The Blind Can Sing and Feats Don't Fail

Dashing from the tent, I met Eva and we visited some friends in front of one of the food tents. Luckily, it faced the main stage where five elderly and blind men from the deep rural south were connecting with the decendents of Vikings. I mean they were connecting, Pilgrim. By the end of the set, the Five Blind Boys of Alabama had the audience at the Stockholm Jazz Festival talking in tongues.

Having grown up as a Catholic in the deep east of New Jersey, my only experience with singing in church was listening to the amateur choir at Christmas mass. I knew of gospel music as a musical genre, and had seen it on videos and in the movies, but had never had any direct experience with it. Let me tell you, brothers and sisters, that even in the chapel of the Stockholm outdoors, these gentlemen and their absolutely cokking back up band were delivering the word.



Even while engaged in conversation, the power of the Boys' voices and the spirit that the music brings kept me drifting more and more to their performance. It was unlike anything that your writer had ever experienced. It's a hypnotic effect that causes toes to tap, heads to bob and finally, hands to clap. By the end of their set, the crowd was on its feet, and though I saw no signs of rapture or hands shaking in the air, there was no tweeting or phoning by anyone in the audience during the final 30 minutes. Finally, with blessings the Boys thanked Stockholm, clasped the shoulder of the man in front of them, and were led single file to the wings to the sound of a sincere and appreciative ovation. These men are a treasure, and I am grateful that I got to be a witness. Amen.

The long day was coming to a close, and I made my way up to the front of the stage for the Little Feat set. Be forewarned that I am a fan of this band and I have been able to find something enjoyable in all their differing line-ups.

I didn't discover the band until the "Feats Don't Fail Me..." LP, which is probably true for most fans from my era. I don't own all their music, but to me they are a "live" band, anyway, and tonight they did not let down.

There is always a danger that any band that has been on the road for nearly 40 years will mail it in from time to time. But last night it was apparent that Little Feat were in a playing mood, and even playing the favorites, they were stretching themselves while taking new directions to the songs. Every song was recognized by its signatures, but not one song was done like the recorded version.

It would be impossible to highlight any one player tonight, though I will. Paul Barrere was exceptional, as his guitars were strong, confidant and his occasional twist brought little laughs from his band mates. Richie Hayward is one of my favorite drummers, and his timing and cymbal work was impeccable. He is truly the heartbeat of this band. Kenny Gradney was "into" the groove on bass while Sam Clayton and Bill Paxton were content to let the others shine, applying the right amounts of rhythm and texture.

There are always debates on who is an underrated drummer or guitar player. Allow me to place the name Fred Tackett for consideration. Tonight, the friend of Lowell George and Arkansas native seemed inspired, perhaps by his earlier witnessing of Allen Toussaint. Maybe it was the Stockholm surroundings. Whatever it was, it was his energy that got the band started, and continued cooking throughout the night. He is a very, very good musician and his joy in playing with these guys was easily recognized last night.

Little Feat played right up until curfew, when the stage crew was literally ready to pull the plug. Which was unfortunate for this audience, who got to witness a veteran band doing what they do best, playing their asses off. We could have handled a lot more.