Jai Johanny “Jaimoe” Johanson is no stranger to evolution. A
founding member of The Allman Brother’s Band, this Mississippi born drummer’s
career spans decades and includes work with musical greats like Otis Redding,
Sam & Dave, and Lamar Williams. While some may consider that a lucky list
of cohorts, Jaimoe knows that his time holding the sticks can be attributed to
a whole lot more than luck. “When you practice your trade, it doesn’t matter if
you’re a doctor, lawyer, mechanic, or whatever. When you practice your trade,
you will get results. I’m living proof of that,” Jaimoe said in a recent
interview.
Lately the hard working drummer has been putting in the
effort with his newest group, Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band, and On Sat. Sept. 8th
the vibrant act will take their bluesy mix of jazz, rock, and American music to
the Knickerbocker Café in Westerly in support of their first studio album Renaissance
Man, which was released to critical acclaim
last Dec.
It all started one night back in 2006 when Gregg Allman’s
assistant told Jaimoe about a singer and guitar player named Junior Mack. After
listening to some of Mack’s music, Jaimoe invited the artist to play a gig with
his band. The set was recorded and later released as the band’s first album, Live
At the Double Down Grill, which was
followed up two years later with another live release, Ed Blackwell
Memorial Concert.
“You have to look at the tunes you’re playing. How
refreshing are they, or how refreshing are you playing them,” Jaimoe said.
“When the whole band starts to play, that’s what makes the band sound good is
that full sound. That’s what Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band is all about. It’s just
American music, and American music is just improvised music, that what’s jazz
is, all that splashy [stuff].”
Over the years the band’s chemistry evolved, along with
their songwriting. They went from playing artful renditions of classic tunes
like The Meters, “Cissy Strut” and Dizzy Gillespie’s “A Night In Tunisia” to
trying their hand at some original tunes written by Mack and other members of
the band. These new songs created the backbone of their first studio album,
along with a couple hand picked covers like Sleepy John
Estes’ blues heavy “Leaving Trunk” and Tony Joe White’s soulful ballad “A Rainy
Night in Georgia.”
“Dilemma” the opening track on the album showcases the
band’s ability to blend multiple musical genres and pull it off with style.
Jaimoe’s slick jazzy skins along with the thump of David Stoltz on bass guitar
back Mack’s smooth smoky vocals and fiery guitar solos. The musicians’ varying
styles are fused together by the Bruce Kats on keys, while the band’s triple
threat horn section of Reggie Pittman, Paul Lieberman, and
Kris Jensen, add an emotional punch to Mack’s heartfelt tune.
The album is an easy listen, which one could leave in
rotation for days on end. Its eclectic mix of tunes has a little something for
everyone. From the ear tickling jazzy number “Drifting and Turning” to the B.B.
King-esc “I Believe I’ll Make A Change” to the ballpark organ driven tune
“Hippology” the songs are laid out with thoughtful progression that keep the
listener tapping their foot and smiling throughout. The band’s instrumentation
on a Bossa nova version of the Allman Brother’s “Melissa” gives the classic
song fluid movement without deviating too far from what fans all know and love.
Thinking back to the old days and what it took to get to
where he is today Jaimoe recalled, “I had this book on odd time meters by Joe
Morello, and I was at one of [Charles “Honeyboy” Otis’s] gigs one time and I
showed it to him. He looked at it, turned a couple pages, closed it up and
handed it back to me. He said, “Let me show you something man,” he said, “if
you can play this, then man you can play anything.” So, he showed me this one
beat, and that beat never left my brain man, it’s still in there. It must have
taken me about a week and a half [to learn]. Everything I’ve ever done with the
drums, I’ve had to work at. I see people who just pick the drums up, pick up
sticks and do all kinds of stuff…not me. I have to work at it. I’ll tell you
one thing about working at something to learn how to do it; you don’t forget it
easily, or ever.”
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