Robby Krieger Jazz Project

What an amazing night! Yesterday I discovered Doors guitarist Robby Krieger was performing tonight at a local club called Johnny D's, which is just down the street from my abode. I bought my ticket online and had an amazing time. My love for the music of the Doors a lifelong obsession, and I always make it a point to see any of the surviving Doors perform when the come to Boston. Johnny D's a small club, the stage is not even a foot off the ground, so I was standing right in front of Robby the whole time, not even 3 feet away. I danced as I used to dance when attending Grateful Dead concerts back in the 90s. Robby's new group Jazz Kitchen consists of former members of Frank Zappa's band, and an x War band member. The setlist was a mix of new tracks off their new cd, Frank Zappa songs and a couple Doors numbers- t Most of the songs were instrumentals, pure jazz with extended improvisation. This pure jazz music was a surprising avenue for Robby to pursue, as I always thought of Ray Manzarek and John Densmore as being the Doors members into jazz- Robby was more into his flamenco sound- But he clearly caught the jazz bug. STUNNING performance After the show I was hoping Robby would come out and chat with fans- I was crestfallen whilst trapped in a conversation, when i noticed accross the room his manager or promoter leading a group of Doors fans downstairs to meet with Robby. Shit, i missed my chance. But luckily Robby reemerged, and chatted with a group of us for at the bar for about 10 minutes, talked about music, plus he signed my ticket stub, and was a genuinely cool guy. I told him I hoped he would one day put his fine 'No Habla' instrumental cd back in print, he said that is in the works. I also suggested the two post-Morrison Doors albums ('Other Voices' and 'Full Circle' ) had some good songs, namely 'Ships With Sails' and Tightrope Ride, and he and Ray should play them live when they next go on tour. He said they have done the Fill Circle lp track 'The Mosquito' live on the recent tours, but Ray wants to dust off Ships With Sails. I shook Robby's hand, thanked him for his music and left him at the bar. What a fantastic night, and on the eve of Jim Morrison's 69th birthday

Performing at what is arguably one of the Boston area's best intimate settings, Johnny D's Uptown Restaurant and Bar in Somerville, Robbie Kreiger's Jazz Kitchen had the crowd eating out of their hands from the first note. A bunch of us immediately packed the front of the stage and remained there for the entire duration. It was standing room only at Johnny D's and I was more than happy to eschew our table for the evening. I can get a beer and burger anytime, but this is a show that needs to be experienced up-close and personal. Promoting his latest CD, "Singularity", Robbie and this band of seasoned and accomplished professionals are currently on tour and enjoying a warm reception from a wide variety of audiences. Fans of The Doors, Zappa, Rock, Blues, Jazz and Fusion, were in abundance at the show and judging by the cheers and applause, this show obviously packs something for everyone. As I told Robbie and the other members afterwards, the playing was perfectly tight and loose at the same time. One could literally see not only the cameraderie, but also that they were all having fun onstage. I must confess to my bias, having been an ardent fan, follower, and supporter of these wonderfully gifted artists for much of my adult life. It is pure pleasure to watch Robbie run the show with a such a beautiful sense of democracy. He knows that he has guys working with and for him who are all stars in their own right. Each and every member can and does hold an audience captive. Saxophone player, Larry Klimas skillfully displays his melodic chops while blowing one amazing solo after another. The ever-popular Tommy Mars played, sang, and dazzled us with that wonderfully wicked smile of his and his incredible keyboard prowess. Bass player and singer, Arthur Barrow showed everyone just why he was once Frank Zappa's "clonemeister". A title which is held by only a tiny handful of fortunate souls. Drummer Chad Wackerman did an impeccable job of keeping time and driving the energy. His drum solo being one of the many highlights of the evening for this writer. Robbie Krieger himself is in top form as he easily drifts from slide playing, flamenco, blues, and jazz idioms. He is clearly inspired and driven by this great band. He couldn't help but smile to himself numerous times throughout the performance. All in all, this was one of the best shows I have witnessed at Johnny D's in quite some time. Possibly even anywhere else, for that matter. There is simply not one bad thing that I could say about the evening; other than the fact that it didn't last forever. Go to this wonderful show and see for yourself. Clips coming to youtube soon :D Huge kudos and thank you to Robbie, Chad, Tommy, Arthur, and Larry. I Love you guys!

I have seen Robby Krieger a handful of times. Until thi stime it has always been great. This e\\was just terrible.. One painful jazz instrumental after another. The keyboardist was a total clown.. The only songs with vocals were a couple Zappa songs and one terrible original about texting.. I guess they were trying to be current. The closed with Roadhouse Blues which was the only entertaining song of the night.