This live recording was made at Veasley’s own club in the Sheraton
Reading Hotel in Reading, Pennsylvania. It’s a venue
in-the-round-style and showcases not only Gerald’s bass, but many other
artists as well. The songs on this disc are culled from two
consecutive evenings in November 2004 with material that comes from all
six of his albums. In addition to this “older” material, there
are two new tracks: “Celebrating Sipho” and “Sugar Time.”
Veasley has done an amazing job of capturing the vibe of his studio
recordings and expanding upon them in a way only possible in a live
environment. The music is consistently lively, upbeat and
groovin’—a great addition to Veasley’s already impressive jazz/fusion
catalog.
Recording quality is very good although falls slightly short of the
studio recording previously reviewed (Velvet)—more edge and hash is
present. But the draw is the performance and I can’t imagine
anyone coming away disappointed. Songs included are:
Shango; Valdez In The Country; Coup De Ville; Sugar Time; Deeper;
Forever; On The Fast Track; The Spy Is Back; Bread Puddin’; Celebrating
Sipho.
-Brian Bloom
