Last weekend Colin James & The Little Big Band celebrated 30 years of making music with a two-night party at Vancouver鈥檚 Commodore Ballroom.
Where else?
The second-floor hall on Granville Mall was the perfect venue for back-to-back concerts (Feb. 2-3) that packed in people who probably remember of mostly jump-blues covers (Roy Brown鈥檚 鈥淐adillac Baby鈥� and 鈥淪urely (I Love You)鈥� most notable).
There was no opening band, just guitar-playing ace James and his crew of veteran players on rhythm guitar, drums, bass and horns. I didn鈥檛 catch their names, but the guys are no newbies.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got 30 songs over two sets,鈥� James noted early in Friday鈥檚 show, during a night full of songs by Jackie Wilson, Ray Charles and other swingin鈥� legends who made feet shuffle and butts wiggle.
I heard some people in the crowd wanting to hear 鈥淔ive Long Years鈥� and 鈥淰oodoo Thing,鈥� but those pop-rock hits weren鈥檛 played.
Instead, James and his band stayed true to their mid-1990s music that helped trigger a swing-dance revival on the West Coast that decade. Truth is, it would have been fun to hear reworked versions of, say, 鈥淲hy鈥檇 You Lie鈥� or even 鈥淐hicks 鈥榥鈥� Cars,鈥� but it didn鈥檛 happen.
. rocking the once again with his fab Little Big Band. Sounds soooo goooood.
鈥� Tom Zillich (@TomZillich)
A great couple of nights of and the Little Big Band for some 30th anniversary shows at the . An honour to meet the legendary saxman Greg Piccolo in the band, too.
鈥� Aaron Chapman (@TheAaronChapman)
The Little Big Band songs sure jump along and entertain, but tend to bleed into one another after a long night. You know that feeling at an AC/DC concert where all the songs start to sound the same? Same.
I would have expected James and band to go on a cross-Canada tour this month, with the two Commodore dates serving as a launching pad, but, , that鈥檚 not the case.
If travel is your thing, consider a little trip through France with James this coming October. His website shares news about how people can join him on 鈥� with stops in Arles, Avignon, Viviers, Lyon, M芒con, Tournus, Chalon Sur Sa么ne and Dijon. The Colin James Blues Trio will play two 鈥渋ntimate performances,鈥� do a meet-and-greet, songwriters鈥� circle and fundraising dinner in support of Hospice PEI. .
