The Concert of Colors in Detroit always seems to have its own kind of magic! I got involved with radio station WHFR after attending one of the events, and every year I am left speechless after attending so many performances of adjective depleting musical artists!
Probably the biggest highlight at this year’s event was the pairing up of Wayne Kramer (of the MC5 [Hall of Fame]) and local R&B singer Melvin Davis for a Rock ‘n’ Soul Revue! The horns sounded GREAT and the band tore through each other’s songs switching off after every two. The biggest surprise for me, and I guess I should have expected it–but not with Melvin sitting in on drums, was when they cranked out “Kick Out the Jams!” The sonic attack was raw and amazing! I’m stunned that there is actually a video of it!:
Detroit rockers, The Howling Diablos, were their usual amazing selves and “Go Gene Go” was a special highlight for me since it focused on Gene Krupa and Tino Gross’ autobiographical lyrics. Another drummer bonding with another drummer:As far as I’m concerned, is there a better storyline?
Speaking of incredible drummers, another awesome event for me this weekend was my introduction to Sean Dobbins and his “Sean Dobbins Organ Quartet!” Sean is a phenomenal drummer and the other members are phenomenal as well:Marcus Elliott on sax, Cary Kocher on vibes, and Glen Turner (?) (sitting in for Chris Codish) on keyboards. They were so tight, but especially on the interplay between Sean and Cary! I wish I had a video to show from the event, but I settled for an interview of Sean telling everybody about his passion for jazz. He is absolutely one of the best drummers playing today!
