AVERAGE WHITE BAND
At B.B. King's Blues Club - NYC (7/19/03)
R&B/funk ringleader, Carlton J. Smith!!
At 8:00pm, Carlton J. Smith and friends began their relatively
short session of R&B jams. I arrived around 8:15pm to catch the last five
songs. After a couple of slow R&B songs, it was on to some funkier
stuff....the first funky song featured some excellent funk rhythm guitar! Heavy
bass riffs filled the club on the second funk tune and the last song "Mr.
Smith" featured a powerful drum solo!! Carlton J. Smith and friends left
the stage at 8:45pm.
At 9:15pm, the Average White Band started their set with a funky instrumental
of hot sax riffs and tight drumming, dedicated to the great Maceo Parker!!
"What You Gonna Do For Me?" had some good vocals by the
keyboardist/gutarist and some solid basslines. "Walk on By" was okay,
and that song was followed by a jazz tune with great saxophone and organ
riffing. "A Love of Your Own" was a tender ballad with some very good
lead vocals!! "Person-to-Person" was good, but better was the
signature tune, "Pick Up The Pieces" (a real crowd pleaser as every
ass in B.B. King's was swingin' to and fro!).....the sax was good, but there
should have been some more horns!
"Schoolboy Crush" was good, but
"Cut The Cake" was the absolute bomb....the bass was way too FONKAY!!
(The funk was so thick, you could barely cut the funk with a knife!!!!)
The encore song featured the fiery lead guitarisms in the Isley Bros. song
"Work To Do"!
The show was over at 11:00pm.
Click here for pictures of the
Average White Band
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