Garaj Mahal
So this was my second Wednesday night at Johnny D’s in a week’s time, having gone to see the band Chicago Afrobeat Project there last week. So the drive in from the hinterlands of central MA is becoming familiar to me. I arrived to see some familiar faces, and was happy to stroll into what now seems to be my haunt in the Boston area. (Go Sox!)
I settled in and greeted my friends who were hanging out, and ordered some food. The Ocean Burger was tasty, but just didn’t quite have it together like the chicken and mashed potatoes special I had the previous week. But the wait staff was super attentive, and nice, and it’s clear that this is a room where you can see some of the best bands in the world and enjoy a fine meal. Just like last week, I opened my thirst quenching duties with a Cambridge Brewing Co porter drawn off the tap. You know you are in Boston if you can get a tap pulled Porter (or you are in the Pacific Northwest enjoying the nation’s finest beverage, Black Butte Porter.)
The sound person / host, Dana- welcomed the crowd over the PA, and let everyone know that this is the 40th anniversary of Johnny D’s as a music venue in the area. Before the night was over there was some merry recognition of that milestone in the form of a raffle giveaway featuring cool Johnny D’s merchandise and music from bands that have played there recently.
But this was not a night about porters, food or anniversaries. This was a night to catch the best progressive jazz jam band in the world, Garaj Mahal. I had high expectations, and the band did not disappoint.
They opened up with a lengthy Chester the Pester, which is an as yet unreleased cut from their forthcoming album. The album is tentatively titled More Mr Nice Guy, I understand, and ought to be out eventually on the Owl Studios label. The crowd was a little light at first, but as the band fired into their own brand of awe inspiring progressive jazz funk, the room started to fill. The band was shaking off their road weariness as Chester spread himself out among the listeners, clocking in at a mere 20 minutes or so.
The band quickly fired into the next tune, with ‘new’ drummer and vocalist Sean Rickman leading the way through another brand new cut titled “Today.” This is where folks who may be familiar with Garaj Mahal were in for some surprises. Not only is Rickman a truly gifted drummer, and he must be in order to fill the throne with this band. He is also an amazing vocalist- with strong influences of R&B and Gospel clearly in his background. So already on the second song of the night, the band is blazing new territory, and becoming a vocal band as they never had been before. The track is lively, and spirited, having a late 1970s jazz funk feel. Rickman’s voice is clear and keen, and he is able to take this band, with whom he has been playing about a year a half, up on his shoulders and along for a ride that is largely unanticipated. Being a drummer, it is quite an impressive site to see him singing from behind the kit.
It is clear that Rickman’s presence in the band is having its effect on other players. World renowned bass player Kai Eckhardt led the next song, which was also a vocal tune. While Eckhardt has had vocal duties in the band in the past, the lyrical quality and melodic output of the brand new song, “Some Rules,” illustrates how far this band has come recently. Eckhardt told an amusing story of the song’s meaning, initially sticking to generalities, and eventually spilling out a funny tale of his teen aged son’s musicial preferences and their changing nature. “Some rules are meant to be broken / Some tears are meant to be cried.” The theme of the song being transitions, you could easily believe it’s about Eckhardt’s son, or about Eckhardt himself maybe.
Next up was an amazing keyboard solo by Eric Levy. This eventually gave way to Duke Ellington’s Caravan. Clearly this was Levy’s moment(s) to shine. Usually somewhat of a stoic presence on stage behind his stack of keyboards, Levy this night was all smiles. Who knows what effects the mood of a musician, but his beaming smile lit the room while he laid down some of the most serious keyboard licks ever heard. Just after the song, Dana came up to me and said “I’ve been playing and listening to music for my whole life, and that is the best keyboard work I have ever heard.” This is coming from someone who knows, for sure.
The set ended with another cut off the forthcoming album titled Tachyonics. It was cool watching Fareed Haque switch from classical nylon string guitar (which he had started playing during Caravan) to the Moog electric guitar with infinite sustain to complete this cut. The song was able to make the transition from the one style to the other without a problem. Only five songs into the set, the band had already clocked in seventy minutes of music. Having completely slain the room already, they took a deserved break for about 20 minutes and retreated to their van. That gave me a chance to chat quickly with some of the guys.
LMN&R: Rickman, your presence is clearly having an effect on this band vocally. That was a great cut during that set.
Sean Rickman: Thanks man.
LMN&R: The way you were playing the drum set, with amazing speed and precision, yet without much volume, it’s about the best I have seen in a small club like this.
Sean Rickman: Thanks again.. I grew up in a household where people liked to sing ballads. It’s all about the wrists, it’s not how hard you hit the snare. You can’t confuse passion with tempo or volume.
Kai Eckhardt: When I heard you were going to be in town, I thought there must be a game in town.. Who’s playing?
LMN&R: That’s funny.. I do have Sox tickets for next week’s playoffs..
After the break the band came back and finally played a cut from their current album, wOOt. Semos showcases the band’s unique talents, and tonight’s version was no exception. The song’s spirited tempo and cowbell rhythmic foundation quickly moved the band along. The precision of the band is unparalleled as they flew along on amazing runs that were both in unison and in counterpoint between the three non drum instruments. You can only shake your head when you witness the skill with which these guys play.
That song was followed by Rickman handling vocals on Buddy Miles “Who Knows?” While I was not familiar with the song, I thought he was making the lyrics up as he went along. I was later told that it was a fairly traditional rendition. I was impressed at Rickman’s ability to do the call and response vocal duties on his own. I kept looking up to see if Eckhardt was doing the responses, only to see that it remained Rickman on the vocals throughout. Very impressive.
The band stretched out on the last two cuts, the Palladin- an old Garaj Mahal classic, and finally Long Form- a cut from their forthcoming album. That last cut in particular was a lot of fun- a primitive rhythmic piece where you can imagine dinosaurs and giant apes dancing around, scraping knuckles on the ground. The band clearly had a lot of fun.
The admiration that you see from the audience toward the band really tells the tale of who they are. A group of four musicians whose technique is so beyond the skills of 99% of musicians playing today, that they are able to take listeners on a major journey. Do yourself a favor, catch this band and be amazed.