 This Easter I spent with a friend in Koblenz, Germany at the Drums and Sounds Festival 2002. This year's festival was arranged in the memory of Jeffrey Porcaro, and some of Jeff's best friends and family were gathered to honour him.
The festival was held on both Saturday and Sunday, and among the highlights were the cliniques with such great drummers as Bernard Purdie, Zoro, John JR Robinson and David Garfield. There were different themes for each clinique, but each and every one of them were very interesting.
I am no musician. Only a big fan and a great spender on music. But these cliniques and the concerts on both Saturday and Sunday evening totally changed the way I listen to the music that I have heard and loved for such a long time. Because now I know how many of the grooves were made, and I have seen how much joy and fun the musicians feel, when playing together.
The opening song E-minor shuffle is the kick-off - Mike Porcaro is always standing still on the exact same spot, but rocking and rolling with his 5-string bass, digging into the groove. He also does this when playing with Toto. It's really fun to see, but also cool that he's on 110%. Three drumsets are on the stage, but only Gregg Bissonette and Steve Gadd are playing on this first one. The third drumset is obviously prepared for a surprise later Lenny Castro is doing a great job in the percussion-section.
It's quite obvious that these musicians are loong-time friends, and they really groove together. Let's stay together and the old Boz Scaggs tune Lowdown, which is also included on the Tribute to Jeff-album in an instrumental version, are among the next few songs. Glenn Hughes, Alex Ligertwood and Bobby Kimball sings their a.. off! They are three VERY different singers, but they all have their very own forces. Great to hear them really perform during these two songs.
Then Joe Porcaro enters and play some very catchy jazz. The concert moves ahead into Stuffy, and Jeff's Strut, which are tunes that I have never actually paid much attention to on the tribute-album, but now these two grooves are my favourites! Steve Gadd hits it off! He seemed a little bit tired on Saturday, but Sunday it was payback-time. I have never heard anything like that. What a marvellous technique.
Jeff's nephew Chase Porcaro Duddy enters the stage, and uncle Mike, who is obviously very proud, joins him in the corner of the stage, and the Toto classic English Eyes begins. Great to hear this one with the original singer Bobby Kimball again. Chase Duddy definitely has his uncles talent for grooves, and I hope to hear him again in the future, because this was a GREAT experience. Then another Toto classic, with Bobby singing, starts. Gregg Bissonette kicks ass on Rosanna and the crowd goes wild. I have never heard this one live with real horns included. But what a swing! What a joy!
I am one of those too young to have seen Steve Porcaro live in concert together with Toto, and that's another reason why I am so glad to have been at this event. Although he pretty much stayed in the background, I enjoyed the wonderful sounds of his keyboards, and especially his Michael Jackson tune Human Nature was one of the highlights to me. I actually rushed down to my local CD-store when I got home, to buy the Miles Davis album that includes this tune. It's a true beauty!
Another one of my Tribute favourites, Big Bone, was played in excellent shape. Guitarist Mike O'Neill did a great job, in the absence of Steve Lukather.
On both nights, Joe Porcaro stayed on stage the whole time, helping out in the percussion-section behind Lenny Castro. Sometimes it actually looked a bit crowded up there, escpecially Sunday, when also Luis Conte entered the concert. But when the musicians had fun up there, the whole concerthall was practically melting! Bernard Purdie came in and grooved like never before. And on Sunday night, also John JR Robinson came in on one song.
The whole act was nicely put together under the supervision of David Garfield, who really made a huge impression on me during that weekend. He seemed to have such an inner balance and calmness. And needless to say, I will never forget when I met him in the corridor outside the concerthall on Sunday afternoon. I also got a picture of that.
Both concerts were nicely closed with a wonderful version of Africa, with all drumsets in use Bernard Purdie, Gregg Bissonette and Steve Gadd, and at least 5 people behind Lenny Castro's rack of percussion - amazing that they could all be there. But this was the absolute best performance of Africa that I have heard EVER! The concerthall was grooving!!!!
These concerts are truly among the highlights of what I have seen so far, and I can only hope and pray for a re-run sometime in the near future!
Thank You David Garfield!!!
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