Like the title of his latest release, Calabasas’ gift to the guitar Graham Dechter is Takin’ it There, which means like so many other Angelenos, he’s moving to NYC where his chances of paying back his tuition seem the best. In the meanwhile, he’s staying around long enough to get a home cooked meal and burn up the hot little Vittello’s Upper Room with some of the best bopping six string work you’ll ever want to hear.
The name Dechter must be short for “Dexterity,” as this kid picked, plucked, strummed, stroked, poked, sliced and diced the strings throughout the night. Along with the team of All Stars (Jeff Hamilton/dr, Tamir Hendelman/p, Mike Gurola/b), Dechter bopped through a burning “Road Song” and then shuffled, bluesed and snapped to Josh Nelson’s title track of the new disc. Although Hamilton rode the drums like the Cattle Drive Scene from the movie Red River, Dechter floated over “Chega de Saudade” like a red autumn leave. The dainty “Father” displayed Dechter’s more lyrical side, while he and Hendelman went back and forth like a Beijing ping pong tournament. During the quicksilver “Hocus Pocus,” everyone showed quite a bit of prestidigitation, as the band swung tighter than a spandex on Pavarotti, while the closing Ellington “… Nuthin’ But The Blues” had the young six stringer make his guitar moan like a member on a chain gang. If you were in the mood for the music straightahead, going down easy, with gobs of comfort food, you were in the right place this fall evening.