Rockin George Leh and his back up band wowed an audience at the Village Trestle in Goffstown, New Hampshire last night. It’s a good thing the Trestle is a fairly sizable room lengthwise. Leh and his five piece backing band made a huge sound during every song and their collective talents took advantage of all that breathing room.Leh opened with an oldies tune “Hide And Go Seek” that featured the thumping bass guitar, freewheeling harmonica notes, and jaunty piano that would mark most of his set list. There were a lot of old fashioned guitar phrases to boot, and Mr. Leh could be as feisty as a circus barker introducing his numbers. He often brought his vocal register down into the baritone level and would hold a note forever before resuming his usual pitch to finish a song. Boy, can he belt, and he knows his genre. Leh’s knack for knowing how to deliver these 1950s era blues and rock and roll tunes is uncanny, taking it beyond showmanship into a level of art.
On “Whole Lotta Shakin’” his vocal phrasing was perfect and he, through force of stage personality and dynamics, controlled the music too. His band followed right behind his locomotive voice. The band made the groove happen on “Roll Over Beethoven” and Leh’s voice rode it like nobody’s business. On “Let The Music Move You” his band emphasized the talents of Harmonica Hank Brennan and organist Richard Friedman. The two brought out the gospel roots of the song with their intervals of freewheeling melody.
Bass player Tom Mitchell lays it down heavy with thick dollops of low end notes that anchor each song and he created every groove. This thump did so much for tunes like “I’ll Take You There” in which the players and Leh glided through that rolling vibe. Friedman kept that piano melody alive with sprightly notes and meaningful tinkling. Mitchell’s bass work got thick and supple on “My Girl” when his four string took on the lead role.
“Danger Zone” came off with the pureness of blues. Its harmonica portions came at you loud and clear, like a locomotive coming down the tracks, steady, unwavering, driven by an inner momentum you can’t miss. Lead guitarist Cathy Lynes whipped up a fanciful, brittle melody that was full of zip and character. In fact, Lynes was the cool edge on all of these classics.
Leh and his band play with a strong sense of where rock and roll and blues comes from. “Stand By Me” allowed Leh to hum and coo, his beautiful voice full of old school charm. The piano melody here was also stand out. Segue into Sam Cooke’s “Wonderful World” and another side of Leh’s rich timbre was revealed. Tackling an a cappella version of “Over The Rainbow” may have daunted other singers, but Leh went into it with total confidence and he could have blown the roof off with the lung power he put into it.
Drummer Ted Parkins was almost invisible sitting behind those five huge talents, and he probably likes it that way. Parkins doesn’t want to make a lot of noise at the drum set. He played with a lot of subtle, adept moves that could almost make you forget there was a drummer in the band. Yet, he got the band through a lot of sharp twists and turns in these demanding classics.
The band came back from a break and Harmonica Hank Brennan blew a hurricane of notes through his harp to perfectly nail the melody line from J. Geils Band’s “Whammer Jammer.” After this instrumental work out, Leh came back on to deliver a steady rendition of “Big Boss Man” but it was his version of “The Twist” that got the room on its feet. Harp shots, guitar riffs, and a thumping rhythm made it a “Twist” to remember. It also showed more of the band’s uncanny way of responding to and matching Leh’s sense of oldies dynamics.
Richard Friedman was a big help on the Ray Charles standard “What’d I Say.” The pianist met the challenge of driving this piece with class and verve. The group move on to B. B. King’s “The Thrill Is Gone” in which Cathy Lynes paid out a gritty, lean, mean, blues lead guitar intro. Soothing harp notes were also a big plus here.
Village Trestle owner Steve Pascucci got to play harmonica on “Got My Mojo Working,” a rendition that found Tom Mitchell making all the difference with his big, loud bass anchoring the tune and emphasizing everything going on during the call the response. “Let The Good Times Roll” was another big, loud blues song with a heavy rhythm section support.
Leh got into the 1970s with “Ain’t No Sunshine” and his baritone refrain of “I know, I know, I know” was killer, with his voice supported by a subtle touch from the band. “Sunshine” got another boost from Cathy Lynes’s sharp, defined guitar lead and Friedman’s classy electric piano.
Leh got into some serious blues on Ruth Brown’s “5-10-15 Hours,” a tune he caressed with his wonderfully raspy, entertainer’s voice. “Hootchie Cootchie Man,” “Hey Bartender,” “Unchain My Heart,” “Blues After Hours,” and “Mustang Sally” were among the batch of classic blues and rock and roll Leh and his team constructed artfully in a very energetic closing set. “Blues After Hours” was dedicated to the late Pinetop Perkins who died earlier in the week and whom Leh had worked with in Sandy’s, a now-defunct bar in Beverly, Massachusetts.
Anybody who likes classic blues and oldies needs to check out Rockin’ George Leh and his crackling five piece band. There was so much fun, energy, and authenticity in the room last night that you could almost feel you were hearing some of those original artist live in a club instead of just on their 45s.
Bill,
Thanks for coming out to hear us and for the terrific review!
Tom