Herbert "Mwandishi" Hancock, the man I and, I'm sure, many others consider the greatest living musician, played his socks off at the Camden Roundhouse last night. Kicking off at the keyboard with Watermelon Man, with a searing funk intro and a solo on one of those keyboard/guitar hybrids, the opening number left little room to crescendo, but like the consumate professional and the incredible performer he is, Herbie managed it. His guitarist was astounding too, playing a solo piece for a while where he sampled and built up his own backing, and through the wonder of modern technology, harmonised with his own singing. The drummer played some unparalleled solos, switching from straight time to offbeats to triple time and never losing an ounce of the rhythm. The bassist didn't solo, but he sang a haunting version of 'I Just Called To Say I Love You', and another couple of numbers, with a really powerful, soulful voice and some excellent vocal harmonies with the guitarist.
Cantaloupe Island was an obvious highlight, with more breathtaking keyboard solos from Hancock. When they finished a two hour set, the crowd cried out for more. We only got one encore, but no one would complain about twenty minutes of Chameleon - with the bassist pulling his inimitable jazz face, the guitarist playing lines that would put Hendrix to shame without breaking a sweat, and Herbie just being Herbie. The three of the played a kind of jazz Chicken, daring the others to go closer and closer to their limits, and pulling away just in time, for them and the crowd. I swear I'll never see a gig like it again.
If The Flaming Lips on Tuesday is anything as good as that, I may not make it to work on Wednesday.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment