The Average White Band played Dmitriou's Jazz Alley last night and demonstrated they are anything but average. Without undue glitz, glamour and pzazz, they arrived on stage and allowed the quality of their music to do the talking.
Founder members Alan Gorrie and Onnie McIntyre have supplemented that core with some superb American talent, Fred ' Freddy V' Vigdor, Rocky Bryant and Klyde Jones, who have been with them for varying numbers of years. Rocky Bryant on the drums especuially seems to be a prodigious talent, with a fine a display of solo drumming as I've seen this year, and I've see plenty of good stuff. At points, his arms seemed to be moving so fast, the eye started to play tricks. Talking of ayes (spelling deliberate), the core two of McIntyre and Gorrie have kept a very Scottish feel to the proceedings. They also have managed to keep very faithful to the original sound of the band.
As many of you know, Seattle audiences are a little more reluctant to throw away inhibition and let themselves loose than other cities. Not so last night, the AWB managed to get more people out of their seats and dancing than any other band I've seen here, and on a par with Tower of Power. Strange thing is, they didn't really have to try to do it. "Pick up the Pieces" is a funk and rock classic tune, and seeing it live deserves to be ranked alongside hearing the Kingston Trio singing "This Land is Your Land", Dave Brubeck playing Take 5, the Proclaimers singing "500 Miles", Frank Sinatra singing "My Way" and the Chieftains playing "Cotton Eye Joe".
A very good night out at Dmitriou's Jazz Alley was the Average White Band, close to their roots but very far from Average indeed.
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