If you were at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY on Saturday night, March 30, 2024, at 8:45pm you witnessed a great performer light up the stage and reclaim his status as one of the more dynamic acts touring today.
You see, it had been ten years since JJ Grey & Mofro released a new album, and although they have toured sporadically over the last few years, even the most diehard JJ Grey fan would admit that the band’s shows were getting a little stale. Well, with the release of their new album, Olustee, all that changed. The ten-piece band, comprised primarily of Jacksonville musicians (drums, percussion, bass, guitar, keys, trumpet, saxophone, two backup singers, and JJ Grey) hit the stage and put on a fresh, inspiring, and powerful show full of emotion and oozing with a feeling of community. They opened with “Olustee” a bass-driven song with a big sound and guitar and harmonica solos to match. The edges around the riffs were filled in with thoughtful keyboard and percussion phrases, and with the voices of the “choir”, JJ Grey’s two backup singers. It got the crowd moving and let us know that this show would be something different from what we were accustomed to.
The band interspersed six new songs with eleven of their bigger hits from their previous eight albums in a way that flowed for the entire two-hour and fifteen-minute set. Grey was generous with the spotlight (he featured every musician), his voice (which seemed to benefit from alternating sips of throat-coating tea and whisky), and his spirit, as he preached to the audience that every moment of each of our lives has brought us to this exact time and place and there is no place he would rather be then building community with all of us; and although that may sound trite, it felt sincere and special.
The new songs that stood out were the high-spirited “Olustee”; a stripped-down version of John Anderson’s “Seminole Wind,” “Rooster” which featured a punchy horn arrangement making it feel like a soul throwback from the 60’s; and a beautiful version of “The Sea” with a piano solo which Grey confessed was his favorite part of the new album. The band also reworked some of their more established hits to take advantage of the new band composition. This was most evident when each of the backup singers was given a few solos for “A Woman”, “Lazy Fo Acre”, and crowd favorite “Lochloosa”.
There is no doubt that his soulful voice, seemingly boundless energy, and spirit kept the audience mesmerized. In addition to serving as the consummate frontman, conducting the band with as little as a glance, Grey displayed his technical chops on harmonica, Wurlitzer, and on guitar as well. One example was a sweet guitar solo on “Glory” that demonstrated his technical mastery, yet was subtle enough to leave just the right amount of space between the notes. At one point my crowd-neighbor tapped me on the shoulder and told me that this was his first time seeing the band and that he wouldn’t miss another, and minted himself as a new disciple – not a bad compliment for Easter weekend.
The evening kicked off with blues-influenced guitarist/singer Judith Hill. A long-time backup singer, she seemed buttoned up tight in a long, prim, black dress and face-hiding hat, but let it rip with her powerful voice and guitar licks. She is supporting JJ Grey and Mofro on their tour with a few dates of her own interspersed.
One Response
Once you get hooked you can’t get enough, they are amazing