Tag: It’s About That Time

Eric Benny Bloom & his Lettuce cohorts pay tribute to Miles Davis with “Bitches Bloom / Witches Stew” late night jazz fest gig

Bitches Bloom at Blue Nile

Lettuce / Witches Stew (billed as Bitches Bloom)
May 2nd, 2017 – New Orleans, LA @ Blue Nile
Part 1 of 4: Sivad > Benny Runs The Voodoo Down >

Bee Getz as quoted in his NOLA Jazz Fest After-Dark 2017 overview review at Live For Live Music:

Bitches Bloom followed DRKWAV’s phantasmagorical performance Tuesday night at the Blue Nile, and the Royal Fam regiment immediately distinguished themselves from the dozens of other tributes taking place around town. Helmed by Lettuce trumpet player Eric “Benny” Bloom, Bitches Bloom took a long, hard look into the Miles Davis catalog of the late 60’s and dawn of the 70’s. Bloom employed a sort of method acting, mean-mugging and glaring at his assembled players until they achieved tone and textures to his liking, just as Davis would do to start performances in those times. Bloom was joined by Lettuce co-conspirators Adam Deitch (drums), Nigel Hall (keys), Ryan Zoidis (sax), and Jesus Coomes, who handled the Michael Henderson basslines with aplomb.

Lettuce / Witches Stew (billed as Bitches Bloom)
May 2nd, 2017 – New Orleans, LA @ Blue Nile
Part 2 of 4: Shhh/Peaceful > It’s About That Time >

Benny Bloom was master of ceremonies and star of this serenade. The steamy, foreboding performance saw sit-ins from Wil Blades (organ) and trumpet mavens Maurice “Mo Betta” Brown and Aaron Janik. Benny meticulously searched deep into the annals of this era, and the setlist included opener “Sivad,” a harrowing revamp entitled “Benny Runs the Voodoo Down,” “Right Off,” “It’s About that Time,” “Jean Pierre,” this writer’s favorite jam “Black Satin” (off of 1972’s brilliant On the Corner). Be advised that the separations hardly mattered, as they were just shifts in groove that altered the time-space continuum. Leaving the Blue Nile sometime near 4 a.m., we were left shaking our heads at how Benny and company had so effectively mined the Miles zeitgeist whilst delivering this shell-shocking, inventive performance. Bitches Bloom found itself immediately on the short list of the finest shows at Jazz Fest 2017, a testament to the modus operandi of this murderers’ row.

Lettuce / Witches Stew (billed as Bitches Bloom)
May 2nd, 2017 – New Orleans, LA @ Blue Nile
Part 3 of 4: Right Off (with Aaron Janik & Maurice Brown) > Improv?

Lettuce / Witches Stew (billed as Bitches Bloom)
May 2nd, 2017 – New Orleans, LA @ Blue Nile
Part 4 of 4: Black Satin > Jean Pierre

Lettuce / Witches Stew (billed as Bitches Bloom)
May 2nd, 2017
New Orleans, LA @ Blue Nile

Sony ECM-MS908C stereo mic > Canon XA-20 video cam as LPCM 16/48 audio > 16/44 WAV > FLAC

AUDIO DOWNLOAD: FLAC TORRENT or MP3 ZIP 1 or MP3 ZIP 2 or LIVE MUSIC ARCHIVE

01. Sivad >
02. Benny Runs The Voodoo Down >
03. Shhh/Peaceful > It’s About That Time >
04. Right Off (with Aaron Janik & Maurice Brown) >
05. Improv?
06. Black Satin >
07. Jean Pierre

Eric Benny Bloom – trumpet, keyboards, percussion
Ryan Zoidis – saxophone
Adam Deitch – drums
Jesus Coomes – bass
Wil Blades – keyboards
Nigel Hall – keyboards

Guests:
Maurice Brown – trumpet
Aaron Janik – trumpet

Bitches Bloom at Blue Nile

Roy Hargrove & The RH Factor – April 2, 2004 Cully Jazz Festival, Switerzland

Roy Hargrove & The RH Factor – Hardgroove 4/2/04 Cully Jazz Fest, Switzerland

Shortly after D’Angelo disbanded The Soultronics in late 2000 to begin working on his (still) long awaited follow up to Voodoo, Roy Hargrove, a former member of The Soultronics and an established jazz musician in his own right, decided to take his music in a more funk and soul oriented direction.

In late 2002, Hargrove debuted his new band, The RH Factor, at the Monterey Jazz Festival. This new group included two other Soultronics alumnus, Chalmers “Spanky” Alford and “Brother Jacques Schwarz-Bart. Your interest should be piqued. If not, just press play and listen to the interplay of the dual drum kits held down by Willie Jones III and Jason Thomas. Add the keyboard stylings and soulful vocals of Miss Renée Neufville and it is clear that Mr. Hargrove had hit upon quite a combo.

The band went on to put out an EP and 2 albums featuring many guests, including D’Angelo, Q-Tip, Meshell Ndegeocello, Erykah Badu and Common. All 3 discs are highly recommended. In the following years, Hargrove continued to tour sporadically with The RH Factor in Europe, although with various members changes. To my knowledge their most recent tour was in 2009. Let’s hope that Hargrove again decides to divert his attention from his straight ahead jazz in favor of the deep jazz funk that this group produces.

Roy Hargrove & The RH Factor
April 2nd, 2004
Cully Jazz Festival, Switzerland @ Chapiteau de Cully
FM/SBD > ? > CDR > EAC > WAV > MP3

MP3 DOWNLOAD LINK: http://funkit.minus.com/mWKHgawh9

1. In A Silent Way 7:18
2. It’s About That Time 6:14
3. It’s About That Time (cont.) 4:51
4. Hardgroove > Pastor T 24:06
5. Forget Regret 10:40
6. “Truth Be Told” 3:50 (fade out, end)

Roy Hargrove (tp, voc)
The RH Factor:
Renée Neufville (voc, keyb)
Keith Anderson (ts, as)
Jacques Schwarz-Bart (ts, f, g)
Bobby Sparks (keyb, org)
Chalmers “Spanky” Alford (g)
Reggie Washington (b)
Jason Thomas (dr)
Willie Jones III (dr)