State of Mind had a really cool opportunity to put on a show at FlynnSpace in Burlington‚ Vt. on November 10th: Marco Benevento Trio‚ featuring Marco on piano and circuit bent toys‚ Reed Mathis on bass‚ and Jon Fishman on drums (check out the trio performing "You Must Be A Lion" from this show). It was the fourth and final show of a mini tour they did together‚ and it showed; they were comfortable with the material‚ and the improvisation was fantastic.
After the show I went backstage‚ where the three of them were glowing and giddy‚ talking about all the cool stuff that spontaneously happened onstage. I remember hearing Fishman describe a tune they jammed on‚ laughing it up saying‚ "Oh‚ man‚ I'm sorry I pulled back during that."
It was a significant moment watching these three improvisers‚ who I've come to love through different bands‚ play together. The Duo‚ Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey and Phish -- man‚ I've spent a lot of time listening to these bands play some of the most adventurous improvisational music I've ever heard. Yes‚ it was quite the experience to be a part of it.
When you have these three incredible musicians playing together‚ how could you make the show any better? Open the show with Nathan Moore‚ one of the finest songwriters on the planet. And sure enough‚ like every time I see Nathan perform‚ he was full of surprises. A master of shock-and-awe performance‚ he hit the crowd with an optical illusion‚ a few magic tricks and songs where he had the audience in the palm of his hand‚ swaying and laughing. And once he has you there‚ he lays down something heavy like "Help Wanted‚" a song with such profound honesty that you get chills and your hairs stand on end.
The video presented here‚ of "Understand Under‚" was produced by our good friend‚ and favorite audiophile‚ Clinton Vadnais. The man does great work. Stay tuned for more exclusive video from the Marco Benevento Trio performance at FlynnSpace. And check out Nathan Moore's new album‚ You Yeah Smoking Hot‚ available now through reapandsow music.