James Brown Jr.
Tomi’s All Star Blues Band put on a good show last night at the Payson Park Music Festival, a Belmont, Massachusetts program in its 26th year. The blues band was playfully named after Tomi Olson, a resident who founded the program and organizes these music events each year, mid-June through late August.
Featuring guitarist Willie J. Laws, “Sax” Gordon Beadle, trumpeter Johnny “Blue Horn” Moriconi, bassist Lee Lundy, drummer Sir Cecil, and special guest James Brown Jr. on vocals, the six piece, with their decades of national music scene experience, made the park swing with a smoky, bluesy, swinging sound.
The boys opened with an instrumental jam, with a little sweetness from the melodic instruments and a jazzy groove from the rhythm section of drummer Sir Cecil and bassist Lee Lundy. Mr. Willie J. Laws pressed out a jumpy guitar phrase, a line with a twitchy inner rhythm.
John Moriconi crooned with class on “Mean, Mean Woman.” His smooth, handsome vocal, like flowing honey, segued right into a sax solo from Gordon Beadle. Man, that Beadle made his sax line jump around the groove with a good uplifting feeling, brightness and a sizzling spirit. Moriconi soon reentered the sound, mixing it up with his Holton MF Admiral blue-lacquer trumpet, blaring his soul with a feisty line. Likewise, “Sax” Gordon Beadle unleashed another of his twisty, funky horn lines on “What You Hoped To Gain” before Moriconi offered his trumpeted take on that piece’s main melody line.
John “Blue Horn” Moriconi
A slow boil blues featuring Sir Cecil on lead vocals, belting from behind his drum kit, found the players serving up a gently swaying vibe, one played with plenty of muscle. One could almost see the colors and tones wafting out of the horns and guitar while the groove remained deep, personal, soulful. WJL paid out a sensitive, sharp guitar line, one that expressed exactly what the song was all about. His incisive interval of notes cut right to the soul of the number. Blue Horn’s sultry trumpet line was thick with smoky, hazy romantic longing. This man could seduce Hollywood starlets with the kind of yearning he expresses through his reed.
James Brown Jr., reportedly a godson of thee James Brown, eventually took to the microphone to do his soulful magic thing. Brown Jr. performed “I Feel Good” with a professionally trained soul singer voice, leaving no doubt as to his pedigree. The lyrics seems to abound from him as much they were sung by him. Underneath, “Sax” Gordon’s lightning fast sax licks helped make it a jumpy fun, pop-soul piece. Other numbers showed Brown working his unique style, especially when there was a thick, throbbing low end line just beneath his vocal.
Slow song “Just Try Me” was beautifully sung, delivered with a high level knowledge of crooning. It didn’t hurt that “Sax” Gordon’s melody line cried out the passion. JB’s vocal approach grew more fierce as his lead spots increased. He sang all his songs like a man who means business, interpolating some Prince lyrics into his presentation. One simply has to be present to see how boldly and solidly he put the words across.
Lee Lundy, “Sax” Gordon Beadle
The second set commenced with Blue Horn blowing out a stabbing line with spiky notes, WJL pressing out a phrase loaded with ringing notes, and “Sax” Gordon blowing a rapid fire string of sassy notes. Segue into Sir Cecil’s athletic drum solo and Lundy’s thick, knobby low end line. Willie J. Laws sung lead vocal on a moody, smoky number called “Love Is A Gamble.” His sweet, smooth vocal expressed the heart and soul of that ballad while his lead guitar was the point man, leading his men through the tune’s expressive, lyrical minefield. If that wasn’t enough, Blue Horn chimed in with some technically fine playing without losing the feeling. “Sax” Gordon, too, did some magic, sustaining a note while bending the hell out of it. I thought only electric guitarists could do that.
Then, it was time for James Brown Jr. to come back out on stage. He performed the soul classic 634-5789 with ample bombast to make it feel authentic, timeless, and emotive. WJL, with consistent phrasing, emitted just the right amount of emotion, color, tone, and volume. “Sweet Home Chicago” was another number that Brown Jr. coated with his sweet dandy of a voice. The instrumentalists breezed in with their own special takes on the melody and groove.
Brown Jr. must have an affinity for the music of Wilson Pickett. He conjured a party vibe on Pickett’s barroom classic “Knock On Wood” before whipping out a sharp, sizzling version of “Mustang
Willie J. Laws
Sally.” Knowing how to put feeling into a song was a technique Brown Jr. employed to full extent on close out number, “Stand By Me.” This Ben E. King masterpiece was beautifully sung last night, with Brown carrying the vocal melody line well.
It was another successful outdoor concert for the folks in Belmont, Massachusetts. Blues, cool weather, kids playing and grown ups listening carefully. Made possible by sponsors East Boston Savings Bank, Sikellis Realty and Business Brokers who were there giving away free stuff. Let’s hope the Payson Park Music Series has another 26 years.
