the New Orleans Suspects; MJ's Brass Boppers at Leo's Music Club, December 5, 2014

Parish Entertainment Group presents the New Orleans Suspects with MJ's Brass Boppers
2014-12-05
Leo's Music Club
5447 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA 94609
9:00 PM, Friday, December 5, 2014

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2014 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2014 event list! ☸ On to the next event!

[9:m PM lights down, announcements]

1. [9:2m PM] Camouflage
2. [9:26 PM] I'm Walkin'
3. [9:32 PM] Don't Start No Shit
4. [9:41 PM] Voo Doo
5. [9:47 PM] Mercy, Mercy, Mercy
6. [9:55 PM] Horn.Jam
7. [9:59 PM] Boppers Party >
8. [10:04 PM] Do What You Wanna >
9. [10:09 PM; +Willie Green: cowbell] Funkin' It Up
   [set ends 10:15 PM]

[10:35 PM lights down, announcements from Jeff about tonight's fish fry]

1. [10:37 PM] Blackbird Special
2. [10:48 PM] Classified
3. [10:53 PM] She's Got It All
4. [11:00 PM] Jump Steady
5. [11:07 PM] Tangled Up in Blue
6. [11:19 PM] What Is Success? »
7. [11:25 PM] Swamp Thing
8. [11:33 PM] 36 Cars
9. [11:41 PM] Magdalena »
10. [11:52 PM] Smoke My Peace Pipe
11. [12:02 PM] Them Changes
12. [12:09 AM] Yo Flambeaux!
13. [12:14 AM] Tipitina
    [set ends 12:25 AM; off for a moment]
     
    Encore
14. [12:27 PM] Willie's Second Line
    [show ends 12:34 AM]

the New Orleans Suspects

• Jake Eckert: guitar, lead and harmony vox;
• “Mean” Willie Green: drums;
• C R Gruver: keyboards, lead and harmony vox;
• Reggie Scanlan: bass;
• Jeff Watkins: tenor saxophone.

MJ's Brass Boppers

• Big Chief Ray Blazio: percussion, chant, dance;
• Hussain Cox: trombone;
• Greg Gomez: trombone, harmony vox;
• Michael Jones: drum, percussion, lead and harmony vox;
• ?Luke Kirley?: sousaphone;
• ?Naazir Magbool: trumpet , harmony vox;
• Mike Waters: tenor saxophone, harmony vox;
• Harold “Homeboy” Wilson: bass drum, percussion, lead and harmony vox.

Nice to try out a new space. Leo's is a more conventional box shape with high ceilings, broken up by slight variations in the walls and floor reflecting the cobbled together nature of the interior space. Seemed great, though the many small variations in floor height are somewhat disconcerting – my guess is that many drinks will be spilled by unsteady patrons toppling into one another!

Sonically, the room was pretty good. With a small Meyer PA and monitors, you know they're aiming high; hopefully the house or Meyer did some of that fancy pants SMAART analysis to be sure to dial things in and tame any weird resonances from the room geometry. I thought it sounded good, though not excellent, but I experienced the show from a less than stellar listening position in the front – probably too far underneath the PA throw to really shine. It certainly sounded good when I was further back in the room.

MJ's Brass Boppers opened up the show with a brief set of sloppy brass funk. It was fun, but I'm glad we'll get different folks tomorrow, just for variety's sake.

Surprisingly, it seemed to me that some of the folks present for the opener had cleared out by the time Suspects took the stage. Guess they don't know what's good for 'em or something. Seems silly to show up for the opener and then bail out before the main event, but I suppose everyone has their own reasons for this n that.

The Suspects delivered a fine set, starting off with a blast through the instrumental, Blackbird Special, and maintaining a fiery pace all the way through to the closer, Willies Second Line some two hours later. Then boys really know how to deliver the goods, and I'm glad to be coming back tomorrow night; it'll be interesting to hear another set!

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2014 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2014 event list! ☸ On to the next event!