October 29, 2015

Not a bad show at all, although a little slight. Very few of the jams here totally break free, but they're all expertly delivered regardless. Considering how Mulberry's has receded into near-jamless territory more often than not, it's actually pretty fun to hear a Mulberry sandwich that apexes in some gnarled, dirty Barber shredding. The composed part of Caterpillar is a little rough, but the jam is superb. Barber's mid-2010s tone is of course a controversial subject for some, but I love the thick textures even if his melodic lines aren't quite as annunciated as other eras.

The Shimmy sammy obviously makes up the bulk of set 2's goods. In both Shimmy and Humu, neither jam fully enters Type 2 but plays at the margins of Type 1. Brownie drives a lot of the momentum here, particularly with a strong ostinato in the bulk of the Humu jam. It may not be the most creative thing they've ever done, but there's hardly a note I would change in the jams in this sequence. Standalone Mitts and Sister Judy's take some of the wind out of the sails, even if Mitts is a lovely song. Then they remember we need to hear the jams again for Helicopters, which winds up being a perfect note to close the set.

I'd call this a 3.75 if I could, but I'll round up to a 4. It seems a little too light to truly earn the 4 but I think the 3.4 average score this has received is a little unfair. Even if the jamming is safe, the playing stays on point.