Codetalkers 4/23/08 Pour House – Raleigh, NC
Just getting back from The Codetalkers & Sam Kininger Band show. I’ve seen The Codetalkers quite a few times (3 times in Richmond, 2 times in Charlottesville, 2 times in Raleigh, 1 time in Chapel Hill) – but it’d been at least a year since I’ve caught a show; my first show since Bobby Lee got a new bassist and drummer.
Met a few friends (couple from work and other a few others) and wasted little time buying a mug and filling it up with Yuengling – after all Wednesday nights are Mug Night at the Pour House. Codetalkers were mind boggling good as usual – Bobby Lee Rodgers was playing most of the night through a Fulltone Tape Echo pedal – yup one of those $999 analog delay pedals…sounded great. Things got really cookin’ when they went into Victor the Snakeman with an incredible high energy jam and some great underlying syncopated guitar rhythms thanks to the Tape Echo. We then got a great Lima and the finisher was Body In The Lake…I’m drawing a blank on the rest of the tunes besides When The World Comes Tumblin’ Down – but it was a great show with some great work from the new (1 year old) members – Andrew Altman on bass and some incredible fills and jaw dropping drum solos from Mark Raudabaugh. I do sorta miss The Falcon on drums and Ted on bass, but the new guys are great as well.
I caught the first bit of the Sam Kininger Band – Sam is the sax player from Soulive and Lettuce. One word describing it – funky. Sam’s band was comprised of a bassist, organ player, drummer (latter 2 being some funky ass girls). Great tight band. Band brought the funk fo sho…drummer reminded me of Russell Batiste just smacking the drums and gotta say it’s pretty hot seeing a girl work her way around an organ.
Being that I have to wake up in the morning I left mid show only to catch Bobby Lee Rodgers talking to someone outside the venue about late 50 eras Les Pauls (57 in particular). Having seen Bobby numerous times with the Codetalkers (as well as with Herring, Rodgers, Sipe & Aquarium Rescue Unit) I thought I’d just mention how I enjoyed the show and ask if they had any CDs (I have his solo CD and the 1st Codetalker’s release “Deluxe”. Bobby came up to me and said “I’m Bobby, nice to meet you…thanks for listening” I replied by saying I’ve seen him quite a few times. He said all the CDs were being reprinted. He mentioned that he plans to do some touring with Jimmy Herring soon but their schedules have to clear a bit and that a tour with Steve Kimock is in the works as well…Jimmy’s recording a solo album and touring with Panic while Bobby’s recording an album himself. Bobby said he’s playing on Jimmy’s record, and that Jimmy’s playing on his. I mentioned that being from Cary I had heard about the Jimmy Herring record since I know someone that knows the owner of Abstract Logix rather well.
Soon a crowd gathered around us and Bobby gave everyone some pointers when it comes to music – turns out he ’s back into teaching…as a side note Bobby along with Herbie Hancock is the youngest person to ever teach at Berklee School of Music. He equated music to learning/speaking a language…that you can learn the vocabulary/words (theory behind music) but you have to learn how to speak the language/fluently (rhythm/dynamics). He talked to us all for at least 30 minutes at least. It was quite awe inspiring getting a music lesson from someone of Bobby’s stature and background. He mentioned that the great jazz guys is where it’s at, who you gotta learn from i.e. Charlie Parker, Coltrane, Pat Martino, Pat Metheny, Wes Montgomery…he cited that some of these guys like Wes or Joe Pass didn’t have formal training or didn’t read music, and that the guys like Parker and Gillespie learned from classical music like Bach…he then explains the whole question and response not unlike Bach’s Fugues, or even the call and response of a blues singer/musician or a group of jazz musicians – it’s a language…communication. How do you learn to speak a language? You go and immerse yourself in the culture, move to Spain to learn Spanish…same thing goes for music – get yourself immersed, move to that country…Gotta say – quite a night!
Tags: Bobby Lee Rodgers, Pour House, The Codetalkers
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