It only took 40 years for guitarist Michael O’Neill to take time off from his stints with the likes of George Benson, Ronnie Foster and Barbara Streisand to release his own solo album and put together a few gigs to promote it. O’Neill filled The Grape Ventura with his trio of drummer Land Richards and bassist John Leftwich with a collection of songs from not only that album, but from the parts of his life that have made him one of the most in-demand six string session guys around.
The songs from the newly released Arrival were the type that made you fall in love with jazz in the first place, as “Writ of Habeus Corpuscle” had O’Neill team up with Leftwich for a hip unison groove with Richards laying down a rubber neck pulse. O’Neill’s Mexican roots were showing on the bouncy and peppy “Cosa Buena” that had his strings dancing over Richards’ high hat, while the picking was easy on the blues cruiser “Beans and Grease” that featured Leftwich on a bow solo that dug deep into musical magma.
O’Neill and company was lyrical and mellow around Leftwich’s loping bass line as Richards was laying down the mellowest of funkifications on “Steppin’ Smoothly” before O’Neill brought out his acoustic guitar for a Latin Quarter serenade of “La Puerta” .
But most fun of all was when O’Neill took songs we’ve grown up with and puree’d them with his own earthy ideas. A take of “Smoke On The Water” was like a summit meeting between Wes Montgomery and Richie Blackmore, as the guitarist bumped and swung and bopped through the famous theme, while a festive read of Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” had the guitar chiming like the ringing of a bell. O’Neill showed the full house that he has built a successful career by making jazz a verb.
Upcoming shows at The Grape Ventura include The Barrelhouse Wailers 06/08, Groove Legacy with Tom Scott 06/13, The Mer Sal: Scott Kinsey Experience 06/14 and Doug Webb 06/29