How do you make Americas music more accessible to the masses? Three attempts were on display at the Bowl this hot August night.
Vocalist Lisa Fischer opened the evening by delivering well known rock hits by The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin in a world music mode. A folksy “Gimme Shelter” and West African “Rock and Roll” highlighted her dynamic range and vocal prowess, while the supple support by Thieryy Arplino/dr, Aidan Carroll/b and JC Maillard/g was distracted by the latter’s appearance more in tune to a Star Trek episode. Intriguing sonically, but distracting visually.
The jam band trio of Soulive had Alan Evans/dr, Neal Evans/key and Eric Krasno/g looking like they were auditioning for a White Collar episode to replace Neal Caffrey with the obligatory Rat Pack look. The music itself was heavy on funky rhythms, boogie grooves and guitar solos that ranged between long and very long, being able to even make The Beatles’ “I Want You” sound irritating. Things got hipper when Reshawn Ross stepped up with his trumpet and bopped out a closing tune. Too little too late.
Jamie Cullum showed how to make jazz fun again. Teamed up with a stellar big band that included Wayne Bergeron/tp, Bob Sheppard/ts and Andy Martin/tb along with his regular team of Tom Richards/ts-key, Rory Simmons/g-tp, Loz Garratt/b and Brad Webb/dr, Cullum reveled in the celebratory grooves of “The Same Things” as he sang, played the piano and drums all on the same opening track. And that was just the warm up! Honky Tonkin on “Get Out of My Life” and bopping through a sleek film noirish “Interlude” Cullum took you to the back streets of a juke joint and made you enjoy the atmosphere. His voice, sort of a UK version of Chet Baker, is able to get R&B soulish on “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” or pop romantic as on the lyrical “Carry On.” He also successfully taps into his inner nerd on the sardonic “When I Get Famous” and sound believably reverential on “Amazing Grace” making both the secular and the sacred reach the heart and soul. By the time he closed with “ You and Me Are Gone” Cullum showed that jazz and popularity can walk hand in hand.
Upcoming at the Bowl is a tribute to Jaco Pastorius August 12.