Suberb Ike Stubblefield Trio Set, Debut of Skallop Light Up Dunedin Brewery
They say cream rises to the top. A perfect example of this concept evidenced itself Saturday, December 23rd, when Jordan Garno and Yral ‘datdudeondrums’ Morris accompanied keyboard master Ike Stubblefield in an electrifying show at Dunedin Brewery.
I’ve had the privilege of seeing Garno and Morris perform 50 times each with a variety of bands, and they are great players — Garno on guitar and Morris, well, you know — but I’ve never heard them sound better than they did in this setting, playing for the first time with this legendary funk master.
Stubblefield’s resume begins in Motown and winds through some of the greatest funk and jazz of the past 50 years, and he was totally at home in this setting, inspiring the “youngsters” to magical heights. They were completely in sync through two wonderful sets.
Stubblefield opened the proceedings on electric piano with Ben Tucker’s “Comin’ Home, Baby.” I’ve heard this song in many contexts, but this was — by far — the most badass version ever. After Garno’s first solo, five minutes in, I declared it his best performance ever (for me). Stubblefield played funk-infused bass with left hand on the Korg Kronos synthesizer. Meanwhile, Morris, from the Elvin Jones school of polyrhythms, drove deeper and deeper into the pocket.
Garno used his effects pedal for a great Scofield vibe on “Still Warm.” Then Stubblefield played those unmistakable chords to dive into “Chameleon,” dancing over the Korg. Garno lit this one up as well, Morris again supercharging the propulsion.
If you were searching for the highlight in a constant wave of peaks, it would be “Jan Jan,” the brilliant uptempo funk tune by the late Grant Green (and Stubblefield plays regularly in the Atlanta area with Grant Green, Jr.). For this one, Garno stayed entirely on script in honor of Green, my all-time favorite jazz guitarist.
The following sweet soul funk piece featured Morris superbly complementing organ and guitar, and they shut down the first hour with a wicked spin on “Green Onions.” Stubblefield was a monster, and that left-hand bass was killer. And he turned Morris loose for brief solo feature near the end.
Set two opened with a monster take on “Freeway Jam.” Garno had a superb solo, then a Korg Kronos bass solo from Stubblefield smoked. Drums and electric piano intertwined next, then drums and electric piano.
I had peeked at the setlist, so when Stubblefield began an electric piano intro, it seemed like it might be introducing “Spain.” Instead, it veered into a wonderful Latin composition of Stubblefield’s titled “Brazil,” and once again all three players had the opportunity to shine over 15 minutes.
It was almost the bewitching hour when Stubblefield began a gorgeous ballad called “Deep River.” Garno and Morris interjected briefly, but this was Stubblefield at his finest, interpreting this old slave hymn. You could have heard a pin drop. WOW!
The evening had an eclectic and excellent beginning with the debut of Skallop, which may or may not have arisen from the ashes of Teen Girl Squad. This entirely improvisational set featured Michael Lyn Bryant on guitar and synthesizers (Veird and proprietor of DunBrew), Austin Llewellyn on keyboards (Row Jomah), Trevor McDannel on bass (Future Vintage and the Juanjamon Band), Tucker Sody on drum kit (Displace), and Dave Gerulat on percussion (shoeless soul and regular guest with Row Jomah).
I’ve had the privilege of hearing quite a few improv sets, ranging from not so much to WOW. This set was REALLY WOW, most impressive I’ve ever seen. The ‘names’ of the songs are listed below, but you need to understand that they were all submitted by readers at Bryant’s request to go with the music the band would invent.
“Clam Jam in Bb” immediately slid into a deep house/acid jazz. Llewellyn really shone on this tune — and the entire set. He and bandmates were free to go wherever they wanted, and they did. Bryant hit the synth groove hard. Things slowed down a bit with “Plumbus X,” a funkier groove. McDannel was all over this. “He was the only one who knew what was going on,” joked Llewellyn later.
They returned to deep house/acid jazz with “Jazzy Guppy,” Llewellyn on synths and electric piano and Bryant on some trippy guitar. When Llewellyn switched to organ, he and Bryant traded back and forth. This was wonderful, groovy, danceable improv — and the dance floor was filling up!
And then a dream came true, as Stubblefield joined the band for several “songs,” beginning with “Don’t Call Me Mavis.” It was a real funk groove, Stubblefield on mini-Moog and Cody deep, deep in the pocket. They hit an “It’s About That Time” vibe on “Cupping (A minor),” Llewellyn on clavinet.
Posted by Robert Adam on Sunday, December 24, 2017
Finally, they dipped into an unreal groove, more deep funk. McDannel was brilliant, and Gerulat was magic. And shout-out also to sound engineer Chris Fama, because the sound was precisely balanced the entire night. You could hear Gerulat’s triangle work, the chimes, and all of his other percussive toys perfectly.
Two other notes. Stubblefield had suffered some sort of insect bite that allegedly hampered his hand, but I swear none of us could tell; he was magnificent. Also, Bryant’s keyboard stand matches his eyeglass frames.
Photos of Ike Stubblefield Trio courtesy of Matt Hillman. Photos and video of Skallop courtesy of Robert Adam (snakes up!).
[SKALLOP: Clam Jam in Bb, Plumbus X, Snazzy Guppy, Don’t Call Me Mavis (4 stanzas of name-calling), Cupping (A minor), Symphony of Sirens, Squid Ink Antidote (in Sea Minor)]
[IKE STUBBLEFIELD: ONE: Comin’ Home Baby, Still Warm, Chameleon, Jan Jan, 5, Green Onions; TWO: Freeway Jam, Brazil, Deep River]