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Flanfire (Duggan Flanakin) is bringing LIFE to Austin music -- and telling the world how sweet it is!
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Will, Phil and the Gang Rock KUT!
KUT listeners got a preview of Saturday's Hendrix Show featuring Will Taylor and Strings Attached in collaboration with Hendrix interpreter Phil Brown (plus Nakia, John Pointer, and Natalie Zoe). This show, my friends, is turning quickly into a genuine labor of love.
Start with Jason McKenzie PLUS Pat Mastelotto on drums and percussion. Jason (whom I met years ago playing tabla for Ginger Leigh at a benefit at La Zona Rosa) and Pat (Mr. Mister, King Crimson) have -- it turns out -- been friends for 10 years, and have apparently taken lessons from each other (I am not going to reveal any REAL secrets here) -- and play together as though they had been doing so for a long time. Funny thing -- neither Phil (who has been working with Pat) nor Will (who has long worked with Jason) knew about this relationship between these two amazing players.
Will, guitarist (and bassist) Glenn Rexach, and bassist (and trumpet player) Steve Zirkel have been working together for 18 years -- Shawn Sanders is playing cello in this lineup, with Will swapping out on viola and violin. Nakia and Pointer have worked with Will on several shows -- and, yes, I was fortunate to be one of several direct links between Phil and Will (the first, apparently, was the lovely Wendy Colonna!).
So at the KUT studio today (well, Wednesday), the ensemble opened with a quiet rendition of "Little Wing," featuring Phil on vocals and Glenn on lead guitar and Steve on electric bass. Then Steve handed his bass to Glenn, who handed Phil's aquamarine guitar to him, and the band got down with a funky version of "Love or Confusion." Mind you, I am only WATCHING (sans earphones) Phil and Will swap solos. Next up was "Ar YOU Experienced?," which featured twin snares and a whole lot of energy. [Yes, your writer IS experienced, having worked the light show for Hendrix' four gigs in four days at the defunct Ambassador Theatre in uptown Washington, DC, back in the Sixties!.]
Nakia sang lead on a slowed-down version of "Voodoo Chile," which opened bare with violin and tabla (Jason), added cello and muted trumpet and bass and built slowly to accompany the power of Nakia's vocals. Perhaps the crowning moment of the day was "(Let Me Stand Next To Your) FIRE," which featured all four vocalists taking parts of verses before a quieter interlude that opened into a Rexach bass solo and some fiery playing by Will and Phil. The band closed out with "Manic Depression," the second tune in which Pat and Jason had switched chairs (so Pat could play the full kit and Jason could focus on percussion) -- this is perhaps Phil's signature song on his "The Jimi Project" CD that sparked this union of kindred souls.
This live set may well be up on the KUT website by now (or soon), but to catch the full flavor of this tribute to Jimi's songwriting and message, get thee out to St. David's Episcopal Church on Saturday evening (two shows). For more on the shows, go to http://stringsattached.org. But if you cannot make the show, you CAN listen live on KLBJ-FM and on its Internet site .... and do not be surprised if this show is repeated sometime soon.
Now for some TIDBITS - starting with the sad news of the recent passing of Aaron Neville's wife. The Nevilles are special people to this writer and to so many of all of us -- especially since Katrina brought Cyril and many others here to Austin.
On a lighter note, I ran into Jon Sanchez of The Summer Wardrobe today at Jo's Coffees on West Second Street - he was tuning their piano (if YOU want him to tune yours, call Strait Music). He is excited about THEIR show at Stubb's on Saturday (well, there is always too much music in Austin to catch all of it) with Youngmond Grand and Brent Palmer. Just got a CD from "The Alice Rose" in the mail after missing their CD release -- beautiful artwork (just beginning to listen) -- and on Tuesday I had stopped in at Antone's Records to drop off a Hendrix Show poster and ran into Papa Mali (and of course the lovely Eve Monsees, who works there) -- and HE gave me his own brand-new CD (which will have national distribution starting in early February) AND the incredible Ruthie Foster CD that he produced for her -- folks, from the cuts I have heard so far, this is Ruthie doing Mavis Staples, Ruth Brown, and Aretha all rolled up into one! I understand that at Ruthie's recent show at The Saxon Pub, the audience stood up and cheered this generous woman and her band.
KUT listeners got a preview of Saturday's Hendrix Show featuring Will Taylor and Strings Attached in collaboration with Hendrix interpreter Phil Brown (plus Nakia, John Pointer, and Natalie Zoe). This show, my friends, is turning quickly into a genuine labor of love.
Start with Jason McKenzie PLUS Pat Mastelotto on drums and percussion. Jason (whom I met years ago playing tabla for Ginger Leigh at a benefit at La Zona Rosa) and Pat (Mr. Mister, King Crimson) have -- it turns out -- been friends for 10 years, and have apparently taken lessons from each other (I am not going to reveal any REAL secrets here) -- and play together as though they had been doing so for a long time. Funny thing -- neither Phil (who has been working with Pat) nor Will (who has long worked with Jason) knew about this relationship between these two amazing players.
Will, guitarist (and bassist) Glenn Rexach, and bassist (and trumpet player) Steve Zirkel have been working together for 18 years -- Shawn Sanders is playing cello in this lineup, with Will swapping out on viola and violin. Nakia and Pointer have worked with Will on several shows -- and, yes, I was fortunate to be one of several direct links between Phil and Will (the first, apparently, was the lovely Wendy Colonna!).
So at the KUT studio today (well, Wednesday), the ensemble opened with a quiet rendition of "Little Wing," featuring Phil on vocals and Glenn on lead guitar and Steve on electric bass. Then Steve handed his bass to Glenn, who handed Phil's aquamarine guitar to him, and the band got down with a funky version of "Love or Confusion." Mind you, I am only WATCHING (sans earphones) Phil and Will swap solos. Next up was "Ar YOU Experienced?," which featured twin snares and a whole lot of energy. [Yes, your writer IS experienced, having worked the light show for Hendrix' four gigs in four days at the defunct Ambassador Theatre in uptown Washington, DC, back in the Sixties!.]
Nakia sang lead on a slowed-down version of "Voodoo Chile," which opened bare with violin and tabla (Jason), added cello and muted trumpet and bass and built slowly to accompany the power of Nakia's vocals. Perhaps the crowning moment of the day was "(Let Me Stand Next To Your) FIRE," which featured all four vocalists taking parts of verses before a quieter interlude that opened into a Rexach bass solo and some fiery playing by Will and Phil. The band closed out with "Manic Depression," the second tune in which Pat and Jason had switched chairs (so Pat could play the full kit and Jason could focus on percussion) -- this is perhaps Phil's signature song on his "The Jimi Project" CD that sparked this union of kindred souls.
This live set may well be up on the KUT website by now (or soon), but to catch the full flavor of this tribute to Jimi's songwriting and message, get thee out to St. David's Episcopal Church on Saturday evening (two shows). For more on the shows, go to http://stringsattached.org. But if you cannot make the show, you CAN listen live on KLBJ-FM and on its Internet site .... and do not be surprised if this show is repeated sometime soon.
Now for some TIDBITS - starting with the sad news of the recent passing of Aaron Neville's wife. The Nevilles are special people to this writer and to so many of all of us -- especially since Katrina brought Cyril and many others here to Austin.
On a lighter note, I ran into Jon Sanchez of The Summer Wardrobe today at Jo's Coffees on West Second Street - he was tuning their piano (if YOU want him to tune yours, call Strait Music). He is excited about THEIR show at Stubb's on Saturday (well, there is always too much music in Austin to catch all of it) with Youngmond Grand and Brent Palmer. Just got a CD from "The Alice Rose" in the mail after missing their CD release -- beautiful artwork (just beginning to listen) -- and on Tuesday I had stopped in at Antone's Records to drop off a Hendrix Show poster and ran into Papa Mali (and of course the lovely Eve Monsees, who works there) -- and HE gave me his own brand-new CD (which will have national distribution starting in early February) AND the incredible Ruthie Foster CD that he produced for her -- folks, from the cuts I have heard so far, this is Ruthie doing Mavis Staples, Ruth Brown, and Aretha all rolled up into one! I understand that at Ruthie's recent show at The Saxon Pub, the audience stood up and cheered this generous woman and her band.
