Montreal International Jazz Festival, Day 4

It’s the 33nd annual Festival International de Jazz de Montreal. MAGNET’s Mitch Myers translates the action.

Word had it the action was at the Gesù Theater. English darling Get The Blessing was playing, and since drummer Clive Deamer and bassist Jim Barr are known for their work with Portishead, there were high expectations for something a little different, like some extra-special jazz-rock hybrid that was going to blow our minds. Or maybe the band members were going to wear bags on their heads like in the video. Or maybe the show was going to sound a lot like the band’s new CD, OC DC.

As it turned out, Get The Blessing was just darn good. Coming onstage in conservative (and matching) suits, the band was both remarkably straightforward and darkly ironic. Saxophonist Jake McMurchie and trumpeter Pete Judge stood on opposite sides of the stage, mirroring each other in disposition and playing unison lines over the storied rhythm section’s bouncing beat. Barr seems to be the spokesperson for the group, and his sly song introductions were as droll as droll could be. Electronic processing was also part of the deal, as both Judge and McMurchie spent a fair amount of time on their knees (again, in unison) manipulating their effects pedals and the like.

It must be said that Deamer is one badass drummer, providing marching hip-hop beats to the band’s sound much like Billy Martin does with Medeski Martin & Wood. And since Barr favors the electric bass, the prominent rock vibe was present throughout. Don’t buy into the hype that Get The Blessing sounds like Ornette Coleman on drugs or anything like that; this is just a crisp, focused contemporary jazz band that’s been around since 2000 and is finally turning some heads. Playing for almost two hours with genuine enthusiasm, the band was clearly enjoying its time in Montreal. Odds are these guys will return.

After a smart, chilled-out and lengthy jazz experience with Get The Blessing, the only thing left to do was go see Fishbone. And let me tell you, that band is crazy. After all these years, Fishbone is still Fishbone. Singer Angelo looks amazing, still sings great and plays the hell out of his saxophone, too. The whole band was out of control, and the crowd was totally insane with plenty of ridiculous stage diving and rowdy crowd surfing. The energy level onstage was sky-high as the group plowed though its heady repertoire of funk/punk/ska/metal. It was well after one in the morning before Fishbone closed things out with “Party At Ground Zero” and encored with Curtis Mayfield’s “Freddy’s Dead.” Before you buy the band’s new EP, Crazy Glue, make sure to watch the illustrative documentary Everyday Sunshine: The Story Of Fishbone. Then you might understand.