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My decision to see the Fareed Haque Group occurred at the last minute after discovering tickets were only six dollars. Haque was an artist that I "have heard good things about, but have never heard" until last night at Quixote's in Denver. The sparse, yet attentive and appreciative crowd was warmed up with the sounds of DJ Cappo, who would remain on stage for the rest of the night. I had never seen the venue itself before, and walked around scoping some interesting Dali pieces and Grateful Dead photos and concert posters. Quixote's even had Ms. Pacman set up in the back corner - games are still only a quarter - and I indulged myself in a couple of games until I heard the sound from the stage morph slightly. I looked over my shoulder, and the band was assembling onstage. Abandoning Ms. Pacman mid-game, I located a comfortable seat near the "sweet spot" of the room (near the tapers section) and attempted to size up the band.
With DJ Cappo, there were six people onstage. No vocals, just pure music. Traditional setup of guitar, bass, keys, drums with the added DJ and a percussionist. My first impression was that it was a band that was comfortable with their talent level and sound, as they had developed a solid dynamic with each member seemingly listening to the others. It seemed initially that the band was frustrated with the soundman, as the levels of the keys were way too high, and the guitar was too low in the mix. This continued for the first few songs, but I wasn't really complaining, as it was obvious the entire band had some serious talent.
The opening set was the best set of music I have seen or heard all year long. For my ears, there were two bona fide superstars in the group that truly separate this band from others. First and foremost is Fareed Haque. The pitch and tone of his guitar reminded me of artists like Pat Metheny, John Scofield, Steve Kimock and Trey Anastasio. The level of maturity and control that he exudes onstage is nothing short of stunning, as he always seems to have the bigger picture in mind. In the first set, Fareed displayed his range of talent on three separate guitars. While sticking to the electric for the majority of the time, he strapped on the acoustic for a brief period of time (which had shades of "Shady Grove"), and also toyed around with an instrument I had never seen before: a custom-made guitar/sitar combination that actually enabled him to "rock out" while nimbly plucking the chords of the sitar. The speed, overall technical proficiency, and versatility are what struck me most about Haque. He quickly skyrocketed up my list of favorite bands and is easily one of the top guitarists I have ever seen, heard, or heard of.
Remember the name Dan Nimmer. Only twenty years old, the kid is lucky the ABCs weren't out that night patrolling the bars. What is even more astounding is the virtuosity with which he played the keys. He seemed to always hit the right note at the right time, playing fills on occasions and other times venturing out on some jazzy/funky soloing. The one name that came to my mind was Herbie Hancock, whom I had seen two months earlier in Boulder. As a student of Haque's, Nimmer has revealed himself to be one of the premier up-and-coming musicians on the scene today.
As far as the overall setlist went, the Haque Group put forth a well-balanced show that ventured from beautiful classical guitar work to, in Haque's own words, "some jungle/trance music in the next set." The one thing I still can't believe is that, for the most part, no one knows about this band!! Tickets were only six dollars, and the bar only had about one hundred people in it!! I felt like paying the door guy again when I left the show. This year I have seen quite a few bands that charge the usual $20-$35 for a "good" show, and the Fareed Haque Group put on the most impressive show I have seen all year and one of the best first sets I might ever witness. For those of you who have not seen or heard this band, do so now! I promise you will not regret a single minute. They are THAT good.
Other Fareed Haque Group shows on the horizon:
6/22 Boulder
6/23 Fort Collins
6/24 Salt Lake City
6/26 Seattle
6/27 Portland
6/28 Bend, OR
6/29 San Francisco
6/30 Felton, CA
6/30 Ben Lomond, CA
7/12 Chicago
7/13 Chicago
7/20 Oxford, OH
8/16 Deerfield, NC
Nathan Rodriguez
JamBase | Colorado
Go See Live Music!
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