While Kevin Eubanks may be best known for his laid back guitar work on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, on Friday night he played like there was no tomorrow with his hard hitting team of bassist Rene Camacho and fellow Tonighter alumnus “Smitty” Smith.
While performing material from his sublime duet album with Stanley Clarke as well as his most recent release East West Time Line, (which included both bandmates), Eubanks eschewed the softer water color brushes and tapped into his inner Jimi Hendrix for as his thumb hitchhiked through the strings on an intense and feisty read of “The Dancing Sea” with Smith and Camacho creating a tidal wave of rhythmic activity. Eubanks’ strings whined and cried Mary with a sinewy tone as he danced around Camacho’s bass on a brand new blues. The three created a rain forest of sound effects that were both free and funky before tearing into an electrifying groove of “Spider Monkey Café’” that mixed East African guitar lines with some Memphis juke joint sweat. Together, Smith and Camacho were incessant as they drove like a Shelby Cobra through an urgent and rocking “Take The Coltrane” that had Eubanks mix dynamics that ranged from soft whispers to declaratory field hollers.
Not that there weren’t moments of quiet reflection, as Eubanks was delicate and intimate as he used his digits to coax tones out of his dainty intro to “Summertime” before letting his mates come in to take the Gershwin classic and bop it, swing it, rock it, Experience it and fuse it until the livin’ was no longer easy. Suave swinging was at its sleekest when Eubanks took his thenar digit and gave it the full Montgomery on a nifty and deft “Blues For Wes” that had Smith use his brushes like he was dancing like Astaire.
The nimble and hip closer for the 100 minute windjammer was a muscular “6/8” that featured Smith giving a well appreciated drum clinic as Eubanks closed out dishing out sparks and lightning bolts. More voluminous and aggressive than usually recognized, Eubanks showed the enthusiastic and packed house that at this stage in his career, he has not run out of ideas or inspirations.
Upcoming shows at Feinstein’s at Vitellos include Mark Winkler 08/23, James Torme’ 08/24, Myron McKinley 09/10, Thom Rotella 09/13