George Porter, Jr. & Friends, The Mint

October 21, 2016

Any chance to hear Meters bassist George Porter, Jr. in the southland is a treat, and he brought a little Maple Leaf with him for a generous two-setter at The Mint billed as a celebration of Porter, Jr. with special guests. GPJ was flanked by drummer Terrence Houston and Michael Lemmler on keys throughout the night. Tal Wilkenfeld, another absolutely remarkable four-stringer was the first to sit in, and the bass off that ensued was memorable, to say the least. Singer-guitarist Laith Al-Saadhi helped close the first set with a smoking “Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley”. Jane’s Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins joined Houston behind his kit to start the second set and took over for a few tunes digging in with all the physicality of his other band. The set featured a killer “Lovelight” and staples like “I Feel Like Funkin’ it Up”, “Hey Pocky Way”, ”Will it go Round in Circles” and a charging take of “Them Changes”. The show finished at a very Leafy 1:20 AM or so. Porter, Jr. was honored on Saturday with a Lifetime Achievement Award by Bass Player Live! and The Mint gig left no doubt of how deserving the funk legend is of that recognition.

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