I hate to say it but I was a little disappointed. I think that partially had to do with the fact that there were less horns than I expected, Karl Denson was the only person with shiny metal things on stage. The songs were solid, the grooves were tight and intricate but at points lacked OOMPH. I also started pondering about west coast vs. east coast acid jazz during the show as reflected in Greyboy Allstars/Groove Collective. I wanted it to be sunny and relaxed outside as I watched the show because their grooves are more oriented towards that type of listening environment....and anybody who's seen Groove Collective play knows they get down and dirty much more. Maybe I was in the mood for smelly, dirty, nasty, wet, dripping, head-blowing funk, and while the Greyboy Allstars' album gets close, the live show was a little more removed. At points, however, they broke into *amazing* grooves, and the musicianship was fantastic throughout. I was impressed with their interpreta!
tion of Jimi Hendrix' "Little Miss Lover", but couldn't help but note that while Jimi's wah wah screams and cries, the Allstars' guitarist's merely went 'woh! woh!".
This review is far too negative, I suppose, but based on the strength of their album I was expecting one of the best shows of 96, and I don't know if it'll make it to that category. I know there are some tremendous fans and friends on this list, and believe me, I can see why, let me see them again in the summer with a margarita and I'm sure I'll write a different review.
Jay B