Among the big attractions at this year Jazz fest which runs over the Bank Holiday weekend are long time James Brown collaborator and one of the inventors of funk Pee Wee Ellis, Grandmaster Flash, Kyle Eastwood (Clint’s son), Grammy winner Randy Brecker and his band and the king of the jazz violin Jean-Luc Ponti
However, one of the most anticipated gigs of this year’s Festival was undoubtedly the first appearance in this country (or anywhere else, for that matter) of the latest side project of Blur/Gorillaz man, Damon Albarn. The multi-cultural collective ensemble (named after Albarn’s world-music label) which also featured the Red Hot Chilli Peppers’ bassist, Flea and Afrobeat drummer Tony Allen, had only performed twice before, back in 2008 in London.
Casually dressed in jeans and khaki jacket, Albarn bounced out onstage to huge cheers from the sold-out crowd at the Savoy, while Flea elicited an equally rapturous response.
Despite his usual high profile, The Blur frontman took a backseat for the most part, remaining sat behind a piano, acting as a kind of a musical director/master of ceremonies while Flea, arguably the star of the show as far as the audience was concerned, dressed in fetching pink strides and red sneakers manically plucking his familiar low slung multi-colored bass guitar. The Last Waltz style ensemble presentation also featured The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Sun Ra Arkestra trumpet player, Phil Cohran, Malian singer Fatoumata Diawara, house producer Theo Parrish, and South African hip-hop crew M.Anifest One problem with a sprawling multi-artists show like this was the unfamiliarity of the material - the performance was used to preview material from Albarn, Flea, and Allen’s forthcoming collaborative album, Rocketjuice and The Moon While another was the sheer numbers of musicians on stage at any one time at who at times seemed a little unsure of what exactly they were supposed to be doing making for a sometimes disjointed performance.
That said, it was impossible not to be moved by the exhilarating rhythms, and percussive textures, while the wall of brass was at times stunning in its effect. Meanwhile Flea’s sinewy bass-lines allowed him to flourish well beyond the usual confines and strictures of a four piece rock band. Fatoumata Diawara’s who sang several solo numbers was a definite highlight and a revelation to most, while Theo Parrish egged on the crowds with some deft Afro style hip hop.
Not surprisingly, there was nothing from the Blur or Chilli Peppers catalogue but Albarn performed a well received ballad in a style not a million miles away from his day job while Flea demonstrated just why he is a key member of one of the biggest bands on the planet. Another Honest Jon’s Chop Up also perform at Vicar Street Dublin on Tuesday November 1