SFJAZZ presents Don Was & The Pan-Detroit Ensemble
Robert M. Miner Auditorium
SFJAZZ Center, 205 Franklin St, San Francisco, CA 94102 USA
7:30 PM, Thursday, September 26, 2024

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[4:30 PM] {Greetings & ground rules in the upstairs lobby from ?? before we are admitted to Miner}

[4:35 PM] {setting in-ear and monitor levels for each band member}

1. [4:42 PM] I Blew Up the United States (Was (Not Was))
   [4:47 PM] {drop SC; DM on flute}
2. [4:49 PM] Nubian Lady (Yusuf Lateef)
   [4:57 PM] {pause; more production chit-chat}
3. [4:59 PM] You Asked, I Came (Don Was)
   [5:08 PM] {add SC}
4. [5:09 PM] This Is My Country (Curtis Mayfield)
5. [5:12 PM] {multiple takes on the ending of} I Can't Wait Till I Get Home (Henry Threadgill) as the drummers & LR attempt to get in sync; JD salsa dancing to the beat; the problem is resolved after VC & MM offer a vocal breakdown of the rhythm that LR can grok}
   [5:17 PM] {all done with practice: the band heads offstage …. Q&A with Don}
   [5:46 PM] {Q&A ends: time for everyone to have dinner!}

[7:31 PM] {lights down; introduction by Greg Stern}
[7:33 PM] {enter band}

1. [7:34 PM] I Blew Up the United States (Was (Not Was))
   [7:39 PM] {SC off}
2. [7:39 PM] You Asked, I Came (Don Was)
   [7:50 PM] {greetings from Don; DM swap to flute}
3. [7:53 PM] Nubian Lady (Yusuf Lateef)
   [8:03 PM] {SC back; DM swaps back to tenor saxophone; DW banter}
4. [8:03 PM] I Feel Better Than James Brown (Was (Not Was))
   [8:09 PM] {DW introduction of the next tune; LR solos on melodica}
5. [8:11 PM] I Ain't Got Nothing But Time (Hank Williams)
6. [8:21 PM] Midnight Marauders (A Tribe Called Quest)
7. [8:27 PM] Neighborhoods (Don Was & the Pan-Detroit Ensemble)
   [8:35 PM] {DW back announcement ID's that one as a new tune; SC off; DW talk about Henry Threadgill}
8. [8:37 PM] I Can't Wait Till I Get Home (Henry Threadgill)
9. [8:47 PM] (Mahindi Masai chant “Akwabo Akwaba”)
   [8:49 PM] {add SC}
10. [8:50 PM] Loser (Garcia/Hunter)
11. [8:57 PM] Insane (Cameo) »
12. [9:02 PM] Wheel Me Out (Was (Not Was)) »
13. [9:04 PM] Shakedown Street (Garcia/Hunter)
    [9:11 PM] {applause & encore break}
    
    Encore
14. [9:11 PM] This Is My Country (Curtis Mayfield)
    [9:14 PM] {final applause & bow; all off; lights up}
    [9:15 PM] {show ends}

• Jeff Canady: drums, harmony vox;
• Vincent Chandler: trombone;
• Steffanie Christi’an: vox;
• John Douglas: trumpet;
• Wayne Gerard: guitar;
• Mahindi Masai: percussion, harmony vox;
• Dave McMurray: tenor saxophone, flute;
• Luis Resto: keyboards, melodica;
• Don Was: contrabass, vox;

Tonight's festivities began with an open soundcheck where we got to observe the band getting things together for the show. Parts of it were perfunctory prep work (setting monitor levels, adjusting microphone and wedge placement, and so on), but it was interesting to see how things got refined to make the show hum. After about 40 minutes, Don dismissed the band and spent another 35 minutes taking questions from the audience and talking with us. What a humble guy!

After a dinner break at RT Rotisserie, we were back in Miner Auditorium for the main event. Sadly, the show didn't see all that well, and there were lots of open seats in the side galleries and balcony. I'm guessing that this gig was too far under the radar to catch the attention of music lovers who might otherwise have rallied to attend.

Like a lot of shows, the band took a bit of time to loosen up, but by the time they finished I Feel Better Than James Brown they'd developed a steady boil, and the rest of the night was super fun: pure delight!

I'd like to see Don keep the band going: come back again next year and I'll be there!

On Wednesday night, Don and the band played in Santa Barbara. Steven Libowitz posted a promo article about that for the Montecito Journal that features some interesting quotes from Don. Those notions must have been on his mind, because he repeated some of the same ideas during the Q&A session after today's soundcheck.

Big thanks to Ting for the photo gallery!

Whoa! This section is incomplete for now, sorry!

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2024 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2024 event list! ☸ On to the next event!