This is why you are a jazz fan in So Cal…
So, Hammond B3er Brian Charette has recently released his 40 something-th album, a tribute to Brother Jack McDuff (You Don’t Know Jack), but instead of plugging that album for the packed house at The Grape, he teams up with local blues guitarist and longtime friend Jimmy Vivino, and pulling drummer Gary Novak off the street and onto this trio for the first time, give a soul jazz rendition of tunes associated with the power trio Cream. What could go wrong?
Furthermore, if you’re going to do a tribute to Cream, what’s the last song you think they’d open with? That’s right! Ginger Baker’s “Toad”, with Novak rollicking with the tom toms between riffs in wisely truncated duration, before Vivino and Charette switched Disraeli gears, and popped the clutch for a dark and bluesy gospel take of “ White Room” . Simmering psychedelia!
Then, just as things were settling down, up on the stage, and barely old enough to even get into the over 21 club is tenor saxist Aiden Farrell, who pulls out the horn and taps into his inner King Curtis for a funky swamp read of “I’m So Glad”, with Vivino in perfect Bruce-like voice with a dash of gravel and Charette humming on the Hammond. Joking that they’re going to let Farrell play one more tune “before he has to go to bed”, Vivino gave growling guitar work along side Charette’s throbbing Leslie’s on a rolling and tumblin’ “Sitting On Top Of The World”.
As Farrell goes back to the seat,co-owner Adam Randall takes the mic and reminds the audience “hey, the tip jar is empty; you need to support this music, as there are so few jazz clubs around” to which the crowd dutifully lines up for the donation plate before Vivino’s guitar cries over Novak’s shuffle on “Badge”. The 75 minute set ended with Vivino bending the strings like a Cirque du Soleil artist over Novak’s table dance of cymbals and Charette’s calypso’d keys on a relentless read of “Dance The Night Away”. Who’s not staying for the second set?
As Vivino joked between tunes regarding the Cream catalogue, “they covered it, tonight we’re uncovering it”. Charette and company definitely delivered an evening of whipped cream for the sweet toothed crowd.
Upcoming shows at The Grape Ventura include Andrew Synowiec & Oz Noy 01.24, Incendio 02/01, Canta Violo 02/06, Kelly Green 02/07, Barrelhouse Wailers 02/08 and Michael Falcone 02/14