The Jeff Lorber Fusion at Blue Note June 14, 2014

Monday evening marked my first trip to the famous Blue Note Jazz Club in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan.

Blue Note is not far from Zinc Bar, which I was at in June 2011 for Lisa Hilton.

The band I saw at Blue Note on Monday was the Jeff Lorber Fusion, who were originally scheduled to appear on April 7.  It’s a good thing the show was moved because I would have had to deal with moderate to heavy rain on the original night.  The sky was equally overcast on this rescheduled night, but it didn’t rain, at least not while I was outside.

My girlfriend and I arrived nearly two hours before showtime, 15 minutes after doors opened.  Our early arrival paid off as we were seated at a table right next to center stage!  It was great.

The Jeff Lorber Fusion was made up of Jeff on keyboard:

…and piano (seen here playing both):

Eric Marienthal on soprano sax:

…and alto sax:

Jimmy Haslip on bass:

…and Lionel Cordew on drums:

There were two shows that night: 8PM and 10:30 PM.  Kelly and I chose the early show.  The set list was as follows:

8PM SET LIST
1. Chinese Medicinal Herbs
Originally heard on: “The Jeff Lorber Fusion,” 1977; “Now is the Time,” 2010

2. Hacienda
Originally heard on: “Hacienda,” 2013

3. He Had a Hat
Originally heard on: “He Had a Hat,” 2007

4. Singaraja
Originally heard on: “Galaxy,” 2012

5. Montserrat
Originally heard on: “Galaxy,” 2012

6. Horace
Originally heard on: “Galaxy,” 2012

7. Rain Dance
Originally heard on: “Water Sign,” 1979; “Now is the Time,” 2010

8. King Kong (Frank Zappa cover)
Originally heard on: “Hacienda,” 2013

9. Surreptitious
Originally heard on: “He Had a Hat,” 2007

NOTE: Eric Marienthal played soprano sax on #1, 4, and 7, but alto otherwise.

With flash photography disallowed, and fearing that my camera’s AF-Assist light would be mistaken for a flash, I didn’t take that many pictures.  But it was an exhilarating show with wild solos by each member of the band.  This was my first Jeff Lorber concert, and I doubt it will be my last.  Thank you to Jeff, Eric, Jimmy, and Lionel.

I’ll leave you with pictures from two solos.

First, Lionel Cordew’s “Chinese Medicinal Herbs” solo:

And Jimmy Haslip’s “Hacienda” solo: