The 50 Greatest Live Acts? What? No Prince?

Who doesn’t love a music list? After all, they make great clickbait, right?

Hype Music Festivals (who?) has just published its list of “the greatest 50 live acts right now.”

Conspicuously missing: The mighty, multitalented Prince, one of the greatest live acts of all time (not just right now; his show 20 years ago at the Sunrise Musical Theater was one for the ages); Bootsy Collins and other super-funky acts; Medeski Martin and Wood; any number of great New Orleans artists; and the fast-rising trio Dirty Loops.

Still, lots of great, groove-alicious high-performing acts on the list, including Galactic (from New Orleans), lately taking things to a fever pitch with new singer Maggie Koerner; the amazing, oversized Tedeschi Trucks Band, co-led by miracle-working slide guitarist Derek Trucks and his blues-belting wife and guitar slinger Susan Tedeschi (the band was hot, again, at the Sunshine Blues Festival); the astonishing collective Snarky Puppy; Blues Traveler; Further; Lettuce; the Punch Brothers (sublime at Springfest); My Morning Jacket; Umphrey’s McGee; String Cheese Incident; and Radiohead (naturally).

And, in the No. 1 spot … The Allman Brothers, probably extra smoking-hot these days because the clock is running out on the band.

Here’s the list.

As mentioned, the high energy pop-fusion-funk group Dirty Loops is one of the bands that should have made the cut:

Want to see The Dirty Loops live? The band’s new 20-city tour kicks off Oct. 21 at Irving Plaza in NYC. Details are here.

Derek Trucks at Tampa Theatre (concert review)

(Below is a review initially intended for publication elsewhere; photo is mine, taken at Bear Creek Music Festival)

Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi – Soul Stew Revival

Dec. 29, 2008

Tampa Theatre

Listening to Derek Trucks unleash his bottleneck-slide lines on “700 Houses,” a slow, bluesy tune penned by guitarist-singer Susan Tedeschi, his wife and bandmate in Soul Stew Revival, it was difficult warding off chills.

Trucks’ playing, on the stage of an historic art-deco movie theater in front of a home-state crowd that has practically watched the former child prodigy grow up, again was sublime — simultaneously salty and sweet, stinging and gentle, an exquisitely conversant instrumental voice that has to be witnessed to be truly appreciated.

Trucks unleashed his fertile guitar improvisations throughout the long, satisfying set, presented by an oversized ensemble allying his band with Tedeschi, a three-piece horn section, younger brother Duane Trucks on second drum kit and sometime DTB member Count M’Butu on percussion.

The 11-piece group opened with “Talking About,” a blast of scorching blues-rock that leads off Tedeschi’s recent Back to the River CD. It offered a showcase of her newly mature, road-sharpened vocals and her own impressive six-string work.

So did the evening’s other tunes from that album — “People,” with organist Kofi Burbridge’s quick flute solo, and the R&B-grooving “Can’t Sleep at Night.”

The show, with Tedeschi mixing and matching with DTB singer Mike Mattison, also offered a preview of Trucks’ forthcoming sixth studio album, Already Free, including the rootsy acoustic-electric blues of the title track; the gospel-tinged “Days Is Almost Gone”; the slinky “Don’t Miss Me”; and “Down in the Flood.”

Trucks, who has day jobs with the Allman Brothers Band and his own group, frequently sits in on other artists’ performances — Lettuce, Soul Live, and Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk at the Bear Creek Music and Arts Festival late last year in north Florida — and recordings.

So it was pleasant, but no surprise, when pedal-steel wizard Roosevelt Collier of Miami’s Lee Boys joined in on Buddy Guy’s “Done Got Over You.”

Collier returned for the encore, a triumphant version of The Band’s “The Weight,” which made a perfect match with Soul Stew Revival’s appealing mix of blues, rock, and old-school R&B.

Soul Stew Revival set list

Talking About
700 Houses
Down In The Flood
People
Can’t Sleep At Night
Days Is Almost Gone
Get Out Of My Life
Already Free
Meet Me At The Bottom
Chicken Robber
Don’t Miss Me
Gonna Write Him A Letter
Hercules
Sugar
Pack Up Our Things And Go
Done Got Over You
I’ve Got A Feeling
Space Captain

Encore:

The Weight

Derek Trucks Band: Already Free (CD review)

Derek Trucks possesses one of the most expressive, intriguing and pliable instrumental voices of any genre.

He’s a young but already deeply accomplished musician with great, reliable instincts, and an impressive ability to adapt to nearly any musical context – blues, rock, R&B, jazz, gospel, funk, Middle Eastern forms.

Expectations are that his just-released Already Free will connect, in a major way, with old fans as well as those who have become acquainted with the former child prodigy through his recent playing with the likes of Eric Clapton, Santana, and McCoy Tyner.

Here’s my review, as published in Las Vegas City Life.

Below is the full text:

Derek Trucks Band

Already Free (Sony Legacy)

Derek Trucks’ playing on bottleneck-slide guitar is a thing of beauty — sometimes, sweet, sometimes salty, an instrumental voice that’s remarkably expressive. That sound, a welcome guest on recent tours and recordings by everyone from Eric Clapton to jazz pianist McCoy Tyner, is front and center on Already Free.

Allman Brothers guitarist Trucks, nephew of Allmans drummer Butch Trucks, grew up on that band’s brand of hard-grooving Southern rock ‘n’ soul, and for his most accomplished studio recording yet, he successfully carries on the tradition. The sound is decidedly retro and warmly familiar, although Indian instruments spice the textures on the acoustic “Back Where I Started,” with Trucks’ wife Susan Tedeschi singing, and Big Maybelle’s “I Know.”

Doyle Bramhall II guests on the Southern-fried R&B of “Maybe This Time.” Raspy voiced singer DTB Mike Mattison effectively leads the attack on most other tunes, including a version of Bob Dylan’s “Down in the Flood” that’s all slow-simmering dirty boogie. “These Days is Almost Gone,” with Kofi Burbridge’s churchy organ underscoring soulful backing vocals and rising horns, sounds like a Saturday night in the Southland bumping into Sunday morning. Feels just right.

Tampa Bay area Concert Calendar – Jazz, Blues, Jamband, New Orleans, Americana, Rock, More

Selected concerts — jazz, blues, jamband, New Orleans music, Americana, worldbeat, pop/rock and more — on the music calendar of the Tampa Bay area and environs:

• May 1 – Jimmy Thackery & the Drivers + Rev. Billy C. Wirtz, Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa, 8 p.m.
• May 3 – UB40, Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg, 8 p.m.
• May 8 – Ghetto Love Sugar, Infinite Groove Orchestra, Rocksteady@8, Yeoman’s Road, Davis Islands, Tampa, 9 p.m.
• May 8 – Kings of Leon + The Walkmen, USF Sun Dome, Tampa
• May 15 – War + Derek Jive & the Funky Five + Soul Purpose, State Theatre, St. Petersburg, 7 p.m.
• May 16 – WMNF Tropical Heatwave: Chuck Prophet, Trombone Shorty, Bonerama, Michael Burks, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, Sara Borges, James Intveld, BeauSoleil with Michael Doucet, Kinobe and Soul Beat Africa, Magadog, the Vodkanauts, Will Quinlan and the Diviners, and more, Cuban Club, Ybor City, Tampa, 5 p.m.
• May 28 – Side Door Jazz: TRIO VIBE with singer Edgar Wilcox,  Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg, 7:30 p.m.
• May 28 – Stanton Moore, the Crowbar, Ybor City
• May 29 – Damon Fowler Group + Shawn Kellerman, Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa
• May 30 – Legendary JCs + TBA, Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa, 8 p.m.
• May 31 – WMNF Jazz Jam: Sam Rivers, Infinite Groove Orchestra, PBS, World Afro-Cuban Ensemble, Impromptu, and Trio Vibe, Skipper’s Smokehouse, 4 p.m.; $12 advance, $15 day of show
• June 12 – Eric Lindell, Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa
• July 18 – The Avett Brothers, Cuban Club, Ybor City (Tampa)
• June 19 – Cope + Diocious, Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa
• July 11 – 4th Annual WMNF Americana Fest: Blue Mountain, Ted Lukas and the Misled, Will Quinland & the Diviners, Have Gun Will Travel, Thomas Wynn & the Believers, Nervous Turkey, Black Finger, Mike Dunn & the Kings of New England, Matt Butcher, Nine Volts, and Roppongi’s Ace, Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa, 4 p.m.
• August 12 – Dave Matthews Band + Robert Earl Keen, Ford Amphitheatre, Tampa
• October 9 – U2, Raymond James Stadium, Tampa

Also handy for concertgoers: Creative Loafing’s recent piece on the area’s Top 20 concert venues.

ARCHIVE LIST

2009 shows

• April 17-Sunday, April 19 – Stringbreak Music Fest: The Waybacks, Hoots & Hellmouth (photo, left), Randy McAllister Band, Thomas Wynn & the Believers, The Greencards, Larry Keel & Natural Bridge, Todd Charles, Have Gun Will Travel + more, Sertoma Ranch, Brooksville
• April 17 – The Waybacks + Wildlife Refugees, Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa, 8 p.m.
• April 16 – Side Door Jazz: Denise Moore & Then Some, Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg, 7:30 p.m.
• April 10 – Dickey Betts & the Great Southern Band + Fastgun + Angels with Dirty Faces, State Theatre, St. Petersburg
• April 10 – Saffire the Uppity Blues Women + Julie Black, Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa, 8 p.m.
• April 7 – Cedric Burnside & Lightnin’ Malcolm, Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa
• April 5 – Old School Tampa Reunion Concert: Beanstalk + Joe Popp, My Little Trotsky, and Maggie Council, Skipper’s Smokehouse
• April 5 – Ribbon of Highway: Jimmy LaFave, Joel Rafael, Kevin Welch, Ray Bonneville, Ronny Elliott, Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johny Irion, Tampa Theatre
• April 4 – Bill Wharton The Sauce Boss, Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa, 8 p.m.
• April 4 – Freddie McGregor + Junior Reid + Jahfari, Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg, 8 p.m.
• April 3 – Ben Folds + Jukebox the Ghost, The Ritz, Ybor City (Tampa)
• April 3 – Allman-Tyler Band (with Gregg’s son Michael), Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa, 8 p.m.
• April 2 – Side Door Jazz: Stan Hunter (photo, left) Quartet with trumpeter Bob Swisher, bassist Michael Ross, and drummer Ron Gregg, Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg
• March 28 – North Mississippi All Stars + Hill Country Revue, State Theatre, St. Petersburg
• March 27 – Charlie Louvin + Will Smith and the Diviners, New World Brewery, Ybor City (Tampa)
• March 27 – Toubab Krewe, Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa
• March 26-Sunday, March 29 – Suwannee Springfest: Donna the Buffalo & others, Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park, Live Oak (see my post on this)
• March 20-22 – Tampa Bay Blues Fest: Fabulous Thunderbirds, Delbert McClinton, Irma Thomas, Bernard Allison + more, Vinoy Park, St. Petersburg
• March 20 – “Swing Into Spring: A Tribute to Benny Goodman” : Ken Peplowski (photo, left) with Kenny Drew Jr. Trio (including bassist Joe Porter and drummer John Jenkins), The Palladium, St. Petersburg
• March 20 – Spiritual Rez + The Hip Abduction, Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa
• March 20 – The Original Wailers, Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg
• March 19 – George Benson: Tribute to Nat Cole, Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater
• March 10 – Helios Jazz Orchestra with singers Rita Wilson, Joanna Rose, and Michael Cerone, First Unity Church, St. Petersburg, 7 p.m.
• March 15 – Bonnie Raitt, Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, 8:30 p.m.
• March 15 – Terry Adams Crazy Trio + Vodkanauts, Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa
• Friday-Saturday, March 6-7 – TRIO VIBE (Philip’s band), Della’s Delectables/Della’s After Dark, Brandon
• Friday, March 6 – COPE with Middle Rhythm Session, Skipper’s Smokehouse, 8 p.m.
• March 5 – The Organic Trio, Side Door Jazz @ Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg, 7:30 p.m. (Al Downing TBJA)
• March 5 – Richard Drexler (performing and discussing his music), St. Petersburg College HS 109
• March 5 – George Clinton and Parliament/Funkadelic, Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg
• March 3 – Helios Jazz Orchestra, with saxophonist Butch Thomas, and singers Rita Wilson and Paul Wilborn, Palladium Theater
• March 1 through Saturday, March 7 – Sarasota Jazz Festival: Dick Hyman, James Moody (photo, above), John Allred, Bill Allred, others, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Holley Hall and other venues, Sarasota
• Feb. 28 – The Subdudes + The Ditchflowers, Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa
• Feb. 28 – Mardi Gras Mambo: Neville Brothers + Dr. John and the Lower 911, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Sarasota
• Feb. 28 – Lil Ed and the Blues Imperials, Ace’s Lounge, Bradenton, 8:30 p.m.
• Feb. 23 – Bill Moring, bassist (photo, above), with USF Jazz Faculty Ensemble, USF-Tampa Monday Night Jazz Series, USF Music Recital Hall 
• Feb. 23 – Bill Moring master class (open to the public), FAH 107, USF Music Building
• Feb. 5-6 – Perpetual Groove, The Crowbar, Ybor City (Tampa)
• Feb. 5 – B.B. King + Buddy Guy, Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater
• Feb. 5 – Kenny Drew, Jr. (above) Trio with bassist Richard Drexler and drummer John Jenkins, Side Door Jazz Series @ Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg (Al Downing TBJA)
• Feb. 4 – Pato Banton, Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa
• Jan. 31 – SPC Jazz Festival: Sue Terry Quartet (w/ Richard Drexler, Mark Neuenschwander and Tracy Alexander), SPC Music Center
• Jan. 30 – SPC Jazz Festival: Alfredo Rivera & Manigua + O Som Do Jazz featuring Andrea Moraes Manson
• Jan. 29 – Dark Star Orchestra, Jannus Landing
• Jan. 29 – St. Petersburg College Jazz Festival: Helios Jazz Orchestra featuring saxophonist Sue Terry (photo, above) and singers Joanna Rose & Rita Wilson, SPC Music Center
• Jan. 27 – Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Sarasota
• Jan. 27 – Keller Williams, Jannus Landing
• Jan. 26 – Jon Metzger, vibraphonist, with USF Jazz Faculty Ensemble, USF-Tampa Monday Night Jazz Series
• Jan. 24 – USF-Tampa Magic Marimba Festival/Conference, FAH 101 & 102
• Jan. 23 – Big Sam’s Funky Nation +  The Trio, The Crowbar
• Jan. 23 – Side Door Jazz: Mindy Simmons Trio – A Tribute to Peggy Lee, Palladium Theater
• Jan. 23 – USF-Tampa Magic Marimba Festival/Conference, FAH 101 & FAH 102
• Jan. 18 – Donna the Buffalo, Skipper’s Smokehouse
• Jan. 16 – Richard Drexler and Kenny Drew, Jr. (“Keyboard Explosion”) with bassist John Lamb and drummer Don Capone, Mahaffey Theater  Bayview Room
• Jan. 11 – Ira Sullivan (photo, above) Quartet with  Michael Royal, Richard Drexler and Danny Gottlieb, Springs Theatre, (Tampa Jazz Club)
• Jan. 9 – Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe,  State Theatre
• Jan. 9 – Pinetop Perkins + Liz Pennock & Dr. Blues, Skipper’s Smokehouse (Philip’s preview, St. Petersburg Times)
• Friday, Jan. 9 & Saturday, Jan. 10 – TRIO VIBE (Philip’s band), Della’s Delectables, Brandon
• Jan. 8 – Guisando Caliente Latin Jazz Quintet (with saxophonist Jeff Rupert and pianist Kenny Drew, Jr.), Side Door Jazz, Palladium Theater (Al Downing TBJA)
• Jan. 3 – Bonerama, Aces Lounge, Bradenton (Philip’s preview, St. Petersburg Times)
• Jan. 2-3 – J.J. Grey & Mofro + Inca Maya, Skipper’s Smokehouse (Philip’s preview, St. Petersburg Times)
• Jan. 2 – Galactic + the Lee Boys, Jannus Landing (Philip’s preview, St. Petersburg Times)

2008 shows

• Dec. 31 – Rewind: The Music and Songs of 1968, Skipper’s Smokehouse
• Dec. 29 – Derek Trucks/Susan Tedeschi, Soul Stew Revival, Tampa Theatre (Philip’s preview, St. Petersburg Times; Wade Tatangelo’s preview, Creative Loafing Tampa;  Philip’s review, Billboard (to come); Wade Tatanelo’s review, CL Tampa)
• Dec. 21 – Benefit for Steve Ferguson, Skipper’s Smokehouse
• Dec. 19 – Tab Benoit (above) + Mike Zito, Skipper’s Smokehouse
• Dec. 15 – Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Alan White (of Yes), Ruth Eckerd Hall
• Dec. 13 – Ellington Christmas (Nate Najar, Ken Peplowski, Jon-Erik Kellso, Chuck and Robert Redd, John Lamb and Steven Bucholtz)
• Dec. 12 – David Byrne, Tampa Theatre (reviews:  Philip Booth, Jambands.com;  Curtis Ross, Tampa Trib;  Leilani Polk, CL)

Best Jazz CDs of 2008? Down Beat Looks Back

Down Beat’s official critics poll, which isn’t hinged to the calendar year, won’t arrive until August.

But the January issue of the magazine (to which I’m a longtime contributor) offers a list of the jazz CDs that notched the best reviews – highest star ratings – in 2008.

The five-star releases, although all deserving of high praise, may or may not deserve to be called “New Masterpieces”; a decade from now, will these recordings still resonate? Still, I was particularly impressed by the Caine, Haden, and McLaughlin discs. Here’s the list:

• Gunther Schuller, Journey Into Jazz (BMOP Sound)
• Uri Caine Ensemble, The Othello Syndrome (Winter & Winter)
• Otis Taylor, Recapturing the Banjo (Telarc)
• John McLaughlin, Floating Point (Abstract Logix)
• Charlie Haden Family and Friends, Rambling Boy (Decca)

A step down are the 4.5-star releases, including several of my ’08 favorites – Clark, Corea/Burton, Herwig, and Frisell.

Here’s that list:

• Anthony Braxton, Trio (Victoriaville)
• Mike Clark, Blueprints of Jazz Volume 1 (Talking House)
• Chick Corea and Gary Burton, The New Crystal Silence (Concord)
• Marilyn Crispell, Vignettes (ECM)
• Prieto Dafnis Sextet, Taking the Soul for a Walk (Dafnison Music)
• Die Enttauschung, Die Enttauschung (Intakt)
• Bill Frisell, History, Mystery (Nonesuch)
• Mike Garson, Conversations With My Family (Resonance)
• Jon Gordon, Within Words (ArtistShare)
• Conrad Herwig, The Latin Side of Wayne Shorter (Half Note)
• Grace Kelly and Lee Konitz, GRACEfulLee (Pazz)
• Moss, Moss (Sunnyside)
• Rosa Passos, Romance (Telarc)
• Mario Pavone, Trio Arc (Playscape)
• Herb Robertson and the NY Downtown Allstars, Real Aberration (Clean Feed)
• Wadada Leo Smith and the Golden Quartet, Tabligh (Cueniform)
• Gebhard Ullmann, New Basement Research (Soul Note)
• Norma Winstone, Distances (ECM)

It’s interesting to note that the music deemed among the best jazz of the year is spread out on nearly as many labels as there are releases. The exceptions – two are on ECM, and two are on Telarc.

The next level down, the four-star CDs, features 124 releases, including several, below, that struck me as particularly outstanding (and in some cases, deserving of higher star ratings):

• Brian Blade, Season of Changes (Verve)
• The Blind Boys of Alabama, Down in New Orleans (TimeLife)
• Anat Cohen, Notes From the Village (Anzic)
• John Ellis and Double-Wide, Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow (Hyena)
• Drew Gress, The Irrational Numbers (Premonition)
• Lionel Loueke, Karibu (Blue Note)
• Pat Metheny, Day Trip (Nonesuch)
• Radiohead, In Rainbows (ATO) – not jazz, I know, but how could this CD NOT be on anyone’s best-of list?
• Josh Roseman, New Constellations (Accurate)
• Kurt Rosenwinkel Group, The Remedy: Live at the Village Vanguard (ArtistShare)
• Esperanza Spalding, Esperanza (Heads Up)
• Susan Tedeschi, Back to the River (Verve Forecast)

Yes, I’ll be getting around to submitting my Top 10 CD list(s) to one or more publications. But not quite yet.

Susan Tedeschi (slight return)

As promised, here’s more about fast-rising singer and blues guitarist Tedeschi, who’s joining slide-guitar wizard Derek Trucks for a Soul Stew Revival show Dec. 29 at Tampa Theatre. Yes, they’re married to each other.

…

Great new tunes from Susan Tedeschi, on her Back to the River CD.

Click here to read my review at Las Vegas City Life, or see the full text below.

Susan Tedeschi

Back to the River (Verve Forecast)

“Revolutionize Your Soul,” arriving about two-thirds through Boston-born singer and guitarist Susan Tedeschi’s latest CD, is a real peak, a feel-good mixture of blues, R&B and gospel. Riding a rising tide of horns, she applies gritty vocals — think early Bonnie Raitt — to a tale of spiritual (albeit non-religious) renewal, and lets husband Derek Trucks in for a few bars of slide-guitar scorch. The tune’s crescendo is followed by a laidback chill-out section.

That’s just one of the rootsy treats on a set of music, including catchy first single “True,” that is deeply bluesy but accessible enough to suggest hot prospects for a crossover.

Tedeschi, whose vocals sound significantly more mature and lived-in than ever, branches out this time, with songwriting credits on 10 of the 11 tracks here. She collaborated with Trucks on the Southern-fried psychedelic soul of “Butterfly,” another track bolstered by the latter’s stinging lines, and worked with Gary Louris on the rangy “Learning the Hard Way,” which variously hints at Santana and pop-Americana a la The Jayhawks.

A tricky fuzz-guitar line anchors the swampy funk of Allen Toussaint’s “There’s a Break in the Road,” splashed with electric piano and horns. Tedeschi, sounding seriously re-energized, dives deep on Back to the River, handily.

(This post originally appeared on my OTHER blog, ScribeLife)

Winter Concert Picks: David Byrne, Derek Trucks/Susan Tedeschi, Galactic

Some folks around the Tampa Bay area are practically swooning in anticipation over several just-announced early 2009 shows by big pop and big hat acts.

Who’s coming?

• Britney Spears, still cute, still annoying, still irrelevant (3/8, St. Pete Times forum);
• Jessica Simpson, same as Britney (Florida Strawberry Festival);
• Elton John/Billy Joel, once formidable pop/rock artists long off to other interests but back on the cash-grab trail (3/5, SPT Forum);
• Fast-rising teen country star Taylor Swift (also Strawberry Fest).

Yawn. It’s all enough to make me elated that I’m no longer forced to consume standard-issue pop and rock for a living.

It’s a good bet that musical intrigue and non-rote performances will be in much greater supply at three under-publicized shows this month and next.

David Byrne, the former Talking Heads head, brings his “Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno” tour to Tampa Theatre on Dec. 12. He’s touring in support of Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, his first collaboration in nearly three decades with Brian Eno. Byrne’s work has remained vital and creative over the years, and his shows at Tampa Theatre have been among the area’s best concerts.

Reviews of the tour, which has Byrne and his four-piece band (keys, drums, bass, percussion) joined by three backup singers and three dancers, have been positive.

Jonathan Valaria, writing in the Philadelphia Inquirer, had this to say about a November show:

“David Byrne got his first of countless standing ovations Saturday night just five songs into his set at the Tower Theater, where he closed out the North American run of his ambitious tour in support of Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, his splendid second collaboration with Brian Eno.

Not surprisingly, the ovation was occasioned by the first Talking Heads song of the night – “Houses In Motion” from Remain in Light – but it was more than just a beloved old song that elicited such a response from the crowd, which, much like the 56-year-old Byrne, straddled the fulcrum of middle age.

No doubt drawing on lessons learned from his collaboration with choreographer extraordinaire Twyla Tharp, Byrne created a show that uses bodies in motion to advance the ambiguous narratives of his arty, multicultural rock music.

Byrne – looking fit, trim and sporting a magnificent shock of silver hair – sounded in fine voice and handled all guitar duties with surprising aplomb, expertly replicating the pneumatic wheeze of chords on “Home,” the angular funk-strum of “Crosseyed And Painless” and the molten leads of ‘I Feel My Stuff.’ ”

Also certain to be among the highlights of the winter concert season:

• Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi’s Soul Stew Revival (Dec. 29, Tampa Theatre), a bluesy, jammy, funky collaboration between the Allman Brothers’ slide-guitar wizard and his wife, an impressive blues guitarist and singer-songwriter in her own right.

• New Orleans funk/jam stars Galactic, with the Lee Boys (Jan. 2, Jannus Landing). Galactic’s grooves are deep and funky, and they often inject experimental sounds and hip-hop rhythms into the mix. I’ve seen the band upteen times, in the Tampa Bay area and in New Orleans, and I’ve only been disappointed when they’ve let guest rappers or singers hog the show. Not sure yet what’s up for this tour.