28 April 2008 (gig)
30 April 2008
Oh my lord, what a night!
This was based around the album from Otis Taylor, Guy Davis, Corey Harris, Alvin Youngblood Hart and Don Vappie and was intended as a showcase for the 'original’ Blues instrument, the Banjo, but the show was very nearly stolen by a magnificent set by Bassekou Kouyate and Ngoni Ba.
Kouyate and his 'Big Ngoni’ played around 50 minutes and while there were a few puzzled glances at the start of their set they achieved a standing ovation and won a lot of new friends to their glorious contemporary African music played on a fore-runner to the banjo, the Ngoni. Amy Sacko – Kouyate’s wife – was simply gorgeous to listen to and the whole ensemble showed that the origins of so much western music is, in fact, in Africa.
After Ngoni Ba the ensemble started slowly with Corey Harris taking the stage alone for a Skip James number. Harris voice is sweet and pure, his banjo picking was subtle and understated. Unfortunately the audience took on a reverential pose and, in the initial numbers at least, didn’t really let their hair down.
Alvin Youngblood Hart came out next, then Guy Davis, Don Vappie and finally Otis Taylor and as each of the Blues superstars took the stage the music intensity stepped up a notch. The variety of styles ranging from Don Vappie’s New Orleans Jazz to Corey Harris early Blues and taking in Jug band – 'Walk Right In’, modern Blues – 'Ran So Hard The Sun Went Down’, classic N’Orleans French – 'Les Oignons’ and an awesome version of 'Hey Joe’ with banjos being alternated with acoustic guitar and Guy Davis sweet harmonica. Other than Otis’ daughter Cassie playing electric bass there wasn’t a single electric instrument or any percussion but the music didn’t suffer any from that.
The audience continued in slightly reserved mode, even while the musicians were trying to crack jokes but they did manage a few clapalongs when prompted.
The whole evening came to a head though, when Bassekou Kouyate came back out – Don Vappie calling for 'Mrs Kouyate’ to join him – and then finally the whole of Ngoni Ba with all of the ensemble furiously jamming on the encore.
One of the enduring images of this show will be of Fousseyni Kouyate jamming on bass Ngoni with Cassie Taylor on bass guitar while Otis Taylor and Bassekou Kouyate looked on with utter amazement – as if to say 'We knew they were good but ,,'
The standing ovation was well deserved and if this is the best I have to look forward to this year then it was a cracker
