Tedeschi Trucks Band • Live at JazzFest
April 25, 2015 • New Orleans, LA
By John “Marsala” Mikeska
The opening of Jazzfest saw a line stretch for several blocks outside the gates of the venue. The “Fairgrounds” neighborhood of New Orleans (where I was particularly forutnate to find myself this weekend) played host to a cultural microcosm of grandeur; complete with parade bands, food stands, open-air markets, and a camaraderie that is equally infectious and unique to this event. After a mid-morning bloody mary and a few enlightened conversations, we made our way to the venue for Tedeschi Trucks Band.
Jazzfest is a production that may unfortunately be overlooked by those attracted to the bright lights, bells & whistles of let’s say, a Vegas type experience. New Orleans is by no means a perfect city. But at certain times of the year, given the proper circumstances, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more perfect experience than the one offered in the aforementioned context. The operative word here is “offered”; because although it’s there for the taking, you must find your own way to the experiential bliss of said opportunity. Fortunately, with great friends, fantastic food and magnificent music, it’s never too far away.
The quality of food inside the gates of the festival proper cannot be overstated. Words cannot contain the sensational qualities of the culinary spread available at Jazzfest (especially compared to the standard fare of many contemporary festivals). Keeping with the spirit of the occasion, we ordered a round of beers and soft-shelled crab po-boys and made our way to the stage.
The band already forayed into the opening selection so my introductory musical experience inside the gates at Jazzfest was the searing decadence of a perfectly timed note, squeezed from the Gibson SG that Derek Trucks so eloquently uses to convey the deepest expressions of his allegedly mortal soul (there are a select few among us who maintain his non-human status, along with the notion that he is an angel sent here from the heavens to share divine expressions in the form of slide-guitar).
Tedeschi Trucks Band made their way through a set of new and old material featuring extended versions and jammed-out passages reminiscent of the band that gave birth to this outfit. For many enthusiasts of the now defunct Derek Trucks Band, a melodic tease of the ever-inspiring eastern tune “Sahib-Teri-Bandi” was a welcoming and refreshing high point of the set. Two heavy hitters from the “Revelator” album; “Midnight in Harlem” and “Bound for Glory” were obvious crowd favorites and featured a particularly raucous guitar solo from Susan (in addition to her powerful vocals which were exceedingly on point for this show) and various groove-sections that featured heavily improvised passages. An exciting dual-kit drum solo exhibited a keen sense of rhythmic development and became an unexpected focal point to what could of been a “bathroom break” type moment.
Derek seems to have settled into his role with this band. Their ability to navigate in-and-out of composed sections and improvised passages only improves with each show. Simply put, the Tedeschi Trucks Band is one of the most authentic expressions of Americana alive and touring today. When juxtaposed against the heavy dose of world influence that players like Derek and keyboardist/flautist Kofi Burbridge bring to the project, TTB is a powerful, authentic and altogether “do yourself a favor and go see them” band on the live-stage today.
Photo by Mountain Trout Photography