REVIEW: Rock Hall 2010 American Music Masters Series Tribute Concert
The 2010 annual American Music Masters concert started off with quite a bang this past Saturday 11/06/10 at the Palace Theater in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. Honoring the lives and legendary work of rock and roll pioneers Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew, this weekend’s show opened with a rip-roaring second-line performance by The Rebirth Brass Band. Napkins waved in the air and beads were given to audience members as the band made their way through the dancing crowd onto the stage. New Orleans had truly made its way to Cleveland that evening.
Hosted by both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Case Western Reserve University’s Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities, this year’s concert featured a plethora of artists, old and young, modern and vintage, to celebrate Domino and Bartholomew not only in the context of New Orleans, but to reinstate their influence on music and cultural history worldwide. The show was emceed alternately by Terry Stewart, CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, actor Wendell Pierce from the HBO television series Treme and the honorable Julian Bond, former Chairman of the NAACP.
Quite appropriately, the evening’s house band was none other than Dr. John (Mac Rebennack) and the Lower 911, who, concluding the final portion of the show, gave the most stellar performance of the evening. Dr. John truly channeled the spirit of both Domino and Bartholomew — his band modestly, yet majestically lending their Cajun-steeped rhythms to hits such as “Blue Monday,” “The Fat Man” and “Walkin’ To New Orleans” among others.
Akin to the bright, youthful performance of the Rebirth Brass Band, Swedish chanteuse Therese Andersson paid tribute to the fathers of New Orleans rock, first with an experimental version of “It Keeps Rainin’,” using loop pedals, maracas, and an electric ukulele, wowing the crowd with her inventive interpretation of the Domino classic. Andersson went on to perform “I Want to Walk You Home” with Dr. John, combining the styles reminiscent of Jenny Lewis and Brenda Lee, all the while preserving the character of Domino’s original.
Lloyd Price, New Orleans pop legend, contemporary and friend of Fats Domino, performed “Ain’t That A Shame” before delivering a spunky rendition of his timeless classic “Lawdy Miss Clawdy,” which since it’s release in 1952 has been re-imagined and re-recorded by over 100 artists such as Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and The Replacements.
Price returned to the stage at the finale of the show to perform the Domino/Bartholomew anthem of the evening: “Walkin’ to New Orleans,” with friend and fellow musician Ernest McClane who back in 1948 worked with Price, Domino and Bartholomew at the famed J&M studios with producer Cosimo Matassa. Mr. Matassa was rightfully acknowledged several times over the course of the concert in recognition of his mastery of the New Orleans sound that influenced the birth of rock and roll.
Also joining Price and McClane was songstress Irma Thomas, known as “The Soul Queen of New Orleans,” who earlier in the program followed two performances by Robert Parker of “Barefootin’” fame, with a bluesy, expressive, yet masterful rendition of Domino’s “Blueberry Hill.” Clad in a beautiful white African-inspired gown and headdress, glowing under the stage light, the soul queen performed her number one smash, now R&B standard: “Time Is On My Side.”
The Dixie Cups, Crescent City girl-group extraordinaire, gave a simultaneously humbling and crowd-pleasing version of Domino and Bartholomew’s “I’m Walking,” as well as their own pop-gem “Chapel of Love.” Keeping up with the Mardi Gras theme of the evening, the trio encouraged the crowd to get up off their feet and sing along to another of their hits: “Iko Iko,” embellished with the Cajun flavor of Dr. John’s backing beats.
Reggae-masters Toots and the Maytalls fused Caribbean rhythms with bayou melodies on “Be My Guest,” “Let The Four Winds Blow,” and “54-46, That’s My Number.”
Several prolific instrumentalists graced the stage throughout the show, including current recording artist James Andrews, who followed the Rebirth Brass Band with a singular performance of Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World,” along with pianist John Cleary, who played “Swanee River Hop.” His energy and style inspired visions of Domino’s predecessor, Professor Longhair.
Contributing equally to shaping rock and roll through the legend of J&M studios, saxophonist Herb Hardesty performed with the Dixie Cups, as well as alongside the man of the hour: Dave Bartholomew. The two prolific gentlemen graced the audience with their finesse and flawless showmanship on “Blues in B Flat”, “The Monkey (Speaks His Mind)”, and “Tenderly.” The duo, although missing “The Fat Man” himself, proved their place in rock and roll history as the fathers of bayou big-beat.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee (1991) Dave Bartholomew and his family graciously accepted his American Music Masters award as well as a certificate of honor from City of Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson. The 2010 American Music Masters all-star tribute to Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew, like the legendary New Orleans duo themselves, will be an experience not soon to be forgotten.
From Cool Cleveland contributor Emma Sleva