At 73 years young, drummer Steve Gadd continues to drink from the musical fountain of youth, as his band of Walter Fowler/tp-fh, Kevin Hays/key, Jimmy Johnson/b, Michael Landau/g and recent addition Duke Gadd/perc create music that brims over with fresh ideas and sounds.
Mixing in material from his latest album, Gadd delivered a 90 minute set of deep grooves, opening with a bluesy funk and spacey “Where’s Earth” that had Fowler’s horn and Hays’ keys form echoes of Miles Davis Bitches Brew, with Landau’s flexible rich solo searing between the hemispheres.
Not only was the music from the latest album wide ranging, but so was Gadd himself. His cymbals on “One Point Five” drove the band like Walter Brennan on a wagon train, switching over to high hat heaven with his son Duke to create a sizzling salsa as Johnson chimed in with a rich pulse. After Landau’s agonizing opening, his brushes nudged along Fowler’s moody horn on a film nourish “Auckland By Numbers” while he sauntered across the dance floor on a slithering “Cavaliero” as Hays and Fowler went bel canto on the Latin Lover serenade.
But with all things Gadd, the groove is the thing, and he didn’t disappoint, as on the thick rivulet of “Oh Yeah” each chorus slowly built up like a snowball on an avalanche as Hays and Fowler volleyed back and forth and the Gadd father-son combo kicked up the butanes on each go round, resulting in a glorious climax. Gadd and company are even able to get funky on a tune by folky Bob Dylan, “Watching
the River Flow” closed out the evening with Hays singing out a bluesy and hip shaking vibe that would make Mr. Zimmerman joyfully howl in joy.
This collection of gents have made careers supporting the likes of Eric Clapton, James Taylor and Steely Dan, but on this Advent Season night, Gadd and company showed they have a name and voice all their own, and it’s one worth hearing.
Upcoming shows at Catalina’s include Gina Saputo 12/11, Arianna Neikrug 12/12, Mike Stern 12/13-16 and Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band 12/31