Chris Duarte Group Show Review

First Set:

• Leave Her Be
• Big Legged Woman
• Letter to My Girlfriend
• Crazy
• I'll Never Know
• The Romp
• One More Cup of Coffee
• Let's Have a Party
• People Say
• Screenwriter's Blues
• Azul Ezell (incl. drum solo)

Second Set

• Slapstack
• Scrawl
• Best That I Can Do
• Still I Think of You
• Hold Back the Tears (Not sure about this one, I had not heard it before but Steve Kloke said that's what it was...the hook was "dream about tomorrow...)
• Paper Dolls
• Hard Mind
• Ballad of Kohima Ridge
• My Way Down

Saturday night at the Zoo Bar! I switched my days off in order to stay up late for the CDG show, and it was certainly worth it. Steve K, his new wife Sylvia and dad Bud drove down from Omaha and my eldest son Ben & his girlfriend Liz showed up as well. Duarte fans from all around the area, and some not from the area, like Tracy & her husband from Iowa, filled the place with excited fans. I volunteered to get in early and save a table, always a good idea on a weekend show.

This show was different, decidely better than any of the previous Duarte concerts, at least in recent years. Often a "get up and dance" number left for the end of the night, the band opened with 'Leave Her Be' and jumped right into 'Big Legged Woman'. The first of several songs to be done differently than what we're used to hearing, Chris did most of the song in a kind of funky tempo, quietly strumming, rather than his usual shredding, but finally exploded into a wild song-ending solo. The Romp, as always was crowd favorite, Chris ended this one with a long, extended, technically brilliant solo. 'One More Cup of Coffee' and 'Screenwriter's Blues' were brilliantly executed, balancing the low-key vocals with the searing guitar...that's right, baby! You ARE listening to...Los Angeles! The first set ended with a surprise: 'Azul Ezell' from Love Is Greater Than Me, a CD that I had not previously heard any songs performed live from. We had been commenting on that oddity when the band launched into this smokin' instrumental, highlighted with an incredible drum solo.

During the intermission Chris stayed busy selling merchandise, signing autographs, chatting with the fans, and posing for photographs while drummer Chris Burroughs and bassist Matt "Skinny Buddha" Stallard enjoyed a well-deserved break. As you can see from the photographs, Chris was also sporting a new haircut; the trademark thick ponytail was gone. Unlike the biblical Samson, the loss of his long locks had no effect his (musical) strength!

Set #2 opened with a few live show standbys before regaling us with a ballad-like song that Steve said was 'Hold Back the Tears' - I had never heard it before, so I deferred to his superior Duarte knowledge! Another Love Is Greater Than Me track, 'Paper Dolls' was next, which included a long, jazzy solo. 'The Ballad of Kohima Ridge', from the 396 CD with Bluestone sounded good, despite Chris' protestations that he didn't like the way it sounded with Toshi's slide guitar. The final song of the night was 'My Way Down', which segued into a series of solos which ranged from psychedelic to quotes from Miles Davis' In A Silent Way.

After the show, one of the bartenders mentioned to me that several people came in, listened to what was happening onstage and wanted to know why there wasn't any blues that night. CDG's window posters advertise the band as 'hard rockin' Texas blues', but any hard-core Duarte-head knows that Chris and the boys are more than simply a blues band. From early in the show it was obvious that jazz was influencing the music that night; the song selection seemed to flow better than previous shows that I have attended, and I was sure glad to see the two from Love Is Greater Than Me.

It was obvious that this incarnation of the Chris Duarte Group had been playing together for a while, and The Zoo Bar patrons surely benefitted from being the last show on the tour. The band was tight, responding easily to unannounced changes and picking up on subtle cues from Chris to switch directions. Chris Burroughs was awesome, driving the sound and laying down a rock-solid foundation. Matt "Skinny Buddha" Stallard was his usual unflappable, solid self, smiling throughout and alternating a meaty bottom with melodic rhythms.

Looking forward to a visit from Chris & the Bluestone boys in March.