From: Benjamin N Gray bng1@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu
Subject: YEM review: 4.5.98

Here's another I listened to recently..
==

4.5.98, Set 1
1: Oh Kee Pa Ceremony > You Enjoy Myself, Theme from the Bottom, McGrupp
and the Watchful Hosemasters, Bathtub Gin > Cities, Sparkle, Split Open and
Melt 

The second song of set I (!), YEM starts immediately after Oh Kee Pa.  The
opening seems just a little bit slow, but maybe not (could be my tape).
Otherwise, it's standard fare.  The pre-nirvana space is nice, gets a
little bit darker than it sometimes is, led (it seems to me) by Mike.
Good stuff, though I wish they'd stuck around on that darker feel a little
longer - Page hops onto the piano shortly after the darkness starts.

Page's solo after nirvana is really, really nice - not super-high energy
maybe, but different from what normally goes in here.  Same with Mike's
bass solo - a nice variation on the kind of thing you usually here around
these parts.  Groovy.

The pre-charge section is clean, and the first *note* is hardly sustained,
but Trey brings the energy in jamming around it.  The second shot at the
note is sustained perfectly, with some nice accompaniment from Mike
underneath.

Great scream before "Boy" and funked out pretty hard between lyrics - big
wah from Trey, Mike's dropping bombs, and Page on (I think) wah-ed out
clav or something groovy like that.  Nice piano fills, too, here and
there.

At the start of the tramps section, there's some weird scratching noises -
what is this?  I've heard it in some other jams before, but I don't know
what it is.  Anyway, Page is on the clav something fonky - he and Fish are
locked together perfectly.  Trey lets out a delay loop or two and I'd say
the jam section has begun...

It starts with Fish changing up the drums a bit, mellow keys from Page and
some chilled out Trey noodlings.  Mike's funking out and the delay loops
are still hanging around, too.  Very chill at the start in fact - looks
very patient and funky, I'm excited.  Trey's noodlings pick up a little
bit over this chill funk background and Page hops onto the piano to
commemorate this event in the jam.  Trey starts in on some catchy licks,
just floating over everything else now.  This is some very, very good YEM
jamming in here..

Trey sustains a few notes and the jam dies out a little more quickly than
I would have liked, but the chill funk that this jam started with returns,
and there's nothing wrong with that.  Trey and Page never completely drop
out, but this is basically the D+B section in here.  Mike finds a nice
ascending melody and starts singing along with it.  Shortly afterwards,
the others do the same and the vocal jam starts out of this (no return to
the washuffizi lyrics).  Very catchy lick that this VJ starts with, and
grooves as well as a VJ can until it culminates in a nice group scream.

Well.. This is a very groovy YEM here.  It could've stretched out a little
longer, but it *was* the second song in set I.  The jam section is very
quality stuff, too - typical YEM jamming style with that Island Tour funk.
You'll be far from disappointed if you get this YEM (not to mention the
nice McGrupp's, Cities, and super-dope set II).  Peace.

Ben

Date: Sun, 10 Oct 1999 16:35:51 -0700
From: Charles Dirksen cdirksen@earthlink.net
To: Daniel W. Schar dws@protos.lifesci.ucla.edu
Subject: 4/5/98 YEM review
 
04/05/98  Providence Civic Center, Providence RI
 
A show opening Oh Kee Pah > YEM.  How pleasant!  Andrew Van Alstyne
recommended that I take the time to review this.
 
Typically solid opening segment.  Nice "pre-Nirvana" jamming,
"Nirvana" at 4:02.  Wonderfully melodic, happy, snappy Mike solo
section around 5 mins, shortly before the "pre-charge" section (during
which Brad brings out the trampolines, and, given the crowd reaction,
he does so here).  Niiiiice pre-charge section.  But nothing unusually
impressive.  Typical great stuff from everyone.
 
"Boy" at 7:31, after a great scream!  Good WUDMTF segment, with some
nice fills from Page & Trey between lyrics.  Tramps jam at 9:49.
Great, powerful drums from Fish, and strong chords from Page!! =^] The
full band is back in it by 10:53.  Page tools around on the clav a
bit,
 
before the jam segment kicks in, basically around 11:26. Phaaat
groove.  Steady hi-hat coasting from Fishman.  Trey lets loose some
digital delay loops, before he comes in rhythmically chording.  A few
bell sounds in here (Mike?).  This is a good FOG groove.  I doubt the
fog was rolling, though.  Kuroda uses it sparingly.  Spacey, mellow,
funky groove.  Some tasty drums from Fish around 13:30.
 
Trey begins noodling melodically at about 13:48, soloing quite
beautifully over the groove.  After waaaay too much thoughtful (only
arguably soulful) noodling, Trey finally takes off around 17 minutes,
and lets off some killer riffs!!  The jam by 18:15 just RAGES, with
rich, phaaaat accompaniment from Mike, Fish, and Page, beneath Trey's
spirited soloing!! =^]  YES!  **THIS** is the way to open a show!!!
After an AWESOME climax, the groove cools, and Trey begins
rhythmically chording, hopefully in support of a good bass and drums
segment...
 
But it's not to be.  Instead, the band locks into a catchy,
funkamystical groove that features MIKE GORDON WHUPPIN' ASS ON BASS,
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! =^]  But it isn't really a "bass and drums"
section, like most old YEM's. Trey begins vocal jamming, mimicking
Mike, for a bit,  and the others join in, steadily, vocal jamming.  By
22:40, even Fish has stopped playing drums (he's usually the last to
quit and join the VJ), and everyone's into The Vocal Jam -- which is
very catchy and melodic.  A lot more interesting, imo, than the
11/14/98 Cincy VJ.  Can't make out any messages/words, though, that
might make it even more interesting/unusual.  Total time 25:32.
 
Easy B+ for this YEM.  Above average, but nothing special, in light of
the Kingly YEMs, imo.
 
two cents
charlie



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