Well, last night was Mardi Gras night at my venue. The opening act was Dr. John in all his Hammond B-3 glory complete with the Skull and Candle on top. He of course got up several times during his set and showed off his infamous (Nu Orlons style) strut, complete with the dropped shoulder. His set was a great pre-cursor for the main act of the 4 Neville Brothers.
Having never seen the Brothers before, I could only go by what I had been told by my fellow ushers. I knew they were a good musical family, but most of my personal knowledge was of Aaron. Imagine my delight when they came on and far exceeded my expectations. To showcase that much talent in one family is a rarity.
Cyril Neville has a tremendous voice and is an exceptional percussionist, coupled with his New Orleans/Reggae twist on presentation, made his performance stellar. I was impressed that he did more lead singing then Aaron. Next up was Charles. What a talent on the SAXophone. From low to high, soft to N.O. funky/gritty, Charles can and did it all. Also joining his brothers in vocals and cowbell, his voice helped to forge the 4 part harmony we all enjoyed so much. Then there is Art. Hands down one of the top Hammond B-3 players I have had the pleasure to hear/see in person. His mastery of the ivories leaves nothing to be desired. Also joining his brothers in vocals and taking the lead on some, the blend again was completed. And Finally there is Aaron. What else is there to say. I did not have the honor of hearing his "Tell it like it is" signature song, but how shocked was I to hear him doing "Sara Smile". With all 4 talented brothers, the slightly less then capacity crowd was magically transported to New Orleans' French Quarter and the fabulous Funk/Jazz that only comes from there, if only for a brief moment, But it was moment enough to remember forever.
