Neon-Medeski
April 30, 2018 (actually 2am on 5/1/18)
New Orleans, LA @ One Eyed Jack’s
01. Improv }
02. Improv }
03. Improv }
04. A Change Is Gonna Come [Sam Cooke cover] (with Jermaine Holmes) }
05. Improv (with Maurice Brown) }
06. Bitches Brew [Miles Davis cover] (with Maurice Brown) }
07. Night of the Thumpasorus Peoples [Parliament cover] } Improv (with Deshawn “D’Vibes” Alexander, Borahm Lee & Marcus Machado) }
08. If You Get Lonely (with Charles “Redd” Middleton, Deshawn “D’Vibes” Alexander & Marcus Machado) }
09. Do That Stuff [Parliament cover] (with ??? on sax, Deshawn “D’Vibes” Alexander & Marcus Machado) }
10. She’s Always In My Hair [Prince cover] (with Jermaine Holmes & Marcus Machado)
11. Improv }
12. Improv }
13. Improv (with Maurice Brown) }
14. Dynamite [J Dilla / The Roots cover] } Improv } Theme From A Symphony [Ornette Coleman cover] coda (last half with Borahm Lee & Wil Blades swaps out with Medeski)
Neon-Medeski:
John Medeski – keyboards MonoNeon – bass Daru Jones – drums Skerik – saxophone Robert Walter – keyboards DJ Logic – turntables
Guests:
Maurice Brown – trumpet Deshawn “D’Vibes” Alexander – keyboards Borahm Lee – keyboards Marcus Machado – guitar Jermaine Holmes – vocals Charles “Redd” Middleton – vocals
??? – saxophone Wil Blades – organ
AUDIO: Schoeps CCM5’s } Tascam DR-70D (onstage center 4′ high in ORTF/Cardioid Mode) by Phil Harris / PH Balanced Recordings
VIDEO Recorded & Edited by Funk It Blog
Chris Dave & The Drumhedz
September 8, 2018
Louisville, KY @ Jimmy Can’t Dance
Part 1 of 2: A Change Is Gonna Come [Sam Cooke], Fall In Love [J Dilla / Slum Village], Renaissance Rap [J Dilla / Q-Tip] / What’s Going On [Marvin Gaye], Workinonit [J Dilla], Black Hole / Zombie [Fela Kuti]
Chris Dave & The Drumhedz
September 8, 2018
Louisville, KY @ Jimmy Can’t Dance
Part 2 of 2: Vitamin [Can], ??? (t15), ??? (t12), ??? (t13), Let’s Ride [J Dilla / Q-Tip], ??? (t6)
Chris Dave & The Drumhedz
September 8, 2018
Louisville, KY @ Jimmy Can’t Dance
Chris “Daddy” Dave – drums & cymbals Chris Turner – vocals Daniel Crawford – piano & small keyboard Jay Mck – bass Frank Moka – percussion & vocals
VIDEO 1: Yi 4K Action Cam
VIDEO 2: Canon XA20
AUDIO: Sony ECM-MS908C stereo mic } Canon XA20 } Vegas Video (slight eq)
Recorded & Edited by Funk It Blog
Another phenomenal side project for the Lettuce krewe is bassist Jesus Coomes’ annual Big Lil Baby Jesus Peasant Party, an event that took this writer’s honors for finest late-night excursion in 2017. This year, the festivities were moved to the Howlin’ Wolf, which had both positive and negative consequences. The Peasant Party was the final installment to the annual Megalomaniacs Ball, traditionally held at the Wolf on the Wednesday of the daze between.
The band’s lineup once again consisted of the de facto bandleader Jesus on bass, his older brother Tycoon on drums; Ryan Zoidis on sax and synths; Khris Royal on keys, sax, synths, bass guitar; and Borahm Lee on keys and synths. The band of brothers and badasses was blessed with contributions from Adam Deitch, longtime ally and Berkelee-bruiser Amy Bellamy, and upcoming NOLA drummer AJ Hall.
Unfortunately, the Howlin’ Wolf wasn’t the ideal room for the vibe that this sort of improvised session requires; it was too big and hollow, and the situation suffered for it. Luckily, the music did not suffer even a little bit, and the highest highs of 2018’s Peasant Party were as good, if not better, than the mystical Maple Leaf show last year.
For the last forty-five minutes, the band and its small but engrossed audience turned the proverbial corner to take another mind-bending expedition into the annals of J Dilla, Flying Lotus, golden-era hip-hop, progressive psychedelia, and beyond. Tycoon delivered a choice assortment of classic breaks and wonky, filtered beats underneath baby bro’s adventurous boom-bap basslines, while Zoid and Khris Royal traded soaring leads and luminescent licks all night. Borahm Lee was the glue that held it all together, as he and Royal offered layers on layers on layers of sound design from a variety of keyboards, organs, and synths.
Jesus’ Peasant Party – May 2, 2018 – New Orleans, LA @ Howlin’ Wolf
Part 2 of 2:
Jesus’ Peasant Party
May 2, 2018
New Orleans, LA @ Howlin’ Wolf – late night (actually morning of May 3rd)
AUDIO: Sony EMC-MS908C stereo mic > Canon XA20 video camera
VIDEO 1: Canon XA-20 (tripod)
VIDEO 2: Yi 4K Action Cam (on-stage)
Recorded & Edited by Funk It Blog
01. Improv 1
02. Improv 2
03. Improv 3
04. Improv 4
05. Improv 5 (with Adam Deitch, AJ Hall, Nigel Hall & Amy Bellamy) >
06. Everybody Wants To Rule The World (Butcher Brown flip) (with Adam Deitch, Nigel Hall & Amy Bellamy) > Improv 6 (with DeShawn “D’Vibes” Alexander)
Jesus Coomes – bass Tyler Coomes – drums & drum machine Ryan Zoidis – saxophone & Korg X-911 synth rig Borahm Lee – keyboards Khris Royal – organ, clavinet & saxophone
Guests: Adam Deitch – drums & drum machine AJ Hall – drums & drum machine Nigel Hall – keyboards & vocals Amy Bellamy – keyboards DeShawn “D’Vibes” Alexander – organ & clavinet
And here are Bee Getz’ words on the 2017 Maple Leaf performance:
It’s hard to put into English what transpired from 4 to 7 a.m. uptown at the Maple Leaf Bar on Friday into the subterranean night, this one will go down in the annals of Jazz Fest lore. An unholy army of cosmonauts converged to turn loose what might be the defining performance of this writer’s fifteenth Jazz Fest—the Big Lil Baby Jesus Peasant Party was fantastic voyage from a band beyond description. Lettuce bassist/vibe-guru Jesus Coomes enlisted his older brother Tycoon Beats on the drum kit, and Break Science/Pretty Lights keyboardist/producer Borahm Lee to confound the masses ’til well beyond sunrise. The entirety of both sets were improvised, and this battalion dove twenty-thousand leagues into the virtual viscera. Joining this trio was The Shady Horns’ Bloom and Zoidis, as well as NOLA’s omnipresent Khris Royal who played both B3 and saxophone, and longtime Bloom buddy Mike Tucker on tenor sax. The first set was spiritualized electro-bass music, psychedelic yet controlled, mystical in it’s mayhem. Lee and Tycoon were crucial co-pilots, as each lent their fearless virtuoso to the cornucopia.
For the second set, the squad went subaqueous, then drilled even further on down the golden road. The Peasant Party was joined by The Nth Power’s Nikki Glaspie and Nicky Cake Cassarino, and this infantry began to probe the galaxies unknown. The group harnessed the lionhearted focus of Sun Ra, organically blending in the wonky and whacked-out beat-science of J Dilla, Flying Lotus and more while still maintaining their unique sound for the entire gig. The extra-terrestrials traversed the abyss, and conjured emotions recondite; the pulsing, filtered low-end from the Big Lil Wizard of Danger steered the spaceship skyward. The militant boom-bap and heavy metal head-nod of Tycoon’s demonstrative drumming and the kaleidoscopic color-ways emanating from Zoidis’ alto horn shall forever be burned into the recesses of my mind. The Peasant Party penetrated a sorcerous portal, taking us on a wonder-fueled bicycle ride up Oak Street and an excursion into the ethereal.
