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Stanton Moore Trio, The Mint

July 13, 2011 Stanton Moore is everywhere, deal with it. And no drummer jokes, please. Seriously, it seems like Stanton Moore is the Warren Haynes of the skins, playing wherever, whenever he can and not only like he’s having a great time, but also as if his life depended on it. Whether leading his Galactic mates through a snare fed fury that turns the band into the equivalent of a human trap set, sitting in seemingly every night during Jazzfest he’s not gigging with the propulsively manic Garage a Trois, the brass royalty of the Midnite Disturbers, his own trio, or Galactic, this is a man who literally can’t sit down when he plays. He is simply having too much fun to keep still. Last year, Mr. Moore anchored Anders Osborne’s epic American Patchwork recording and tour in 2010 and fortified his collaboration with Hammond wiz Robert Walter. The tribal material and arrangements that grew from this collaboration resulted in one of the best albums of the year. Moore and Walter, along with guitarist Will Bernard, have further shaped their unique funk with the Stanton Moore Trio over the years and for those who love their B3 sound dripping in […]

Honey Island Swamp Band, The Mint

June 26, 2011 Honey Island Swamp Band swung into the Westside on Saturday, another NOLA nugget appearing at the Mint. This is a New Orleans band that reflects its Katrina Diaspora-Bay Area birth with chunky and soulful jams, tight arrangements and great material. If you are expecting ballads, standards, and second lines, this ain’t that NOLA band. Whether moving easily from moments Dead infused or Dr. John influenced, their self-described Bayou Americana sound never loses sight of its swampy swagger or solo driven joy. The band has kicked ass at Jazzfest the past few years, so a chance to enjoy them here in the Southland was indeed a treat, and to my knowledge, The Mint gig is their first Los Angeles show. At Fest performances and in the studio, HISB often fattens their arrangements with horns, and Saturday had that taste with Karl Denson sitting in for both sets contributing frequent solos and locking into some killer grooves with Trevor Brooks on keys and Chris Mule’s SG/Strat driven leads. When not providing the good time feel of a summer day front porch harp, Aaron Wilkinson switched between mandolin and his hollow-body Tele, taking the bluegrass string thing into Hendrix/Page territory, […]

Jun 06

by Jim Brock in Reviews 0 comments tags: Bo Carper, concert photography, Eye on the Music, Gibson SG, guitar, jam band, Jeff Miller, Jim Brock Photography, live music, music photography, New Monsoon, Phil Ferlino, Stratocaster, The Mint

New Monsoon, The Mint

June 3, 2011 When you know of a band, but haven’t really seen them live yet, it can go either way. The freshness of the moment can pick you up with unexpected potency, or leave you uninvolved with the lack of familiarity. New Monsoon has been part of the jam scene for over 10 years and my first show Friday at The Mint had me from the beginning. Playing to the expected jam-rock devoted and male dominated audience in the intimate confines on Pico Boulevard, New Monsoon brought creative, driven arrangements that never wandered without destination. I am admittedly new to the NM set list, but recognized originals such as Friendly Ghost and gems of covers like the Talking Heads Slippery People. This is a team effort, the whole much bigger than the parts. The acoustic guitar/banjo, SG/Strat frontline of Bo Carper and Jeff Miller, the constant interweave of Phil Ferlino’s solos and texture, and the rhythm section of Marshall Harrell and Sean Hutchinson, kept moving and pushing, not straying. Towards the end of the first set, Bo Carper’s banjo led New Monsoon into raga-jam territory, transforming that most traditional of sounds into a burning bluegrass sitar that elevated the […]

May 10

by Jim Brock in Reviews 0 comments tags: Aaron Neville, Acura Stage, alt-country, Anders Osborne, Andy Comeau, Arcade Fire, Arsene DeLay, back to the Bayou, blues, Blues Tent, Christian Scott, concert photography, Craig Klein, Eye on the Music, fairgrounds, funk, Greg Allman, Hammond organ, Henry Butler, Howlin' Wolf, jazz, Jazz Tent, Jazzfest, Jim Brock Photography, Jimmy Buffet, Kid Rock, Kirk Joseph, Lagniappe Stage, Lucinda Williams, Matt Perrine, Michael Cerveris, music photography, Nevilles, New Orleans jazz, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, New Orleans music, Nine Lives, Paul Sanchez, Robert Randolph, Rolling Road Show, Shamarr Allen, Sonny Landreth, Sonny Rollins, Strokes, Threadhead Records, Threadheads, Treme, Trombone Shorty, trumpet, tuba, Tuba Tuba, Wilco, Willie Nelson

Jazzfest 2011 closing thoughts

Jazzfest 2011 is in the books. Weekend 2 brought the it could only happen here bag of familiar closers (Jimmy Buffet, the Nevilles, et al), epic sonics (Arcade Fire, Wilco), roots, (not so) alt-country and blues (Lucinda Williams, Greg Allman, Willie Nelson), mind-bending bills (Trombone Shorty>The Strokes), sentimental moments (Rads farewell, Christian Scott proposing in the middle of his set), jazz giants (Sonny Rollins) and local and regional artists who have been, and always will be, the heartbeat of the Fest. The lack of a jam band closer seemed to go unnoticed, supplanted by an edgier, “indie” orientation – an eclectic mix even by Fest standards. “Only at Jazzfest could….” 50/60-somethings leave their front row seat for Robert Randolph and the Family Band to catch Kid Rock. The weather cooperated to the point of being freaky. Not a drop of rain all seven days, temps warm to warmer, but not scorching. As always, the food will take a year to work off and worth it. Whether at the Fairgrounds or night shows, I couldn’t split myself in half. Simply too much good stuff to go around. Most of my time shooting circled the Jazz and Blues Tents, and unexpectedly (or […]

Jazzfest 2011 impressions so far…

Shooting the Fest is akin to an endless buffet, musical whiplash and constant discovery. Instead of full sets, joy is more concentrated, fleeting. Depending on the stage and act, three and done translates to here/now/next move. The fan inside is stifled and exhilarated. Mental focus is at a premium, especially when now doesn’t want to go. My coverage has been exhaustive some days, less intense on others, leaving the observer behind to just soak up the experience. Nature stepped up with beautiful weather, the rest was on me. Friday opened strong, and this photographer had to bond with the mastery of Jeff Beck, but close with a smokin’ set by the New Orleans Nightcrawlers at the Jazz and Heritage Stage. The reborn roots of Robert Plant, paired with Patty Griffin and the amazing string work of Buddy Miller were also especially captivating. Whether shooting or not, where else could anyone experience the Kentucky bluegrass of Ricky Skaggs, move on to Robert Cray’s deep and soulful well and then witness an absolutely stunning performance by Ahmad Jamal, as I spent Saturday afternoon. Bluegrass, blues and straight ahead/to your head jazz – and that’s just a taste of a day, one […]

Jim Brock Photographs featured in Review of Voice of the Wetlands All Stars

February 2011 Voice of the Wetlands All-Stars The Mint, February 10, 2011 It is always something special when the likes of Tab Benoit, Anders Osborne, Johnny Sansone, Cyril Neville, and Johnny Vidacovich (and for this tour, Wayne Thibodeaux) get together to spread the word about wetlands devastation, and to just flat out play. Tab Benoit said early on that if you’re going to rehearse, and get that thing really rolling, shouldn’t waste it on an empty room. Those few hundred comfortably packed into The Mint for this VOTWAS show got the better end of that deal. The stage was shared by all, whether Johnny Sansone was bringing it with the fiery Poor Man’s Paradise, Tab Benoit killin’ it all night long, Anders Osborne wringing all the light and the dark out of Louisiana Rain and Darkness at the Bottom, Wayne Thibodeaux “rowing that pirouge” or Cyril Neville getting everyone to feel the Blues for New Orleans. The players brought the best out of each other, with plenty of smiles and solos to go around – truly a collaboration of chops and spirit. Of course, anticipation built for Big Chief Monk Boudreaux to make his entrance towards the end of […]