Post by Edith Grove on Jun 27th, 2014 at 6:58pm
He just played Jazz Fest in New Orleans:
Bobby Womack was a soul pro on the final day of the 2014 New Orleans Jazz Fest
Bobby Womack performing at the Congo Square stage during the New Orleans Jazz Fest Sunday, May 4, 2014. (Photo by Dmitriy Pritykin, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
By Alison Fensterstock, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
on May 04, 2014
I missed Bobby Womack's immortal hit "Across 110th Street" at the New Orleans Jazz Fest on Sunday (May 4). I blame the chair people: parked in startling numbers across great swaths of the Fair Grounds from the grass to the track, the largest crowd assembled at the Congo Square Stage so far this festival adjusted their sunhats and umbrellas, sipped from their cold drinks and glared at hapless latecomers looking for a few square feet of temporary real estate.
Mostly, they were homesteading for Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, who closed out Congo Square Sunday. But if they were waiting for soul, they got it early from the veteran Womack, including the tense, gritty ballad that he opened with, and that I missed. (Do I sound bitter?)
Womack, a consummate pro, brought with him a crack band that delivered deep, dark and sexy soul blues guitar and big, lush, sweeping horns. Of particular note was his percussionist, who released sparkling chimes for a passionate version of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" and clattering go-go congas for a take on Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On." As well the trio of backup singers, who were anything but bit players, adding melismatic vocalizing and church-worthy shouts, especially on a hard and saucy "If You Think You're Lonely" that was strictly for the grown folks, and might have lightly violated Jazz Fest's clean-language policy.
Classics like "Harry Hippie" and the aching "Woman's Gotta Have It" were deployed, with an audible, perfectly theatrical R&B sob in Womack's voice. Dressed in black and shades, he laid his set down with the authority of the soul survivor he is. The Congo Square crowd, firmly planted as they were, still waved their arms and sang along.
Bobby Womack quit the stage early - not the first act to do so during the 2014 Jazz Fest - but he got the job done, and very masterfully indeed. Although, if I may presume to point it out, there was time enough left for a reprise of "Across 110th Street."
I went home and listened to the song on vinyl. Maybe more than once.
http://www.nola.com/jazzfest/index.ssf/2014/05/bobby_womack_was_a_soul_pro_on.html
Bobby Womack was a soul pro on the final day of the 2014 New Orleans Jazz Fest
Bobby Womack performing at the Congo Square stage during the New Orleans Jazz Fest Sunday, May 4, 2014. (Photo by Dmitriy Pritykin, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
By Alison Fensterstock, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
on May 04, 2014
I missed Bobby Womack's immortal hit "Across 110th Street" at the New Orleans Jazz Fest on Sunday (May 4). I blame the chair people: parked in startling numbers across great swaths of the Fair Grounds from the grass to the track, the largest crowd assembled at the Congo Square Stage so far this festival adjusted their sunhats and umbrellas, sipped from their cold drinks and glared at hapless latecomers looking for a few square feet of temporary real estate.
Mostly, they were homesteading for Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, who closed out Congo Square Sunday. But if they were waiting for soul, they got it early from the veteran Womack, including the tense, gritty ballad that he opened with, and that I missed. (Do I sound bitter?)
Womack, a consummate pro, brought with him a crack band that delivered deep, dark and sexy soul blues guitar and big, lush, sweeping horns. Of particular note was his percussionist, who released sparkling chimes for a passionate version of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" and clattering go-go congas for a take on Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On." As well the trio of backup singers, who were anything but bit players, adding melismatic vocalizing and church-worthy shouts, especially on a hard and saucy "If You Think You're Lonely" that was strictly for the grown folks, and might have lightly violated Jazz Fest's clean-language policy.
Classics like "Harry Hippie" and the aching "Woman's Gotta Have It" were deployed, with an audible, perfectly theatrical R&B sob in Womack's voice. Dressed in black and shades, he laid his set down with the authority of the soul survivor he is. The Congo Square crowd, firmly planted as they were, still waved their arms and sang along.
Bobby Womack quit the stage early - not the first act to do so during the 2014 Jazz Fest - but he got the job done, and very masterfully indeed. Although, if I may presume to point it out, there was time enough left for a reprise of "Across 110th Street."
I went home and listened to the song on vinyl. Maybe more than once.
http://www.nola.com/jazzfest/index.ssf/2014/05/bobby_womack_was_a_soul_pro_on.html
