We were treated to a different Ryley Walker to the one who
performed with Danny Thompson at Bristol back in February of last year. Then it
was the folk Walker, the one from Primrose
Green and wearing obvious inspirations on the individual but influenced
sleeve, and a fine line in banter with Thompson who was always the king of this
with one of those influences, John Martyn. There were the raga jams, and the
whoops and hollers, but all from Walker on his acoustic, plugged in, yes, but
more the solo focus that many will have wanted to see. I did, and loved: read
here.
At the Phoenix last night we saw a different Walker, though
one you can find all over YouTube, and it was these jam-oriented, band-based
raga reveries, this night with Chicago band Health&Beauty who opened with
their own jazzrock set and then supported Walker’s with wonderful driving jams,
not least the anchoring percussion of Frank Rosaly. Guitarist Brian J.
Sulpizio also provided fine guitar work, though he might have ripped it up more
here and there – his sound, perhaps, lost a little in the acoustics of the
venue, or that lost for my friends and me sitting in the higher balcony.
Those expecting the folk-focus may have been a little
disappointed. There was a formula to last night’s performance. Apart from Primrose Green with its distinctive walking
up and down bass line, I think all the songs were from Walker’s latest Golden Sings That Have Been Sung [but I
can’t be sure] and they were either introduced by expansive instrumental
openers or moved into expansive instrumental jams, driven by the riffling
guitar of Walker and always building to a crescendo before moving back to the
melody – such as it is – of the song.
So the set opened with The
Roundabout and this, as melody, is very similar to the others on the album Golden Sings…., his signature sound, and
the performance became – and needs to be judged as – a whole. The same with Funny Thing She Said and Sullen Mind. There was also a cover of
Tim Hardin’s If I Were a Carpenter, a
song from a dead dude [!], and it was
immediately evident how Walker’s vocal is very similar, and suited to the song,
which did move into another jam, and these jams also reminded me a little of
The Doors playing live.
I was caught up in the reverie all night, and still a little
this morning. Far out.
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| Walker and Rosaly |
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