Stormy Mondays | Wetlands All-Star Jam August 2000

In the summer of 2000, it seemed like groove music could rule the world. Soulive was on the rise, jumping from Wetlands to the Bowery Ballroom to Irving Plaza in a matter of months, Galactic had moved out of their southern home to become a national act and Project Logic was breaking new ground -instrumental music was everywhere. In the midst of the surge, however, Robert Walter hit a near catastrophe when his band’s equipment was stolen (in a U-Haul trailer if I remember correctly). No matter how much success the bands were finding, there’s no doubt that they were working for it, sweating it out night after night; how could anyone recover from such a loss? The answer: community.

On a hot August night at Wetlands, groove luminaries from all corners of jamnation came together to raise money for Robert Walter’s 20th Congress in an epic all-star jam to end all all-star jams. Clocking in at a stunning five and a half hours, with no set breaks, and personnel changes of no more than mere minutes, the music stretched far into the early morning hours, slinking through funk standards, free form jams and no shortage of Herbie Hancock material.

The band was largely led by Eric Krasno, Justin Wallace, Topaz and Fuzz, but featured a host of others, including Stanton Moore, Adam Deitch, Joe Russo, Hope Clayburn, Scott Metzger, Houseman, DJ Logic, of course Robert Walter, and many others. It was without question the single greatest all-star jam…for that matter, the single greatest show I ever saw at Wetlands.

Featured here, in just under two hours, are some serious highlights, including many of the staples everyone was playing at the time: “Flood in Franklin Park,” “World Is A Ghetto” (a killer, killer version at that), “Everything Is Everything” > “Standing on Shaky Ground” > “I Wish” (featuring Hope and Houseman), as well as a couple of extended jams: one led by Hope, one that works from a pure improv into “Nautilus” > “Steppin'” (the Janet section) > “Stay,” and one that melts away into the late night hours after 17+ minutes. This was truly remarkable and unique outpouring of support and groove, and well worth your time. As always, enjoy!

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Written By: Dan Alford