The New Mastersounds @ Sullivan Hall 11/8&9

So, because I was well-rested on Fri, very happy about the Derek show, I figured I could definitely go to this on Friday. I loved it. I had a great time and thought they were stretching out a little more than previously. They didn’t sound quite so generic. Now, they are a very talented band and their songs are very funky, so they would appeal to many. I loved them the first several times I saw them and still do, I just decided I couldn’t see them too often because it gets old for me. I think I’ve written in past posts about how I get “funked out” these days and I just can’t do the funk shows like I used to.

I think because I was coming off of 2 nights of Derek, and because they are starting to change I could appreciate them more. They had a singer with them and I like her. She definitely didn’t deteriorate the music at all and she fit in very well. She’s got a great voice. Some of it does really well with vocals. She also loves the music, so seems to be having a great time up there even when she’s not singing.

After having such a good time Fri, and being just around the corner at Blue Note on Sat, I had to go. I must say I was a little disappointed that night. They probably sounded a little better, it was just it was the same songs and it sounded kind of generic, formula-driven. I did get into it more towards the end. They told us the night before they would be playing the same songs in different order and playing the solos slightly different. It felt too much like a repeat to me. It was still fun and I definitely got more into it in the last ½ hour. I stayed for 2.5 hours, so it wasn’t like it was bad or anything. It was fun, I just didn’t need 2 nights. Still, I was glad to be there and didn’t feel like I should have stayed at Blue Note for Melvin Sparks.