Concert Review: Kneebody at Littlefield

From April 11th - 15th, the non-profit group Search and Restore, which produces a variety of different jazz and improvised music concerts and festivals throughout the year, presented a four-night residency of the band Kneebody at Littlefield in Brooklyn. Search and Restore has a longstanding relationship with the band, as this is the third year in row that they have played host to the trail blazing fusion/jazz group. Each year this residency has been marked by different guests artists on different nights, including Wayne Krantz, Theo Bleckman, Busdriver, and Daedelus. Each night featured one set of Kneebody's originals, and another set dedicated to the music of a notable composer, performed with a guest artist.

Kneebody is a well oiled machine. Their compositions feature tight, often multi-metric grooves, laid down with slick bombast by bassist Kaveh Rastegar, drummer Nate Wood, and Fender Rhodes player Adam Benjamin. Taking their cues from classic fusion groups like Weather Report and 70's electric Miles Davis, they deftly manage to create tight, yet deceptively simple and repetitive jams that lay a foundation for trumpeter Shane Endlsey and saxophonist Ben Wendel to go to town. These are all musicians of incredible technical virtuosity, whose own solo projects run the gamut from straight ahead jazz, to singer-songwriter folk music. When they unite however, the result is truly impressive. Having been a band for over a decade now, the musicians have found a deep pocket with each other.

All of Kneebody’s music is learned by ear and memorized, which adds to the organic fluidity of their performances. It's loud, it grooves hard, and it’s easy to dance to. An energetic combination, and while quieter individuals like myself would enjoy hearing some ballads thrown into the mix, the sound is obviously a hit with young people, if the massive crowd of dancing people in their early 20's were any indication. The band also has a sarcastic and nerdy sense of humor about them, as evidenced by song titles such as “Nerd Mountain,” “Teddy Ruxpin,” “Play Hard, Towel Hard,”and “Blorp.” That, in addition to the informal rapport that the band members had when addressing the audience, created a more relatable and intimate experience for the young crowd than one would typically find at a jazz concert.

However, it was when they were interpreting the music of other people that the band got to show its stylistic flexibility. The first night featured the music of Brazilian multi-instrumentalist, composer and member of the Tropocalia movement in the 60's, Tom Ze. Ze's psychedelic music translated wonderfully to Kneebody's aesthetic, and the inclusion of drummer Mark Guiliana and vocalist Gretchen Parlato, created a new vibe for the band. Parlato's silky voice sounded even nicer with Portuguese lyrics, and the set featured a drum battle between Guiliana and Wood that literally shook the room.

On the second night, Theo Bleckman helped bring to life the music of Judee Sill, a beautiful, if relatively obscure singer-songwriter from the late 1960's and early 70's. It was the softer side of Kneebody, as the band performed intimate and relatively quiet interpretations of the music. Bleckman's voice is soft yet stately, and his version of Sill's hit “Lady O” was exceptionally beautiful. The real party, however, was the third night, when Kneebody invited California based drummer Louis Cole, and singer Genevieve Artadi to perform a set of their own music.

Cole and Artadi's music has been gaining more and more recognition through their numerous homemade YouTube music videos, and it was tremendous to see a band of Kneebody's stature paying tribute to a young and innovative musical duo. Parts jazz, drum and bass, and electronica, their music is rhythmically and harmonically sophisticated, while still being catchy and very danceable. Cole's drumming, while not as technically showy as Wood's, achieves a deep unstoppable groove. Artadi distinguished herself from the previous vocalists with an physically energetic performance, dancing around the stage, and getting the audience moving with her. The fourth night, which I was unable to attend featured renowned soul singer/bassist Meshell Ndegeocello, (a special guest who, due to Ms. Ndegeocello's other engagements, was kept secret until the last second), I've been informed that it was an awesome night of deeply grooving music.

Personel:

Kneebody:

• Ben Wendel – Saxophone, Bassoon
• Shane Endsley – Trumpet
• Adam Benjamin – Fender Rhodes
• Kaveh Rastegar – Electric Bass
• Nate Wood – Drums

Special Guests:

April 11th:

• Mark Guillana – Drums
• Gretchen Parlato – Voice

April 12th:

• Theo Bleckman – Voice

April 13th:

• Louis Cole – Drums
• Genevieve Artadi – Voice