The Heat is 73 and Risin'
Zoot Money and his band of equally mature members gave a
consummate performance to characterise the stonkin’ seventies [most of them]
and I don’t mean the decade. Wow, these guys rocked, and such a cliché hits the
big nail on the Bull’s Head.
Wordplay over, it was a privilege to see Zoot [to name a few
musical liaisons: Alan Price; Alexis Korner; Alvin Lee; The Animals; Eddie
Harris; Kevin Ayers; Kevin Coyne; Humble Pie; Long John Baldry; Spencer Davis;
Thunderclap Newman] and at 73, soon to be 74, he absolutely thrilled with his energetic
presentation of the blues and jazz, ranging widely from Ray Charles to Chuck
Berry to Alexis Korner to a guy from Suffolk [which appealed to my friend and
me, school mates from Ipswich] although the song attributed to him was actually
written by a Scotsman, as Money tells us at its end, and instead it’s the next
song that is by our Suffolk songwriter – it was hard to keep up, the songs and
glorious solos pounding out were a whir of wonder.
Zoot is a gracious, generous band leader and clearly adores
as well as enthuses as the band play their various parts. My musical education continues
to expose me as the dunce, not knowing the history of the great players contributing
– Al Kirtley, who Zoot acknowledged taught him how to play the piano, not that
he will ever be as good [and reading Al Kirtley’s blog today he is as
complimentary the other way, saying he couldn’t compete with Money’s organ
playing prowess] guested on a number – and it was superb; Bobby Tench on guitar
[Freddie King; Van Morrison; The Jeff Beck Group (as Bobby Gas); Ginger Baker;
Humble Pie; Streetwalkers]; Nick Newall on saxophone and flute [The Kinks; Zoot
Money’s Big Roll Band] and bassist Paul MacCullum who – I wasn’t going to
mention but it was clearly a chair malfunction and nothing else – fell over
during one number, quite dramatically, but kept playing, the pro’s pro. I’d
appreciate some help on the other saxophonist [M Crescent…?] who played superb
tenor solos. The guest drummer [Steve? Give me a break, I was having a great
time] filled in brilliantly on the night, another one of the ‘Bournemouth’ boys
from where so many hailed and/or played back in the day.
Highlights of the night were all the solos, including Money
on keyboard [he really only played his Hammond the once, it seemed], but also
and memorably Zoot’s singing: such a reverie of emotive R&B/blues, his
voice rising and falling and screeching and growling and expressing every
joyous emotion in the lyrics and playing. Stand out song was Wild Women and
Desperate Men, written by Alexis Korner, and as Zoot tells us, Korner never
played it live but he did now. Watch the video I will post after this, with
MacCullam on bass.
