One of my best friends (who is a businessman) always says, “Everything is sales.” Once you think about it, he’s right; dating, raising kids, going to church and even playing music involve a degree of salesmanship. Wednesday on a perfect summer evening at the Bowl, three artists showed the art of salesmanship concerning three different styles and eras of music.
Brazilian pianist/singer Eliane Elias opened the evening with a fervent and winning formula of sensual and swinging bossa classics from the 50s and 60s. Underrated as a pianist, she showed poise, style and wit on pieces like “Chega De Saudade” and “Aquele Abraco” while her team of Marc Johnson/b, Graham Dechter/g and Rafael Barata/dr provided irresistible grooves. Her warm and lusty vocals on “I Thought About You” and “So Danco Samba” and especially on the tongue twisting “Chewing Gum and Eating Dates” during the torrid rhythms easily won the crowd over room to spare. SOLD!
LA stalwarts Lee Ritenour/g and Dave Grusin/p have made beautiful music together for scores of soundtracks during the Reagan and beyond years, making contemporary jazz accessible yet also inspirational as demonstrated during their hour set. Along with Abraham Laboriel/b, (who himself has been on over 4,000 recordings!) and Chris Coleman/dr, Ritenour gave a guitar workshop on taste and chops on “The Village” while Grusin made keyboard magic with pianistic solos as well as synthesized flute sounds on the infectious “Wes Bound.” Clean picking and sleek sounds from six stringers Ritenour and Laboriel made some dream like interplay on “Waltz for Carmen” while Grusin showed his arranging expertise with a wondrously rich improvisation of “Happy Birthday” for members of the band. The closing tribute to LA itself consisted of a rocking and rollicking take of…what else? Jeff Beck’s “Traffic Jam” which was bumper to bumper fun. Where do I sign up? I’m convinced!
Boz Scaggs made his fame and fortune in the 70s with a slew of disco hits (“that you remember on your 8 track” the headliner joked with the crowd). Impressively, he saved these hits for last, giving his best moments of the set with a convincing delivery of songs from his most recent album Memphis, a tribute to roots music. Adhering to my theory that most 70s rockers got sidelined by their true love of the blues by getting famous for pop hits, Scaggs sounded and looked at home with a wonderfully swampy band of Richard Patterson/b, Gene Lake/dr, Michael Logan/key-B3, Eric Crystal/g-sax-key, Michael Miller/g and Conesha Owens/voc. Greasy tunes like “Down The Drain” and Chicago Blues-styled “Dry Spell” were perfectly matched with Scaggs’ 40 grade sandpaper voice, while the street feeling “Mixed Up Shook Up” and earthy “Rainy Night” had red clay under the leader’s fingernails.
By the time he got to his 35+ year old hits like “Lowdown” (with its clarion call bass lick), “Harbor Lights” and “Lido,” Scaggs seemed unconvinced about the verity of these tunes, considering them to be the reason he’s still performing, but almost resentful of the fact that they’re taking him off his musical path. Not quite a convincing sale closed the otherwise wonderful show.
Upcoming shows with promise include Herbie Hancock/Gregory Porter Aug 6, John Legend Aug 20 and Peter Frampton Aug 27