Displaying items by tag: Old Town School of Folk Music

Wow…one more time…WOW! This is one gifted trio and is such a pleasure to watch live. Harold is one of the younger generation Cuban Jazz pianists on the scene. Cuba has had a reputation for delivering some fine Jazz musicians, even though they are less known here in the states. We can thank the Cold War for that. Thankfully that is over. The doors are open again and we need to realize that the best things coming from Cuba are not cigars and rum. Those are nice too, but man…the music is incredible!

Harold is a piano player who has the chops of a Classical player. He also has the rhythmic sense of salsa in his soul. He took this rather student-model looking upright piano and made it dance, baby. A while back I envisioned the piano as a drum set. It is by far, the best harmony instrument out there…but there is a reason why it is often described as a percussion instrument. Rhythm is infectious. It makes you dance, move, scream, etc. The pulse should affect the listeners heart rate. Rhythm controls you. Harold Lopez-Nussa was in command of this, but he did have some serious help.

Younger brother Ruy Adrian was on drums. This young man is one of the finest drummers I think I have ever seen in my life. I am by no means exaggerating. You could isolate the drums and it would be a show. His playing was never overstated either. He played exactly what was needed, which at times was a lot. The music demanded a lot of rhythmic interpretation. Harold’s piano playing already has a ton of rhythmic diversity, the drums added another layer. Watching him play the cajon made my hands hurt. He really put everything into his playing.

Gaston Jova played upright bass. He was described as a “brother from a different mother.” That is a cliché, but I feel that is how the group functions. They are very much a musical family. Gaston is the laid back, jovial kid brother. His playing was very relaxed but very commanding.

Old Town School of Folk Music is such a great resource in the city of Chicago. Not only do they provide education, but entertainment as well. This was in the smaller hall on the east side of Lincoln Ave. This provided a warm, intimate setting. It was general admission and since I was there early…guess who sat in the front row? If you guessed me, put yourself down for a shiny gold star! I was less than 20 feet from someone many consider truly on top of his game. This young man has a serious musical future ahead of him. Take note.

Ray Benson has been leading this wonderful group, Asleep at the Wheel, since 1970. The band falls into the Western Swing category pioneered by people like Bob Wills and The Texas Playboys. Their newest album is dedicated to Wills and is called Still the King. Their latest stop – The Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago.

Benson carries on the tradition with the twin fiddles. As a fan of The Allman Brothers Band, I had to see this for myself. This is where Dickey Betts got the idea for the harmony guitars that made them famous. Katie Shore and Dennis Ludiker handle the job admirably. Shore also handled lead vocals on a few tunes. Ludiker doubled on mandolin and did some background vocal work.

The band has David Sanger on drums and Josh Hoag on Bass, compiling a very solid rhythm section - very much in that Texas tradition. Professionals make it look easy. Both musicians did exactly that.

The rest of the band includes Eddie Rivers on steel guitar and sax, Connor Forsyth on piano and background vocals and Jay Reynolds on sax and clarinet. Each member added melodic and harmonic coloration to the swing line up that put a bit more focus on the fiddles.

Oh, wait…what about Benson? Ray Benson sings a lot of the lead vocals and plays lead guitar. I found him to be quite the guitar player. Rhythm guitar is actually what he did more of than anything, but he did play some tasty leads. I really found him to be rock solid and he had an outstanding chord vocabulary. His vocals are strong and low, very Texas.

The band was formed in Austin, Texas, a place made up of a real pot pourri of music. Actually, Asleep at the Wheel is that all by themselves. At times, their sound was that of country. At times, we can hear early Rock and Roll. At times, there were even hints of Swing. There were even moments of Jazz improvisation with solos being traded all around. One could really appreciate this band as a musician or just a music lover.

A lot of familiar songs were in the set. “Route 66” is a staple of their repertoire. I love their version of the Bobby Troup penned classic. “Nobody Here but Us Chickens” is a great old song from Louis Jordan and it fits in well in their set. “I Taught the Weeping Willow How to Cry” is another familiar tune. A surprise to me was “Hot Rod Lincoln”. Well, maybe it shouldn’t have come as that much of a shock, but I haven’t heard that song in a while.

My only complaint is…you guessed it…I wanted more! What can I say? One set was not enough! I am still glad I saw them, of course. Old Town School has a nice little theatre and I love going there. Also, the band almost always does a meet and greet after the show, which is nice. Go see more live music...whenever you can!