Although not an officially sanctioned presentation of Burlington Discover Jazz, the two nights of Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite in Higher Ground’s Ballroom served as the missing link to the blues for the annual ten-day festival. This first appearance of the duo’s on June 1st at the South Burlington venue, a thoroughly delightful affair from start to finish, would dovetail nicely with the eclectic offerings of the festival proper and despite the fact there were no great leaps of improvisation during the two hour-plus uninterrupted performance (setlists don’t vary much from night to night either), Harper and Musselwhite duly demonstrated not just the innate musicality of their chemistry, but how deeply its infectious nature informs their musicianship and that of their band.
There’s a cross-generational dynamic in play bonding the two principals, not to mention a mutual admiration that reflects their shared devotion to the blues. It’s a loyalty that’s justifiably garnered Harper and Musselwhite a Grammy, but more importantly, their faithful approach to the genre enhances the deep delight both take in playing together and bringing out the best in each other. Such abiding pleasure thus precluded anything predictable during the course of a concert that was a definite flashback to the blues boom of the mid-to-late sixties: young turks on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, all peers of the Mississippi-born Musselwhite, including Paul Butterfield, Al Wilson of Canned Heat, the early Stones and Yardbirds plus John Mayall and Kim Simmonds via Savoy Brown, discovered the roots of rock and reintroduced it to a demographic eager and willing to listen to and learn of something truly authentic.
The near-capacity crowd so comfortably ensconced in the Ballroom was similarly inclined and so heartily applauded as Harper, Musselwhite and company riffed loud and strong in the early going. In flexing their collective muscles as an ensemble, the band setting up the astute progression of dynamics, including a short acoustic interval—shades of vintage Taj Mahal!–that unfolded over the course of this single extended set. Given his experience over the years, it’s little surprise the venerable harpist and vocalist found his level within this din, but it was no small revelation he had both the strength and the courage to cut a swath through the most cacophonous moments, many at the highest volume coming from his partner’s slide work on lap steel and other various guitars. Higher Ground’s newly-installed sound system handled the volume across the audio spectrum with all the necessary clarity and depth.
As the performance evolved, it was notable how the choice covers the band selected received no more or less loud acclamation than Charlie Musselwhite’s solo turns like “The Blues Overtook Me.” Yet Led Zeppelin’s homage to Memphis Minnie, “When the Levee Breaks” and, according to Ben Harper, one of the group’s favorite tracks from the Beatles’ White Album, “Yer Blues,” added to the smooth pacing of the set, particularly in the later going. In fact, those crowd-pleasing numbers set up a dramatic, five-song encore that was the night’s clearest evocation of the mutually-affectionate connection between audience and performer: when Harper swung his mike away during “All that Matters Now,” then stepped to the edge of the stage to sing its finale, the gesture looked as honest and heartfelt as it sounded, especially when more than a few populating the floor began to shush those around them in order to fully appreciate the drama of the moment. With the co-leader of the group accompanied only by the slightest whispers of harp from Musselwhite, guitar from Jason Mozersky, bassist Jesse Ingalls’ second turn of the night at piano and Jimmy Paxson’s brushing of his cymbals, the tasteful restraint those players demonstrated was as tangible as the panache they had displayed at other junctures.
Ben Harper’s startling expression of vulnerability was a logical extension of the otherwise short, sharp takes of tunes, seasoned with humor like another of Charlie Musselwhite’s spotlights, “Long Legged Woman,” that duly satisfied the attendees. It was a gathering of music lovers who, prior to the musicians taking the stage, radiated the air of knowledgeable fans who didn’t need to be catered to or convinced of their righteous decision(s) to come to the club. Apart from the usual select few who were present seemingly only for something to do at the beginning of the weekend, the larger percentage of the Friday population was fully prepared to share the joy that permeated the room by the time the doors of the South Burlington establishment opened outward into an early summer rain. The gentle precipitation had much the same cleansing power of rejuvenation as what had just occurred inside.
Photos courtesy Ross Mickel Bootleggers Beware Photography
Setlist
When I Go
Bad Habits
The Blues Overtook Me
Get Up!
I Don’t Believe A Word You Say
She Got Kick
Movin’ On
I’m In I’m Out And I’m Gone
Trust You To Dig My Grave
I Ride At Dawn
Found The One
I’m Goin’ Home
Blood Side Out
When Love Is Not Enough
When The Levee Breaks
Encore
No Mercy In This Land
The Bottle Wins Again
Yer Blues
Long Legged Woman
All That Matters Now
