Silkroad Ensemble with Rhiannon Giddens, George Mason Center for the Arts, November 5
Rhiannon Giddens with Adia Victoria, Clarice Center, September 27
Tommy Emmanuel with Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams, Wilbur Theater Boston, September
Elvis Costello with Nick Lowe, Lyric Opera House, July
Little Feat with Miko Marks, Maryland Hall, April
Sonny Landreth with Cindy Cashdollar, Avalon Theater, March
Buffalo Nichols, Columbia Arts Center, March
Tedeschi Trucks Band, Warner Theater, February
Voices of Mississippi, Strathmore Hall, February
Silkroad Ensemble with Rhiannon Giddens, George Mason Center for the Arts, November 5, 2023
The Silkroad Ensemble premiered its American Railroad project including five newly commissioned works. At the risk of overdosing on Rhiannon Giddens performances (my fourth in the last 18 months), I felt compelled to attend this world premiere of the Ensemble’s new multi-year, multi-pronged project. I didn’t realize the Ensemble had a residency arrangement with George Mason University, hence the premiere on this campus. I attended a pre-performance presentation with Alicia Robinson, Strategic Partnerships and Impact Director, who explained the genesis of the project.
The concert itself was enjoyable but mildly disappointing. The focus was entirely on the musical pieces and undeniable talents of the individual Ensemble members, with no additional explanation or explication of the context or connections to American Railroads. The initial “Swannanoa Tunnel / Canoe Song” was a promising vocal duet between Rhiannon Giddens and Native American artist Pura Fe but turned out to be mostly an exercise in extended sad moaning. The second piece by Irish harpist Maeve Gilchrest was lovely and pastoral, evoking the continent before the advent of Europeans and the railroads, but it was a little generic and would have been even better if Maeve and her harp were on hand. Rhiannon’s adaptation of “Swannanoa Tunnel / Steel Drivin’ Man” was the closest to a recognizable folk song that we would get that evening. The next piece, “Train Tracks” was an extended solo by tabla virtuoso Sandeep Das which was entertaining but like almost any drum solo went on a little too long. I was looking forward to the dream-inspired piece by native American artist Suzanne Kite but it turned out to be a showcase of eerie squeaky noises from all the instruments in the Ensemble. The pieces by Wu Man (featuring pipa) and Niwel Tsumbu (guitar) were energetic and uplifting but one was hard-pressed to relate them to the American Railroad theme. The second half of the program did not fare much better, with pieces that featured various players and instruments of the Ensemble — dynamic performances but I struggled to tie them to the theme. The photo collages displayed on a screen did not help much other than point to whether the music was meant to broadly reflect indigenous people, Asians, or African Americans. The finale, “O Shout” included a few moments of transcendent five-part harmony from the women in the Ensemble but it was short-lived. Even the encore was a little disappointing, basically an extended jam giving a few bars to highlight each of the musicians in turn. It was fun, but even the Washington Post article previewing the performance teased a closing singalong.
The overall American Railroad project is ambitious and will continue to evolve, no doubt including an album, TV segments on Rhiannon’s My Music PBS show and further touring next year and beyond. I hope the overall project will add depth and context the subject deserves. And finally, speaking as a white Anglo-Saxon American, I couldn’t help wondering whether the project veers into being a little too woke, taking the stance that anything done by white men was bad. Maybe I have no business asking that, but the thought lingered…and maybe could be addressed in later iterations.
Rhiannon Giddens with Adia Victoria, The Clarice Center, University of Maryland, College Park, September 27, 2023
Went with Larry. Rhiannon was touring with a full band including Francesco Turrisi and Dirk Powell in support of her latest album, You’re The One. This upbeat album of songs penned by Rhiannon gave her the opportunity to put on an upbeat show (setlist here is incomplete), though still sprinkled with some of the darker, more difficult themes she can’t help but explore. Rhiannon battled vocal problems in recent tour stops and said she was being careful (and drinking lots of tea) but still delivered most of the tunes, including nearly all the album tracks, with full-throated fervor. There were a few recently added instrumentals in the set, and pieces led individually by Dirk, Francesco, and guitarist Niwel Tsumbo which gave Rhiannon something of a break. She and the band easily won over the sold out audience, despite some sound issues in the Clarice and Rhiannon’s vocal troubles. Opener Adia Victoria’s performance was unfortunately swamped by the murky sound. We couldn’t understand a word of her breathy lyrics and very little of her between song patter. It was, in all, a workmanlike show, enjoyable but tempered. Rhiannon is going to be back in the Northern Virginia area in 5 weeks with the Silk Road Ensemble, the first stop touring their ambitious American Railroad project. I’m tempted to go but it sure is hard to keep up with Rhiannon’s multiple personas and initiatives. I don’t know how she does it.
Tommy Emmanuel with Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams, Wilbur Theater, Boston, September 2023
I happily stumbled upon this concert while visiting Allie in Boston and was pleased to be able to get a ticket on an evening when Allie was already committed to a Red Sox game. Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams opened the show and played for about 45 minutes, a set of agreeable but unremarkable Americana. An accomplished guitarist, fiddler and mandolinist, Larry has played with a who’s who of American music, notably Levon Helm and Bob Dylan. The best song they played was Poor Old Dirt Farmer with Larry on fiddle and Teresa on mandolin (YouTube), from one of my favorite albums that Larry produced for Levon.
Tommy Emmanuel was the solo headliner and launched into a set of rocket-paced tunes. He is a wizard who coaxes more notes and rhythmic sounds out of an acoustic guitar than you would think humanly possible. He’s also an enthusiastic Australian entertainer with a bagful of well-honed shtick and tricks to keep the audience engaged and smiling when their jaws are not dropping at his skills. Highlights included a touching Over the Rainbow (YouTube), a melodic song to his daughter Angelina (YouTube), and the tried-and-true Beatles medley he’s been doing for decades (YouTube). As a semi-encore he brought out Larry and Teresa for a few closing tunes. It was a thoroughly professional and enjoyable show, worthy of Tommy’s rarified status as a Certified Guitar Player.
Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe, Lyric Opera House, Baltimore, July 2023
Went with Larry (setlists for Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe). Larry called a few days before this concert with a last-minute invite. I’d seen the pair was coming to Baltimore but hadn’t worked up the enthusiasm to arrange tickets myself, but I was happy to go at Larry’s invitation. Nick Lowe and Los Straightjackets proved to be an affable and entertaining opening act. They didn’t knock it out of the park but the tunes were recognizable and well done. Elvis, as I feared, did a set of largely unrecognizable recent songs and deep cuts. It was struggle at times to stay up with him; I wish he had did more of his older songs and featured the band which included Charlie Sexton…but he’s an artist, not a jukebox, he might say. It also would have been nice if Nick and Elvis did a few songs together, but no. Larry and I had dinner beforehand at The Brewer’s Art nearby which was tasty even if the restaurant was swamped a bit by theatergoers.
Little Feat with Miko Marks, Maryland Hall in Annapolis, April 2023
Went with Larry. Once I successfully fought the traffic to Annapolis, Larry and I had a fine dinner at Paul’s Homewood Cafe before the show but missed the first song of Miko Marks’ abbreviated opening set. Miko performed with Steve Wyreman on guitar and a second woman whose name I didn’t catch but was good. Miko has a commanding voice, affable stage presence and an interesting back story. Her 30-minute set was too quick. After a longish break, Little Feat took the stage, at this point with founding keyboardist Bill Payne, “classic lineup” bassist Kenny Gradney and percussionist Sam Clayton, longtime guitarist Fred Tackett, and two “new guys”, drummer Tony Leone and guitarist/frontman Scott Sharrard. The band played a solid two hours of classics and some obscure cuts, going well beyond the energy and skill level of a tribute band. They were the real deal, even if most of the original band is dead and buried. Credit to Bill Payne, I imagine, for keeping the spark alive, credit to the strength and legacy of the original songs, and credit to old geezers like us in the audience who still want to have a good time with some great, well played tunes. It was a fun evening.
Sonny Landreth and Cindy Cashdollar, Avalon Theater, Easton, MD, March 2023
This concert was enjoyable but hardly transcendent. The Avalon is a pleasant old theater, and I was seated with a lot of pleasant old white folks. Sonny and Cindy played an 80-minute set, just the two of them onstage, with Sonny taking all of the vocals and most of the banter. Cindy was actually the marginally more interesting player. To be honest, the tunes mostly blended into one another. Both players were technically very proficient and the crowd was enthusiastic, but the evening never caught fire and only occasionally sparkled. I was surprised to hear little of Sonny Landreth’s signature overdriven slide tone – he spent decades developing a distinctive sound (prime example: Congo Square) but it was hardly on display this evening. Maybe it was because it was not in a band setting and maybe it requires a louder, echoey reverb but the overdrive showed up now and then with his programmable foot pedal so I think it was more of an unexplained choice on his part. The next day I listened to more of Cindy Cashdollar’s recordings on iTunes and found them quite nice in a background roadtrip kind of way. I wish they had played more of them in concert. In general, I just wish Sonny and Cindy put on a more energetic, engaging show. We were encouraged to stay after to get merchandise signed, but I didn’t feel compelled. I was tucked back into my room by 9pm. Rock and roll!
Buffalo Nichols, Columbia Arts Center, February 2023
Went with Larry. I first heard of Buffalo Nichols last summer when several songs from his debut album crossed my path. I liked his sound, a sort of cross between Chris Smither (and therefore Mississippi John Hurt) and Gary Clark, Jr. Several months ago I downloaded a podcast interview with him and only got around to listening in late January. I decided to check his website and found he was doing a solo show here in Columbia at the little Columbia Arts Center where Allie used to have her dance practices. I didn’t know they even did concerts. I got a ticket, invited Larry and was pleased to have him join me. We had a nice dinner at Lime & Salt Taco Bar beforehand. The show turned out to be in conjunction with a display of African American works created by local artists, with chairs in the gallery for 100 or so attendees. Buffalo did about an hour-long set including most of his debut album and a few covers of older blues that he namechecked but I didn’t know. He was a diffident, somewhat quiet performer, slightly distracted by fiddling with various taped interludes and effects. But his songs are powerful, his guitar picking impressive, and his singing gravelly and soulful, if a little low in the mix. It was an offbeat, low-key and short musical evening but enjoyable. I’m glad we went and I look forward to hearing more from Buffalo in the future.
Tedeschi Trucks Band, Warner Theater, Washington DC, February 2023
The Tedeschi Trucks Band was touring off their recent ambitious I Am the Moon project, a four-album block of songs based on the Persian story of Layla and Majnun. I had first seen the core of this band in 2008 at Merriweather, and though I’ve not followed them religiously since, I’ve always enjoyed and respected their music when I gave it an ear. This iteration of the band was terrific, particularly Derek Trucks’ guitar work, Susan Tedeschi’s powerful vocals and guitar playing, the propulsive pair of drummers and the overall tightness of the ensemble, masterfully raising and lowering the dynamics of their sound song by song. I was surprised they didn’t play more from the new album, choosing to feature tunes from throughout their career (full setlist). They included only “Emmaline,” “La Di Da,” “Ain’t That Something” from the new album, leaving a lot of great tunes for other nights, I guess. Other highlights were terrific versions of “Why Does Love Got to be So Sad,” “Midnight in Harlem,” Susan Tedeschi tore up B.B. King’s signature “How Blue Can You Get (Downhearted)” with searing vocals and guitar playing, and an extended “Idle Wind” with dual collaborative drum solos that closed the first half of the show. It was an enjoyable evening, not quite transcendent but a thoughtful, mature show by a tight band that seemed to enjoy themselves.
Voices of Mississippi, Strathmore Hall, Rockville, February 2023
I decided to give this “immersive multimedia experience” a try once I figured out it included Luther and Cody Dickinson of the North Mississippi All Stars and Bobby Rush as performers. I hadn’t heard of the Grammy winning 2019 boxed set put together by Dr. William R. Ferris which spawned this touring ensemble. Ferris began photographing, filming and recording blues and gospel performances throughout his native Mississippi in the 1960s-1970s, amassing a large archive of sounds and images. Ferris opened the evening with some photos, movies and a short welcome speech. After that, the musicians filed onstage beginning with Sharde Thomas on the cane fife and a marching band bass drummer. Sharde was a good fife player and an excellent singer who carried many of the evening’s lead and harmony vocals. There were two guitarists in addition to Luther Dickinson but I didn’t write down their names and now can’t find any mention of them. Ferris’ comments were woven into film sequences that made up maybe 20% of the show, the rest of the show was live performances mostly led by 89-year-old Bobby Rush. The overall concert was good, not great, well-intentioned and with most of the songs played very sedately, not the usual characteristic one expects for a blues show. Bobby Rush was in good voice, very sprightly and a little bit bawdy, an eager and enthusiastic showman, but no one really worked up a sweat until maybe the closing set piece of “When the Saints Go Marching In” which didn’t really feel like a blues number anyway. I’m glad I went but the show was a mild, somewhat academic and carefully curated introduction to the blues and gospel music.
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