I worked out before the gig that this was my 6th time seeing the DDBB live, but it was the first time doing so with my wife and kids. There's something a little weird about entering the New Morning with a 6 year old girl in tow, but she was so excited about her "first concert" as she put it. The line up of the DDBB has changed a little lately, with Terrence Higgins replaced on drums by Julian Addison, and a new permanent guitarist in the person of Takeshi Shimmura. There was a third new comer, TJ Norris on trombone replacing ET's trumpet. I don't know if that's permanent or not. Both Addison and Shimmura bring something solid to the band, Addison is definitely more in your face than Higgins was, which gives the band more oomph at the cost of a little subtlety. Shimmura is solid and more fitting than the keyboard player they had a few years ago. I suspect it will take him a while to find his place in the ensemble, but his playing was solid, and he took a couple of really good solos. TJ Norris is a really good addition as well, and I have to say that I like the balanced sound of trumper and trombone.
My son asked me as we were queuing if the band had reworked their arrangements over the fourty years of their existence, and I'm glad to say they have, so that even after 5 gigs, the sixth surprised me. It was truly an amazing gig despite (or maybe because of) the oppressive heat. The DDBB didn't falter though and barreled through a mix of classics and tunes I don't think they've recorded. It was funky and sweaty as hell, everyone was dancing (even my daughter on my shoulders) and they all seemed in great form except maybe Kirk Joseph who seemed a bit tired (but played spectacularly nonetheless).
A few things stick out in my memory of that night that I'd never seen or heard them do before: they got dancers from the audience up on the stage really early on, they didn't wait for Dirty Old Man; the horns went walking in the audience, marching band style, which I'd seen other bands do (CQMD I'm looking at you) but not the DDBB. Also, Kirk shifted from sousaphone to voice to do the bass line on Dirty Old Man and if I hadn't seen it myself, I wouldn't have known. And last but not least, Greg Davis, Roger Lewis and Takeshi Shimmura treated us to a really mellow version of Drown in my own tears just before the encore. It was a welcome respite, and didn't seem rehearsed but was heartfelt and really nice.
nyway, as you've probably figured out by now, it was simply amazing, and just goes to show that I will not hesitate a second to go see them a seventh time.
Comments
Post a Comment