Tampa Calling

No matter how hard we might try, family gatherings and holiday season don’t always add up to joyous — or even peaceful — experiences. But when the Trucks clan joined forces for their Soul Stew Revival bash at Tampa Theatre on Monday, a near capacity crowd of around 1,400 witnessed domestic bliss at its finest. The jubilant vibe, marked by expert musicianship, permeated the ancient venue. If the rumors are true about the historic movie house being haunted, even the ghosts must have been grinning.

The gnat’s-ass-tight gang of musicians mesmerized with gorgeous executions of the timeworn tension-and-release dynamic. It’s a God-send rooted in the churches of the Deep South, one that was sold with aplomb to the secular world by the likes of Ray Charles, James Brown and Aretha Franklin. The Allman Brothers Band, Derek Trucks’ chief employer, then expanded the sonic presentation with Kind of Blue-indebted jazz elements in the late 1960s. Decades later, the holy tradition thrives, coming together wonderfully Monday night at Tampa Theatre.

Trucks, a 29-year-old slide guitar master, and his band, were joined by his soul singing (and pretty damn good ax player herself) wife Susan Tedeschi for an awesomely old-school R&B revue goosed with jam band touches. A three-man horn section, two drummers (one being Derek’s younger bro Duane), a percussionist, bassist and keyboardist who doubled as a flautist for one number (think Astral Weeks and save the Jethro Tull jokes) filled the stage. The formidable ensemble, which featured members of Tedeschi’s and Trucks’ individual bands, melded terrifically. 

Photo of Tedeschi and Trucks, from a previous performance, courtesy of Flickr. 

Nuanced blues belter Tedeschi traded vocals with Derek Trucks Band singer Mike Mattison and his delightfully deep growl while Trucks eased in and out with delicious guitar fills before unleashing spellbinding solos. A lengthy rendition of Aaron Neville’s soul stirrer “Hercules” featured the mixed gender, multi-racial group at its fiercest, with every single person on stage nailing a solo. Tedeschi’s vocals were fiery and her hubby’s extended, experimental solo was slack-jaw inducing.

The Lee Boys’ Roosevelt Collier, a Floridian who ranks as the best pedal steel guitarist this side of Robert Randolph, sat in for a couple number including a killer cover of The Band’s “The Weight.” It’s the same song that gave me chills when Trucks brought his wife on stage to sing it at New Orleans Jazz Fest last year. With Collier adding extra sweetness, the encore capped an excellent evening of gimmick-free music staked in emotive, masterful musicianship — an increasingly rare commodity these days. More importantly, Trucks and Tedeschi put across a completely contagious sense of, well, happiness. And that’s something we could all use this season. Especially this season.

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