Spinning: The New House - Moves

Spring has shown that it means business and all of a sudden everyone is in a Summer mood. This calls for fitting music that will accompany the many warm nights that are hopefully ahead of us. The EP Moves of the new Amsterdam collective The New House is perfect for these nights. The band around trumpet player, music craftsman and producer Mark Nieuwenhuis is mixing many styles that results in catchy music with many summery and exotic elements.

Nieuwenhuis recruited a nice set of musicians to shape his compositions. His creations that combine jazz, hiphop, funk and world music aren't always simple, so it asks a lot of them. But the band is playing the often cheerful songs convincingly and with feeling. The record opens with the sometimes raw 'Light Blue' around a refined trumpet theme where you can also hear a solid guitar solo. 'Sharktank' lives up to its name where the guitar is going wild again, driven by grooving drums. The song has some Balkan elements that make it very danceable.

Because The New House wants people to dance, judging from the playful 'Chitka'. The staccato 'Square' could easily be on a movie soundtrack, like the rest of the completely instrumental record is bringing movie images to mind. 'Vlugtlaan' is the melancholic ending, with main parts played by saxophone and trumpet. This way all musicians get plenty of room to excel and show themselves at their best.

Despite the high musical level, Moves is not a record that sounds overcomplicated, but that is all about atmosphere and feeling. The lively compositions create a summery vibe that turns into a festive mood. It is perfect for the the lush time that lies ahead of us and the band would be great for any summer festival looking for a band that can spark a nice dancing party. Or simply enjoy them in your living room with your favourite cold drink.





This album discussion has also been published in Dutch on FestivalInfo.nl over here.

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On Stage: Vaudou Game @ Paradiso Tolhuistuin

After seeing Vaudou Game play a hot show in the woods at night at the Into The Great Wide Open festival, I was hoping for them to play my town some day soon. It took a while but finally I'm able to see them again and they brought a special guest.

Vaudou Game at Paradiso Tolhuistuin Amsterdam, April 17 2016

The band fronted by the charismatic Peter Solo are off to a slow start. Solo has a passionate but quite long introduction about "vaudou music" and the story behind the band's name. But then they start playing and the seventies style funk sound, mixed with afrobeat are taking over. It doesn't take long for the band to warm up and the temperature starts to rise, igniting the crowd. Solo has a contagious way of playing, sometimes looking concentrated but mostly with a big smile on his face.

The band are playing tight funky grooves backed up by sizzling percussion and horns. It's no secret African music and funk mix well together and Vaudou Game create an explosive blend. Solo may talk a lot in between some songs, but when an artist is so excited and passionate it is forgiven. He introduces the special guest, Roger Damawuzan also known as "James Brown from Lomé". Unmistakably do we hear the band play funky James Brown inspired tunes, where Damawuzan uses some of Brown's trademark screams but also has his own style. Positive vibes radiate from the singer who, like Solo, is smiling throughout the show.

When Solo and Damawuzan connect on stage, positivity explodes and the audience responds. By now the room has turned into a tropical dancing party and both crowd and band are having a good time. 'Pas Contente', the song where Damawuzan collaborates on, gets an extra long version to keep the party going. After a big roar the band returns for an encore and receives a well deserved long applause at the end of the set. This band is guaranteed to turn the heat up on every party just like their wonderful album Apiafo will.



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On Stage: D'Angelo

Although I didn't have tickets to the sold out shows of D'Angelo I was at Paradiso a lot later than the singer was supposed to start and hoped to see maybe the last fifteen minutes or so. We found out that he started way later and instead of fifteen minutes got more than we bargained for with more than one and a half hours of his excellence.

D'Angelo at Paradiso Amsterdam, March 2 2015



I wasn't sure if I should write about a show where I missed a full first hour. However this has been an experience I want to share with you, since what we saw was simply amazing. With his more than great new album Black Messiah out showing his return to form, tonight he proved he's in better shape than ever.



Although not all musicians on the record are playing live with him, his backing band has a large part in the stunning performance. Drummer Chris Dave is an excellent stand in for ?uestlove and he's playing the grooves so tight and thick, that every song simply makes you want to move. Add legendary bass player Pino Palladino to it and you have a rhythm section to die for, one of the best in the industry. Former The Time guitar player Jesse Johnson adds the right amount of funk together with Isaiah Sharkey and the background singers are top notch. P-Funk's Kendra Foster, co-writer on the album, is also part of the game, which makes this backing band a soul, funk grooving machine that is hard to top.



Let's not forget D'Angelo himself who looks fit again and especially his voice sounds incredible. It is full of soul and his falsetto is clear as glass hitting every note. The singer looks very alive, moves around the stage in a relaxed way, making contact with the crowd all the time, giving out high fives and hand shakes. It's great to see the man on top of his game again and apparently enjoying it. With his "Dream Team" the songs are like wax, that can be molded into every way they like. And so songs are turned into funky steamy jams, stretched out beyond the horizon, a delightful blend of the best of James Brown, Prince and Sly Stone.



Big songs of the latest album like 'The Charade' and 'Sugah Daddy' turn into epic monuments, musical highlights and one of the finest moments this legendary venue has ever seen. The crowd is completely aware of this and from top to bottom from back to front everyone is dancing and staring in awe at the stage. It keeps begging for more when the band leaves the stage and gets all it can swallow for the second encore when the band closes with a passionate 'Untitled (How Does It Feel)', where the band members leave the stage one by one until only D'Angelo himself remains behind his piano. Tonight he turned Paradiso into a church again where for a moment he truly became the Messiah, leaving his crowd exhausted, but still begging for more.



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Setlist:
01. Prayer
02. 1000 Deaths
03. Ain't That Easy
04. Feel Like Makin' Love
05. Really Love
06. One Mo'Gin
07. Alright
08. Brown Sugar
09. The Charade
10. Sugah Daddy
11. Lady
12. Back To The Future
13. Left & Right
14. Chicken Grease
15. Till It's Done (Tutu)
16. Untitled (How Does It Feel)


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Tower Of Power Still Not Showing Any Wear

Some bands have so much quality on board that there is a lot to enjoy for every one. Tower of Power is one of those bands that always has a great horns section, rhythm section and vocals. And of course with this band a funk and soul party is guaranteed.

Tower Of Power at Paradiso, November 21 2014



Despite a steady output in studio albums, the band isn't really a hit machine anymore or has the same impact as they did in the seventies. Still they have a loyal following and it results in a sold out show tonight. The core of the large group still consists of the two founding members Emilio Castillo and Stephen Kupka, aka "The Funky Doctor". There have been many line-up changes in its 45 year existence, but several members like drummer David Garibaldi are long time members as well. Unfortunately bassist Rocco Prestia is still quite ill and unable to perform. Currently Ray Greene is the singer of the band and is taking the lead in the band's performance.



Greene has a good soulful voice and he's trying to fire up the crowd. He wants everyone to dance and with his smile he's able to persuade many people to do so. Not that it is easy to stand still to the swinging music of the skilled band. But the crowd needs to warm up, which maybe has to do with a bit of a mellow start of the show, that doesn't have many surprises. The band sounds good and is playing the grooving songs tightly, mixing in solos for every band member. Castillo introduces the band halfway the show, also explaining about Prestia's condition who needs to undergo a kidney transplant. The speech is a bit long and breaks up the tempo of the show though.



Fortunately what follows is a funky part with a James Brown medley that results in plenty of fire. Of course this band has no trouble playing the spicy Brown songs. When Castillo brings up Dutch saxophone player Candy Dulfer as a surprise, the party is complete. Their big hits 'What Is Hip?' and 'Soul With a Capital S' are the cherry on the cake tonight and end the show in style. Tower Of Power may not be the youngest anymore, but they still have plenty of soul and funk left in them.



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Magic With Prince

Whenever Prince is playing a concert there's always the possibility for an intimate surprise show in a small club. And so every time he's playing there's a lot of speculation on whether this show will take place and where. When his shows in Oslo got cancelled because of the dramatic events over there, Prince and his band travelled to The Netherlands sooner than planned and decided to throw two surprise gigs.

Prince at Melkweg Amsterdam, 25 July 2011 (Ronald Says 10 out of 10)

The first surprise show on Sunday was announced early in the evening. The second one on Monday was announced by Prince himself during that same gig. I heard about the gigs on Monday morning and the big queue of people on Sunday night. I didn't want to stand in line for a few hours and wait another few hours inside before Prince would start playing so I decided not to go. But I did follow things on Twitter to see how the queue was proceeding. When the Melkweg announced the line had disappeared and there were still plenty of tickets left I hopped on my bike and within 20 minutes I made it inside the venue.



Prince and his band show up on stage only an hour later. They start off with 'What's My Name?' that includes lots of electronics and spacy jams. It doesn't take long for them to pick things up though with a great 'Guitar' and 'Kiss' including lots of solos and jams. Prince leaves plenty of room for his band to show what they got and of course these great musicians have no problems with that. "The Purple One" is all over the stage and they are enjoying it a lot. These musicians are doing what they like doing most: play music. Prince himself is no exception. Again I'm amazed with his charisma and his incredible talent. It all looks so natural to him and it probably is.



The set list which is totally different from the night before is full of covers like we're used of him. Also included are songs that Prince wrote but were performed by others like a great 'Chocolate' (The Time) and an interactive 'Mutiny' (The Family). 'Controversy' starts with the familiar intro but is then slowed down to a very groovy version and again to normal speed later. From my position behind the mix table I can see that the band's set list also includes 'Purple Rain' but apparently Prince decided to change things a bit and so we don't get to hear it. This magical night ends with two encores and a vivid 'Play That Funky Music'. "His Royal Badness" is saying good night after a two and a half hour performance. Magical indeed.

Since Prince requested not to take pictures or video's I didn't take any and all video's on YouTube by others have been removed again. So I added some pictures of the show in Gelredome. You can find all those pictures over here.

Prince on Spotify

Set List:
1. What's My Name?
2. The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker
3. Beautiful Strange
4. Guitar
5. Kiss
6. Chocolate (The Time cover)
7. Mutiny (The Family cover)
8. When We're Dancing Close and Slow
9. I Like It There
10. Bambi
11. Colonized Mind
12. Outstanding (The Gap Band cover)
13. Flash Light (Parliament cover)
14. What's My Name? (reprise)

Encore:
15. Strange Relationship
16. If I Was Your Girlfriend

Encore 2:
17. Controversy
18. Sexy Dancer
19. Le Freak (Chic cover)
20. Play That Funky Music (Wild Cherry cover)

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Dr. Funkenstein's Practice Open to Anyone

George Clinton is one of those artists that you just have to see once in your life. And better late than never so I finally got to see him in Eindhoven.

George Clinton Parliament Funkadelic in the Effenaar Eindhoven, August 1 2009 (Ronald Says 7 out of 10)

Well it's fair to say his best years are behind him but you can't blame him. He's well into his sixties and not as vivid as he used to be. So he kind of restricts himself to direct the other band members and tries to control the many people on stage. That's how a George Clinton Parliament Funkadelic night is anyway: many people hopping on and off the stage in a seemingly disorganized performance. But when you look closer it's all pretty good controlled. And it should otherwise it would definitely end up in a mess but exept for a bit of a rough start the set continues in an orderly matter.

The band consists of some long time members like Garry Shider (Diaper Man) and Michael Hampton and some newly added members that probably change a lot as well. Some people only perform maybe on a couple of songs, others are there most of the time. They play many of the styles that Clinton has touched upon with both Parliament and Funkadelic: funk, soul, rock, blues, it's all there making it a varying show. Most of the vocalists get their part in the spot light and show their stuff but the horns and Michael Hampton leave the biggest impression on me with great solo's. Too bad some of the band members are acting a bit static compared to the other lively members.

I still had a great time and it's nice to see a legend as Clinton doing his stuff. I guess it was even better seeing him 20 years ago when he was on top of it all.


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Enough power after 41 years

Tower of Power in Paradiso Amsterdam, 17 February 2009 (Ronald Says 3 out of 5)

I've been wanting to see Tower of Power play for a long time but just never got the chance. Not that I didn't get enough chances since they've been making music for 41 years and regularly visit the Netherlands. So I finally got my chance and I wasn't disappointed.

Of course for me one of the main attractions was drum player David Garibaldi. His funky grooves are undeniable one of the finest around. And he showed me that night why. His hi-hat chirps, sizzles and moans continuously and his grooves always are spot on. Together with a 5 piece horns section including band leader Emilio Castillo, a nice Hammond keyboard, guitar and bass and singer Larry Braggs whose voice was nice and clear, they have a killer set up. Of course it's nothing new they're doing but it's all good solid funk and soul music with a capital "S"!
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