The acorn didn’t fall from the tree as, instead of the Allman Brothers Band, you got the Allman family bands at the Canyon Club on Tuesday night.
Opening up was son Devon Allman on his first solo tour since leaving the Royal Southern Brotherhood band. He’s got a strong and earthy voice and can play the guitar like a –ringin’ a bell as he gave a 45 minute set of his material that consisted of concise and melodic tunes such as his own “Homesich” and the easygoing “Left My Heart in Memphis.” He displayed his prowess on the Gibson on a moanin’ blues, only to be matched at the finish line when Richie Sambora jumped on stage and joined the band for a howling take of “All Along The Watchtower.” Can dad top this?
It’s easy to hear Gregg Allman’s music and say, “Oh, yeah. I’ve heard that style before.” But you have to realizethat he’s the guy that actually created and pioneered the easy swing of southern blues/rock. This evening, he mixed that sound with a band that included a swinging horn section of Mark Franklin/tp, Art Edmaiston/ts-bs and Jay Collins/ts-bs to give an extra jazzy goose to the southern comfort of such songs as “Statesboro Blues” and “I’m No Angel.” Allman squeezed a smoky fog out of his B3 Hammond while the band of Scott Sharrad/g, Peter Levin/key, Steve Potts/dr, Ron Johnson/b and Mark Quineres/perc laid down a sizzling groove on classics such as “Trouble No More” which featured an impressive solo by Sharrad. Allman kept his foot in the blues door when he picked up his guitar and moaned out a “I Can’t Be Satisfied” that was augmented by a New Orleanish punch provided by the horns.
Going back deeper into the roots of American music was guest vocalist Lara Johnston who came on stage to deliver a glorious gospeled “Soulshine” that made you feel like it was Sunday Morning. Allman then brought out his acoustic guitar and sat us around the campfire for homespun classics “Melissa” and “Midnight Rider.” While his voice has become a bit more fragile over the years, it is made up for in the rich leathered textures that make these songs feel more pungent as his finger picking good strings serenaded the audience. By the time he closed with a rolling and tumbling “Love Like Kerosene,” a funkified “Whipping Post” and an encore of a cruising “Southbound,” Allman and company showed that while souls can age gracefully, the music can stay young for generations.
Upcoming shows at the Canyon Club include Robbie Krieger May 17, Robben Ford June 12, Robin Trower June 18, Albert Lee June 25 and John Mayall July 5.
