HILLBILLY FUNK ALL STARS!!!
Eros Phan
incredible show, and while this is only March, there is no way this
won't be on the op of my 1999 best list. They are doing one more show
in Teaneck New Jersey, Sunday 3-7-99. They are the incredible Catfish
Hodge on guitar and vocals, T Lavittz of the Dixie Dregs and Jazz is
Dead on keyboards. One of the best Hammond (Real Organ, not synthsized)
I have ever heard. A man who has earned his legndary designation on
violin, Vasser Clements and Richie Hayward an Kenny Gradney of Little
Feat on drums and bass respectively. This is a must see, if you are
able, and if you are not able, try harder!
Eros Phan
Alphonso Johnson, Billy Cobham, T Lavitz and Jimmy Herring, the
guitarist for the Aquarium Rescue Unit(the only one I am not familiar
with, but I think he is also working with Butch Trucks' (of Allman
Bros.) son Derek. T Lavitz was the keyboard player with Dixie Dregs,
Widespread Panic, and a lot of other bands. Cobham and Johnson are jazz
stars on drums and bass respectivey having played with among others,
Miles Davis, John McGlaughlin, George Duke, and most of the Fusion acts
of the seventies. The concept of the band is take a variety of skilled
players, well established musicians wth reputations for their abilities
to improvise. Now let them take on the music of the Grateful Dead, and
let it fly. The best improvisers in the world playing the most
improvised music. The writer on my magazine who covered the show said
it was amazing. I have already bid to cover the next show. I believe it
will be a rotating line up. Catfish and T Lavitz have web` sites with
all kinds of links, check them out. Meanwhile the venue for the Sunday
show is the Mexacali Cafe in Teaneck New Jersey. There will be a review
of Catfish's new unplugged kind of CD in the upcoming issue of GOOD
TIMES Magazine, and last night's show will be written in GOOD TIMES
Magazine and Tri-state Blues which both have on-line editions. Regards.
VT
>No, Jazz is Dead is a super group, I haven't seen them yet, but it's
>Alphonso Johnson, Billy Cobham, T Lavitz and Jimmy Herring, the
>guitarist for the Aquarium Rescue Unit(the only one I am not familiar
>with, but I think he is also working with Butch Trucks' (of Allman
>Bros.) son Derek.
Jimmy Herring was the "local guitarist" who sat in with the Hillbilly
Funk Allstars on Thursday Feb/25 when I saw them. That gig was
something else..... and Jimmy Herring raised it even higher.
Jimmy was in fact the guitarist who substituted for Dickie Betts in
the Allman Brothers Band, when Dickie was slightly indisposed.
Jimmy Herring is a f*cking incredible guitarist - probably one of the
great UNknowns of today.
He was billed but was really sitting-in with Colonel Bruce Hampton's
Fiji Mariners on the following Friday and Saturday - I caught the
Saturday night show - they **KILLED**
Billy Cobham has unfortunately left JiD - but in his place there is
Jeff Sipes - totally independently and without prompting or any
reference about JiD I have recently heard lots of good things about
Jeff. The Colnel in fact said Jeff is the BADDEST mofo drummer this
side of Billy Cobham and Bruce likes Jeff even more than Tony
Williams......... now that is saying something.
Alphonso Johnson is most well known as the bassist for Weather Report.
Back on HFA -
Vassar Clements - now that's a legend - look him up - the legendary (I
am deliberately repeating that word) bluegrass fiddler - and
participant in HillyBilly Jazz.......
T.Lavitz sure funked things up with his keyboards - he pulled a fast
one on Jimmy Herring - at the start of his solo on "On the Left (and
I'm the One)" - he made sure he got Jimmy's attention and changed keys
on him. I thought Jimmy's eyes were going to pop out..... But Kenny
Gradney wasn't fazed at all and just played as if it were in the
composition........
I wrote a long review of the Hillbilly Funk Allstars for Hoy Hoy the
lIttle Feat e-mailing list - if anyone wants a copy please e-mail me.
A much abbreviated version was posted here Feb/26......
--
Vincent
v...@pipeline.com
Rory McQuillan
From: VT <v...@pipeline.com>
>Vassar Clements - now that's a legend - look him up - the legendary (I
>am deliberately repeating that word) bluegrass fiddler - and
>participant in HillyBilly Jazz.......
>
Way". I saw him in a trio format about 10 years ago, & it was outstanding.
Vassar, some fellow that had just been named best bluegrass picker by
readers of Acoustic Musician (or something like that), & a bass player. We
took my wife's niece to that show, she remarked a couple of times that these
guys were "monsters". We talked to the bass player on break & he apologized
for his playing, explaining that he was actually a guitarist but was subbing
for the bass player who couldn't make it. Vassar also apologized for the
missing vocalist & sang a couple of tunes, including one that was familiar
to me from Asleep At the Wheel. Can't think of what it was right now, but
I'll probably remember it as soon as I hit "send". At the end of the
evening, Vassar was standing at the door, clutching his fiddle with a carved
likeness of Jesus on the headstock & shaking everyone's hand on the way out.
THAT was a night to remember!
Eros Phan
Very blue funky version of this will be covered on the new JOYOUS PERRIN
CD. Watch here for release date.
VT
words...@WEBTV.NET (Eros Phan) wrote:
Is that the correct title/lyrics?
Someone on the Hoy Hoy list posted a correction that it is
"To the Left (and I'm the One)"
On the currently available "Eyewitness Blues" compilation CD by the
Catfish Hodge Band it is merely listed as "On the Left"
However, I'm pretty sure "(On the One)" is also what I heard..... but
I could just have Funk on my mind.
--
Vincent
v...@pipeline.com
VT
words...@WEBTV.NET (Eros Phan) wrote:
>No, Jazz is Dead is a super group, I haven't seen them yet, but it's
>Alphonso Johnson, Billy Cobham, T Lavitz and Jimmy Herring
<snip>
> The concept of the band is take a variety of skilled
>players, well established musicians wth reputations for their abilities
>to improvise. Now let them take on the music of the Grateful Dead, and
>let it fly. The best improvisers in the world playing the most
>improvised music.
Jazz id Dead have a web site at:
This is what was recently posted on their News page:
QUOTE:
[communiqui from MISSION CONTROL] Feb. 19, 1999 - It's official -
drummer JEFF SIPE, former band mate of JIMMY HERRING in AQUARIUM
RESCUE UNIT ... & recent drummer with LEFTOVER SALMON is the new
drummer in JAZZ IS DEAD.... also, it's very likely JID will have a new
CD release in late Spring ... then a MAJOR tour of East Coast, South &
Midwest from late July through Labor Day. The band begins rehearsal
in Mar. - covering a ton of new songs including the aforementioned
"Wake Of The Flood" in its entirety. Thanks & stay tuned!
[From the teleport of Mission Control - March 1, 1999] - We've added
a 2nd drummer. 6 time Grammy Award nominee ROD MORGENSTEIN. Rod will
appear April 2 - 8, Jeff Sipe will appear April 9 - 21, Rod again
April 22 - May 2. Then both drummers will appear in tandem when the
bands heads out for their summer tour. Those dates will be announced
at a later date.
The centerpiece of the April tour is Grateful Dead's 1973 release
"Wake of the Flood." In Boulder on April 13 & 14, we will add featured
violinist VASSAR CLEMENTS who played on the original album. In San
francisco on April 24th & 25th, we will also be joined by MARTIN
FIERRO who also played on the original LP.
UNQUOTE.
JFYI - Jeff Sipe is also variously known as : " Apt. Q258" - the
drummer listed on Aquarium Rescue Unit when Colonel Bruce Hampton was
with ARU.
Jazz is Dead have a CD with the original drummer - Bill Cobham - it's
had some very good reviews including one on www.allmusic.com
$13.53 JAZZ IS DEAD -- BLUE LIGHT RAIN
ZEB44009 6/98 ZEBRA Feat. Cobham/Herring/Lavitz
My take on it - is that you have to at least like the Grateful Dead
tunes to like this - I'm kind of "luke warm" about Dead tunes - but
this CD lifts it out of the ho-hum for me.
Herring's guitar playing is very tuneful and very bluesy - his tone is
nice - but not quite the gorgeous PHat tone he had when playing with
Hillbilly Funk Allstars and Colonel Bruce Hampton's Fiji Mariners
recently.
Billy Cobham is much more laid back behind the scenes - it's not the
fiery drumming you'd expect from Mahavishu or his solo efforts. But
it's a real model of what drumming should be like on this kind of
music - and I don't think I can pay a higher compliment to Billy.
Alphonso Johnson's bass playing on the fretless bass is so tasty!
T.Lavitz does all the stuff on keys - he's like an orchestra by
himself - he's the one that gives all that atmosphere to the tracks.
He's the one that instigates the funky stuff.
I thought playing just Dead tunes might be self-limiting (the Dead
managed to make a LONG career out of it) - I look forward to hearing
more from JiD.
--
Vincent
v...@pipeline.com
Adrian Spidle
> www.jazzisdead.com
>
> This is what was recently posted on their News page:
> [From the teleport of Mission Control - March 1, 1999] - We've added
> a 2nd drummer. 6 time Grammy Award nominee ROD MORGENSTEIN.
I once saw Rod Morgenstein play in Steve Morse's band. That was an
*excellent* show. They were actually opening for Bobby and the Midnites, a
side act of Bob Weir from the Grateful Dead. Two of the Midnites were
Billy Cobham and Kenny Gradney. A *way* cool rhythm section for an
otherwise not so exciting band.
The next time I saw Kenny Gradney play, he was in Warren Zevon's band.
And then I saw him a couple more times w/ the then newly reconstituted
Little Feat. I have yet to see Little Feat since Craig (whatsisname) left.
The next time I saw Steve Morse play, T Lavitz was his keyboard player
(they were together in the Dixie Dregs, don't know if RM was also a Dreg).
They played some jazz rock fusion (OK as that stuff goes) and then went to
town on a bunch of hard rock from the 70s, Led Zeppelin, Rush, ACDC, you
name it. That was extremely fun in a very guilty pleasure kind of way.
One big happy family!
Adrian
maxdog
> On 10 Mar 1999, VT wrote:
>
> > www.jazzisdead.com
> >
> > This is what was recently posted on their News page:
>
> > [From the teleport of Mission Control - March 1, 1999] - We've added
> > a 2nd drummer. 6 time Grammy Award nominee ROD MORGENSTEIN.
I've seen Morgenstien play with the Dregs and the Steve Morse Band a total
of about eight times. He's one bad mammer jammer on drums. He played on Paul
Barrere's "On My Own Two Feet." He also played in the pop metal band Winger
for a while, guess it paid the bills.
BTW, what ever happened to the Dregs bass player, Andy West?
--
maxdog
Eros Phan
orogins as a
college lab band.