Papa Mali’s Supernatural Ball | 02.10
By Team JamBase Mar 2, 2010 • 1:40 pm PST

Papa Mali’s Supernatural Ball :: 02.10.10 :: Tipitina’s :: New Orleans, LA
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For his annual “Supernatural Ball” Papa Mali (guitar, vocals) tapped George Porter Jr. (bass, vocals), Nigel Hall (keys, vocals) and Adam Deitch (drums) to be the house band (Eric Krasno was snowed-in). I cannot say enough about the energy and excitement that Deitch and Hall have been bringing into their collaborations with NOLA musicians. The night was billed as a musical exploration of Donny Hathaway‘s Live and Jimi Hendrix’s Band of Gypsys.
Walking into Tipitina’s is like walking into a small neighborhood bar where you know everyone, only it’s not that small and happens to be one of the most revered music clubs in the world – with good reason. I like to tell people that I got my education in college but my real schooling occurred at Tip’s.
On this night I was greeted by the sounds of solo piano pouring off the stage. With no billing, I inquired as to who was playing and found out that it was Josh Charles, a New York pianist, who held his own through original material as well as great covers of Professor Longhair, whose visage hangs in tribute over the stage. DJ and sax mash up Jermaine Quiz Entourage kept the party rolling through set change. The Soul Rebels Brass Band followed and were able to work the light crowd into a heated dance party, though more and more people joined as the night progressed. The band is in rare form these days, following the recording of a new album that seems to have energized them.
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Drinking my way through college as a guitarist, I was well aware of Hendrix’s Band of Gypsys and was curious how the band would handle the material. Papa Mali’s soulful guitar playing would be more-than-able to carry the lead lines, but that would have been too easy. Rather than make the second set a single-guitar fest, the band rotated in guest guitarists from NOLA, with Billy Iuso, Andrew Block and Matt Grondin each providing a different voice to the mix. In addition, a powerful horn section drove the tunes into new directions. The horn filled interpretations pushed boundaries and visited new spaces I never imagined with Hendrix.
Following the Hendrix selections, the band slipped into a few NOLA standards, including “Welcome to New Orleans,” to round out the evening. Filled with both local and traveling music fanatics from all corners in for Mardi Gras, the Supernatural Ball will most likely be judged as one of the best sleeper shows of this Mardi Gras season.
Continue reading for more pics of Papa Mali’s Supernatural Ball…
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