Terry Bozzio at the One World Theater

So, this was the third time that I've seen Terry perform solo. He is without a doubt, a unique creative talent.

The first thing I was presently surprised at, is that the One World had resumed selling a dinner option with the tickets. I had forgotten, but when I looked at my ticket, I discovered that I had purchased the food. A great decision in hindsight, it was superb.

The show last night started promptly at 7PM. Terry played most of the show inside of his monsterous trap kit.

This time around he had two stations to either side of the trap kit. On the left there was a Cajon. Terry did a very amazing improv, showing off incredible hand and finger technique, worthy of a Tabla master.

Later in the show, he first thanked many of the people present, reminiscing about the years he lived in Austin, just before beginning an improv on a Korg WaveDrum. Once again, he showed off some amazing finger technique.

Two and a half hours, later the show concluded after two sets with an intermission, and a single piece encore. I attempted to catch of some of the setlist, but Terry neglected to mention names for some of the pieces.

Stick Men at the One World Theater

What better way to follow-up the Corea/Fleck show than with my buddies from Stick Men? I found it kind of humorous that I not only knew the band, but about half the people in the audience. If you had me told a decade ago that I would be on a first name basis with musicians of this caliber, I would have never believed you.

To summarize quickly, SM played about 2 hours, with a healthy dose of new material. Here's the setlist

After the show, I spent the better part of an hour talking to Markus, Tony and Pat. Unfortunately, this was their last evening in Austin, before heading to the West Coast. I have to say, Tony's touring schedule is insane. He'll be doing tours with Stick Men, the Crimson Projekct, more Peter Gabriel shows, then finally King Crimson this year.

I probably should have taken a few more pictures. (Oh well) Tony Levin did take a selfie of the two of us, so hopefully he will post in the tour diary section of his site in the next few days.

All I can say is that I can't wait until August for my third TOAPP camp!

The Legend, McCoy Tyner at the One World Theater

Originally, I had thought I had last seen McCoy Tyner in 2008. I did a double take when I discovered that almost 7 years had passed, since I last saw him play at Hogg Auditorium. Time sure flies.

I arrived at the One World Theater early, and was not surprised to run into many people I knew. One of them, Ric Furley, had mentioned that McCoy was looking very frail, and played a short set, excusing himself to rest between shows. Hearing this, I was anxious to get upstairs and get in as many minutes listening as possible, just in case he had to cut that show short, as well.

The Trio

• McCoy Tyner - Piano
• Gerald Cannon - Bass
• Francisco Mela - Drums

The late show started on time, and as McCoy was helped out on stage, he did look very frail. Nothing like the man that I had a drink with at the Town Crier in Brewster, NY, back in 1990 or 1991. He seems unable to walk without assistance, and his speaking voice is very soft now. At times, it is hard to discern what he is saying, even with a microphone.

When he sats down at the Piano however, it's was a whole 'nother story, all together! It was like switch had been clicked. His playing is still very powerful, and fluid. Still, I am hoping that this doesn't end up being one of the last times I get to see him play.

The show lasted about an 70-80 minutes, and his band mates talked him into one encore song. In all, they played 7 pieces. They did play some Coltrane material, but none of the hits like Favorite Things. I actually thought he was going into that during the encore, since he was doing the E Dorian vamp, but the melody never arrived.

I must say the bassist and drummer were exceptional, and they both did an outstanding job.

Set List

Out of the 7 songs, I recognized these 3.

• Blues on the Corner
• Aisha
• Duke Ellington's, In a Mellow Mood

Here's hoping there's more McCoy shows in my future.

A double dose of MGT and CGT at the One World Theater

For several years, I have been trying to persuade Bert Lams to bring the sextet of the Montreal Guitar Trio and the California Guitar Trio, to Austin, via Facebook posts.
Well my nagging payed off, it finally happened. I of course, took advantage of this opportunity, to get tickets to both shows, last night.

Both sets lasted somewhere between 90 - 100 minutes. When both trios played together, as a sextet, the sound was amazingly powerful. It was interesting to hear the mix of nylon and steel string guitars, and watch the differences in hand positions brought about the different tunings used by both trios. MGT comes from a traditional, classical guitar background, whereas CGT is heavily influenced by Robert Fripp's Guitar Craft. Many of compositions featured interlocking layers of polyrhythm and polyphony.

This tour also featured a first, a song specifically written for the sextet, Magneto. Here's to hoping for more touring, and more material like this.

Early Show

For the first show, both trios played a bit tense for their intro segment, but quickly settled down for the sextet. None the less, they reached the crowd, who was very pleased, and responded with a rousing demand for an encore.

Set List

MGT

• El Paso
• Garam Masala

CGT

• Walk Don't Run
• Melrose Avenue
• Beethoven's Fifth

Sextet

• Blockhead
• Breizh Tango - a piece based upon a melody, from the traditional music of Brittany
• Chacarera
• Magneto - specifically composed for the sextet
• While My Guitar Gently Weeps
• The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Encore

• Bohemian Rhapdsody

Late Show

I would say that for the 2nd show, both trios were more relaxed. This was to be expected. I also noticed that CGT carefully changed the setlist, for two of the songs.

Set List

MGT

• El Paso
• Garam Masala

CGT

• Walk Don't Run
• Melrose Avenue
• Train to Lamy

Sextet

• Blockhead
• Breizh Tango
• Perpetuum Mobile
• Magneto
• While My Guitar Gently Weeps
• The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Encore

• Bohemian Rhapdsody

There were many magical moments during this show, and it was a great night of music.
I am anxiously hoping that I will get to see the sextet again, in the next few years, as they develop more compositions specifically for the combined ensemble.

Greg Lake at the One World Theater

Being a keyboard player, I was heavily into Progressive Rock, growing up. It should be no surprise then, that my favorite band was Emerson, Lake, and Palmer (ELP). I was fortunate enough to have also met Emerson and Palmer in Poughkeepsie, back in 1988, when they were touring with another band, 3. I have never had a similar opportunity to meet Greg Lake, however.

Time has moved on, ELP reformed and broke up several times, and then Emerson's playing career was almost completely obliterated by a nerve disorder. Keith still performs, but is a shadow of his former self. It saddens me to know that this band is no longer able to execute their music.

A few months back, I noticed that Greg Lake was coming to the One World Theater to do a solo show. Greg is doubly famous in Progressive Rock circles, because not only was he a member of ELP, but he was also one of the original members of King Crimson.

Still thinking about the show during the day Saturday, I made a last minute decision and decided to go to the late show.

Arrival at the One World

Since there were two shows (an early one at 6:30 and a later one at 8:30), I arrived at the One World around 45 minutes early, in hopes of seeing Greg downstairs. I was also hoping I might get a picture or two then, because the One World does not allow people to photograph during their shows. Greg was nowhere to be found, and then I noticed a sign at the Merch table stating VIP packages were $125.00. Too rich for my blood.

Preshow

After having a beer, I headed up stairs, found my seat, and ran into 4 fellow TOAPP Campers, Nathan Parse and his dad, and current King Crimson drummer, Pat Mastelotto with his wife, Deb. Ghosts of Crimson past and present this night, it appears.

I took my seat in the front row, and looked the stage over. The setup itself was very simple, with two stations for Greg to play standing or seated, and a single Nord keyboard. While the audience was seating themselves, they were playing King Crimson over the PA, including:

• Moonchild
• Kanye West's Power which features samples of King Crimson's 21st Century Schizoid Man

Greg came out in a dark suit, and has visibly gained a lot of weight. Enough that I am worried about the long term health impacts. For all but one song, Greg played bass or guitar and sang, accompanied by tapes or sequences.

He played two sets, with an extend Q&A session during the second set. He talked at length about his career, his own musical heroes (Elvis and the Beatles), and shared some interesting stories about Robert Fripp, H.R. Geiger, Keith Emerson, and Carl Palmer.

During the show, I was struck by how powerful and resonant Greg's voice still is. I found it to be an enjoyable night of music.

Set 1

• 21st Century Schizoid Man
• Lend Your Love To Me Tonight
• From the Beginning
• Heartbreak Hotel (Elvis Presley)
• Epitaph - Court of the Crimson King (medley)
• I Talk to the Wind
• Hey, You've Got to Hide your Love Away (Beatles)

Set 2

• Touch And Go
• Trilogy
• Still... You Turn Me On
• I Believe in Father Christmas
• C'est la vie
• Lucky Man
• People Get Ready (Curtis Mayfield)

Encore

• Karn Evil 9, 1st Impression, Part 2

Tu at the One World Theater

Being a huge Krim-head, I immediately bought a ticket to this show when I saw it on the One World calendar.   I was confused however, while purchasing tickets to see  that there were two types of GA tickets for the show.   This was the first time that the One World was having a Club Night show.   Tables were set up in the area in front of the stage, rather than the normal folding chairs.


Tu, in case you aren't aware, is a duet featuring two King Crimson alumni, Pat Mastelotto on drums and percussion, and Trey Gunn, on Warr guitar, a touch guitar instrument similar to a Chapman Stick.   This show also featured vocalist, Chrysta Bell, a singer who fronted the now defunct, Austin band, 8 1/2 Souvenirs, as a special guest.


For the first portion of the show, Pat and Trey played instrumentals.   In general, I find it difficult to remember the titles of their instrumental songs, but I did recognize that they played Absinthe, a song they usually play with their trio, KTu.


Like Porcupine Tree, Tu is also very multi-media savvy and synchronizes their music with some really impressive and artistic video.   After 2 or 3 songs, Trey introduced himself and Pat and commented on the fact that they usually didn't get to play in such a nice sounding room.


After the first hour, Chrsyta joined Tu on stage.   She has a very powerful voice, and played several numbers including a song that she had co-written with film director, David Lynch.   The group was also joined on stage for one song, by a keyboardist, who was also video taping the show.


For the encore, Tu first played an instrumental number, and then were rejoined on stage by Chrysta.   For the final number, the band began playing the very recognizable King Crimson song, Starless.   The crowd erupted into applause.


This last number was actually a medley starting with Starless, and going into 21st Century Schizoid Man, before returning to Starless.   I can only hope that a recording of this will be available at some time.


After the show, Trey, Pat and Chrysta were all available for a meet and greet.   It was a great night of music.

Update

Trey Gunn has posted about the Austin and Dallas shows, and included some video on his blog, here.

Jean-Luc Ponty at the One World Theater

Oh, what a show! I've been looking forward to seeing Jean-Luc Ponty for several months, since purchasing the tickets. Admittedly, I have not kept up with his career lately, but JLP's music is like an old friend. It's hard to believe that Cosmic Messenger, Enigmatic Ocean, and Imaginary Voyage are over 30 years old. Time surely flies, as it seems like only yesterday that I was listening to these records in my college frat-house.

Last night, my friend Dan and I went to the later (and latter) of 2 shows at the One World. The seats were fantastic, being in the front row, putting us no more than about 10 feet away from Jean-Luc and his 3 band-mates:

• Baron Browne - 4 and 5 String Electric Bass
• Damien Schmidt - Drums
• William Lecomte - Keyboards

I was unable to find a set list, but I reckon that they played close to 90 minutes, with each musician taking a solo, and a single song encore, Big Country. I can remember them playing Cosmic Messenger, and a new arrangement of The Struggle of the Turtle to the Sea. I found it somewhat funny that even though there was no guitarist present, I could hear the guitar parts inside of my head.

I was very impressed with the band, and keyboardist was fantastic. Jean-Luc joked that the drummer Damien wanted to get out of playing, and become a producer. That will be a shame if he does.

In closing let me just say that I now wish I had bought tickets to both shows.

Little Feat at the One World Theater

Little Feat played two shows at the One World Theater last night. I caught the late one with a friend of mine, and was expecting a good show, since I was in the front row.

I last saw Feat about around 2001 or so, at Stubbs. They played a fairly long show at that time. This time, I estimate that they played for approximately 90 minutes. I was surprised (and somewhat disappointed) that vocalist Shaun Murphy was no longer with the band, and that Richie Haywood was not on tour (for health reasons). The band presently performs as 6 piece:

• Fred Tackett - Guitar and Vocals
• Paul Berrer - Guitar and Lead Vocals
• Bill Payne - Keys
• Sam Clayton - Percussion
• Kenny Gradney - Bass
• Gabe Ford - Drums

I can't remember the entire set list, other than Times Loves a Hero, Oh, Atlanta, and Dixie Chicken. The show was good, but not stellar. There were some sound issues (something that I didn't expect at a One World Show).

Airto Moreira at the One World

I attended a Master Class given by famed Brazilian drummer and percussionist, Airto Moreira, last Sunday (6/8/2008) at the One World Theater. Airto is famous because he played with Miles Davis on Bitches Brew, and was involved in the seminal beginnings of both Weather Report and Return to Forever. It's too bad that Chick Corea couldn't have had him sit on some dates with that tour.

The Master Class was free and afforded all present an opportunity to peak inside the mind of the artist. It consisted mainly of him talking, with a little bit of singing and playing intermixed. It was a little bit different than the other Master Class I had attended there with Terry Bozzio and Pat Mastelotto, which consisted entirely of a performance and very little talking

I was unfortunately unable to attend the show later that night, but my friend Fito did. He enjoyed the show but mentioned that Flora Purim was not present (even though advertised) and they did not have guitarist.