Hot Ptah Posted June 9, 2006 Report Posted June 9, 2006 There is a blues/jazz festival in Kansas City next weekend, featuring the Superstars of Jazz Fusion, which is supposed to include Ronnie Laws, Lonnie Liston Smith, Roy Ayers, Jon Lucien, Bobbi Humphrey, Wayne Henderson and others. Has anyone seen this group live? None of the musicians are particular favorites of mine, and I am wondering if it is even worth going to. On the other hand, it may be enjoyable on some level. Maybe the musicians jell together and become greater than the sum of their parts. Anyone have any first hand experience seeing this group? Quote
sheldonm Posted June 9, 2006 Report Posted June 9, 2006 Haven't seen them but I would in a heartbeat!!! m~ Quote
Guy Berger Posted June 9, 2006 Report Posted June 9, 2006 This is a wild tangent, but I would love to see a supergroup w/Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Joe Zawinul, John McLaughlin, Dave Holland and Jack DeJohnette! Guy Quote
7/4 Posted June 9, 2006 Report Posted June 9, 2006 This is a wild tangent, but I would love to see a supergroup w/Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Joe Zawinul, John McLaughlin, Dave Holland and Jack DeJohnette! Guy So would I. Too bad Larry Young can't make it. What the hell would they play? Tunes from the Miles years? New tunes? Tunes by those musicans that post date the Miles years? I say tunes from the Miles years. Quote
Spontooneous Posted June 19, 2006 Report Posted June 19, 2006 There is a blues/jazz festival in Kansas City next weekend, featuring the Superstars of Jazz Fusion, which is supposed to include Ronnie Laws, Lonnie Liston Smith, Roy Ayers, Jon Lucien, Bobbi Humphrey, Wayne Henderson and others. Has anyone seen this group live? None of the musicians are particular favorites of mine, and I am wondering if it is even worth going to. On the other hand, it may be enjoyable on some level. Maybe the musicians jell together and become greater than the sum of their parts. Anyone have any first hand experience seeing this group? I was going to stay for this set, but it turned ridiculously cold out there on the festival grounds, and I wasn't prepared for that. So I split. My spy who did stay for the set tells me it was a mess. But he's prejudiced against that sort of thing. Quote
Hot Ptah Posted June 19, 2006 Author Report Posted June 19, 2006 I stayed for it. To give it a charitable account: each artist was featured on 2 songs. Lonnie Liston Smith performed two credible electric keyboard solos. He was improvising in a tasteful manner. While it was not earthshaking, it was great compared to what followed. Bobbi Humphrey came out and mostly sang and danced to funk, and shouted to the audience to party and get funky. She played some flute solos which were out of tune and with very notably poor intonation. This may have been the most unprofessional playing I have ever heard live outside of an elementary school concert. She is not a professional instrumentalist. Jon Lucien was in good voice and was quite enjoyable. His version of Jobim's "Dinji" was quite good. That was a good musical segment, the last of the evening. Jean Carn and Wayne Henderson were embarassing in their segments. They yelled out stuff to the audience about partying and getting funky and dancing. The musical component was virtually nil. Ronnie Laws is just not that good or interesting a saxophonist. By today's standards he does not cut it. He did two of his old songs, and they were lightweight. Roy Ayers played almost no vibes, and sang one song. The show was accompanied by smoke effects, a primitive light show projected above the stage, twirling lights, and blinding spotlights being directed at the audience often. These special effects were silly and strictly amateur hour. So I am quite glad to have heard Jon Lucien, and Lonnie Liston Smith was O.K. The rest was a mess, more of a third rate funk show than anything else. The jazz content was about nil, except for Lucien and Smith. Quote
Spontooneous Posted June 22, 2006 Report Posted June 22, 2006 I'm sorry. Were they the same primitive light effects that were used a little during Bobby Watson's set to everyone's annoyance? And was the sound any better than the hideous sound they gave Bobby? Quote
Hot Ptah Posted June 22, 2006 Author Report Posted June 22, 2006 The primitive light effects I noticed during Bobby Watson were these rotating colored lights on the stage, which were spun around. For the Superstars of Jazz Fusion, that was only one of the primitive lighting effects used. For the Superstars, there was a large image projected above the stage, as if on an old time overhead projector. On this large projected image, a very rudimentary light show was presented. If you have seen documentaries of the San Francisco rock music scene around 1967, with the light shows at the Fillmore West, that is what this was like, only it was terrible. This Superstars light show consisted of an off white background against which many black and gray ovals, like the outline of oval shaped pills, were shown. It was very boring. I kept thinking--this is like something that a child would have done in the early 1970s. With all of the graphics readily available on personal computers today, it is amazing that this was the best they could do. Even more annoying--quite often during the Superstars show, many truly blinding spotlights were shone directly into the audience. It made the seating area as bright as daytime. I could not look into the spotlights--they were painfully bright--so I had to cup my hands over my eyes or look downward for a significant part of the show. At first these spotlights were used when a performer had shouted out to the audience to join in with singing or shouting or dancing, as if the lights were there to let everyone see how much the audience was complying with the performer's demands. After a while, they were just turned on often, for long periods of time. The sound was better than for Bobby Watson. I agree that it was terrible for Bobby. The sound was louder for the Superstars. The rhythm section was in a late 1970s rock/funk mode, so it had to be loud for the drummer with the huge kit, the repetitive electric bassist, and the synthesizer player (who was the only one of the three who was ever introduced, even though the drummer played an extended solo). Quote
7/4 Posted June 22, 2006 Report Posted June 22, 2006 Even more annoying--quite often during the Superstars show, many truly blinding spotlights were shone directly into the audience. It made the seating area as bright as daytime. I could not look into the spotlights--they were painfully bright--so I had to cup my hands over my eyes or look downward for a significant part of the show. At first these spotlights were used when a performer had shouted out to the audience to join in with singing or shouting or dancing, as if the lights were there to let everyone see how much the audience was complying with the performer's demands. After a while, they were just turned on often, for long periods of time. They did that when I saw Rainbow with Richie Blackmore in the early '80s. Quote
Hot Ptah Posted June 22, 2006 Author Report Posted June 22, 2006 Even more annoying--quite often during the Superstars show, many truly blinding spotlights were shone directly into the audience. It made the seating area as bright as daytime. I could not look into the spotlights--they were painfully bright--so I had to cup my hands over my eyes or look downward for a significant part of the show. At first these spotlights were used when a performer had shouted out to the audience to join in with singing or shouting or dancing, as if the lights were there to let everyone see how much the audience was complying with the performer's demands. After a while, they were just turned on often, for long periods of time. They did that when I saw Rainbow with Richie Blackmore in the early '80s. Musically, the show was closer to Richie Blackmore and Rainbow than it was to Bobby Watson. Quote
chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez Posted July 6, 2006 Report Posted July 6, 2006 roy ayers was there and didnt play vibes but was there and just sang? that is nutz. i would of asked for my money back. Quote
Jim Alfredson Posted July 6, 2006 Report Posted July 6, 2006 C'mon, you would'nt have paid in the first place. You would've just found a way to sneak in. Quote
Rooster_Ties Posted July 6, 2006 Report Posted July 6, 2006 C'mon, you would'nt have paid in the first place. You would've just found a way to sneak in. So true. So true. Quote
Robert J Posted July 6, 2006 Report Posted July 6, 2006 They played last week in Toronto. I took a pass. Curiously, no review in any of the local media. Quote
chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez Posted July 6, 2006 Report Posted July 6, 2006 well at least i don't have my own jazz bullitin board thats just one giant commerical for my new organ trio cd which by the way makes Leo Sayer seem like Hampton Hawes Quote
Free For All Posted July 6, 2006 Report Posted July 6, 2006 well at least i don't have my own jazz bullitin board thats just one giant commerical for my new organ trio cd which by the way makes Leo Sayer seem like Hampton Hawes Quote
Joe G Posted July 6, 2006 Report Posted July 6, 2006 well at least i don't have my own jazz bullitin board thats just one giant commerical for my new organ trio cd which by the way makes Leo Sayer seem like Hampton Hawes That is exactly what we set out to do, believe it or not. Quote
Aggie87 Posted July 6, 2006 Report Posted July 6, 2006 well at least i don't have my own jazz bullitin board thats just one giant commerical for my new organ trio cd which by the way makes Leo Sayer seem like Hampton Hawes This, on top of your recent racist comments, really upsets me. Please grow up. Quote
Jim Alfredson Posted July 7, 2006 Report Posted July 7, 2006 well at least i don't have my own jazz bullitin board thats just one giant commerical for my new organ trio cd which by the way makes Leo Sayer seem like Hampton Hawes That is exactly what we set out to do, believe it or not. Damn. Someone figured us out. Quote
Guy Berger Posted July 7, 2006 Report Posted July 7, 2006 well at least i don't have my own jazz bullitin board thats just one giant commerical for my new organ trio cd which by the way makes Leo Sayer seem like Hampton Hawes How about you go to another "bullitin board", asshole. Guy Quote
kenny weir Posted July 7, 2006 Report Posted July 7, 2006 well at least i don't have my own jazz bullitin board thats just one giant commerical for my new organ trio cd which by the way makes Leo Sayer seem like Hampton Hawes Heh heh. This would be funny even if it wasn't true! Quote
Jim Alfredson Posted July 7, 2006 Report Posted July 7, 2006 well at least i don't have my own jazz bullitin board thats just one giant commerical for my new organ trio cd which by the way makes Leo Sayer seem like Hampton Hawes Heh heh. This would be funny even if it wasn't true! Leo Sayer is so bad he makes Mobley look like a third-rate Clarence Clemmons. Quote
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