic has been around for twenty years. The core group is five musicians with a revolving cast of guests. On this tour, they have Maggie Koerner singing and Corey Henry playing trombone. Read the rest of this entry
Soul Queen Bettye LaVette Amazes!
A friend told me that Bettye LaVette brought her to tears at a concert last year and that impressed me, so I was very excited to see her perform at Johnny D’s last night.
Bettye LaVette
This was a monumental show! She poured her heart and soul into each note than emanated from her and the very large crowd appreciated every one of them!
Bettye
Soaring Afro-Cuban Jazz Concert
I was minimally familiar with Roy Hargrove before this show at Scullers, but all I needed to know was that his style has been Afro-Cuban with forays into funk, hip-hop, and bop. Afro-Cuban is arguably my favorite form of jazz so I was all in for this show.
Roy Hargrove
I apologize for the darkness of the photos; I was sitting very close to the stage, which was perfect for sound and the view, but not so perfect for photos. Read the rest of this entry
Funky/Jazzy Evening at Scullers
This show was another unexpected pleasure for me. The Matt Wilson Quartet was performing with special guest John Medeski, who I knew and enjoyed when I saw him perform with Medeski Martin & Wood.
The Quartet Watching Matt Wilson
What a treat this evening turned out to be! Read the rest of this entry
Two Amazing Blues Guitarists Shared A Stage
It can be incredible seeing one fabulous guitarist doing a solo show, but adding a second one can bring a show to a whole other level as it did last week with Sonny Landreth and Cindy Cashdollar.
Sonny Landreth and Cindy Cashdollar
I’d seen Sonny perform a number of times over the years (including a previous show or two at Regattabar where this show was also held) but had never seen Cindy. What a duo! Read the rest of this entry
A Bluegrass Ball??? Who Knew?
The show was billed as The (First Annual) Deadly Gentlemen’s Ball. This show, held at The Sinclair in Cambridge, was hosted by, you guessed it, The Deadly Gentlemen.
The Deadly Gentlemen
I knew this was going to be an evening of bluegrass, but I had no idea how much fun it would be! Read the rest of this entry
A Jazz Saxophone Treasure
I had never seen David Sanborn perform; when we noticed he was doing several shows at Scullers, we had to go. We had another show to attend earlier in the evening, so we rushed to Scullers for his 10 pm show. I generally prefer the late show for jazz; the band is completely warmed up and is generally looser for the later set.
David Sanborn
We got there a few minutes after the show started, but the audience was already fully engaged. One of the things I love about jazz audiences is that they tend to be very respectful of the musicians. Read the rest of this entry
An Evening of Hard-Driving Blues
I saw an unexpectedly excellent blues show at Johnny D’s on Friday night! If I’d been familiar with all the acts, I would not have been as surprised.
Of course I am familiar with Charles Neville, saxophonist for The Neville Brothers. I love their music and their spirit, together and separately (the band as it existed for many years is no longer). I was not familiar with Jeff Pitchell & Texas Flood, other than by name and reputation.
Charles Neville
Dancing with The Gipsy Kings
I have enjoyed listening to the Gipsy Kings for a number of years, but never had the opportunity to see them in person until this show at the Lynn Memorial Auditorium.
The band is touring this year for their 25th annivesary, and has released a new album, Savor Flamenco, as well.
Carrie Rodriguez Bares Her Soul
Several years ago, a friend who has worked in the music business for many years told me that I would enjoy seeing Carrie perform. I had not been able to attend any shows up to now, so I made sure not to have any conflicts when this show was announced.
From the moment Austin-based Carrie Rodriguez took the stage with Luke Jacobs at Johnny D’s last Sunday evening, the audience was completely captivated by her. Read the rest of this entry
suze reviews the blues 