A perfect pair

After a stop at Player's for dinner, a friend and I went to The Bur Oak to see Justin Adams & Mauro Durante last night. I had never heard of either of them when the invitation was extended to me and, upon investigating, I found myself thoroughly intrigued.

Adams is English and has worked with a variety of people including Robert Plant and Brian Eno on the one hand and African musicians such as Tinariwen and Juldeh Camara on the other. His style was described as a mix of American and desert blues by the articles and press releases I consulted. Durante is Italian and the sites I found noted that he is a master of the pizzica style of violin playing of his native land which, as we learned, was the heel of the boot of Italy. Pizzica is an Italian folk dance from that peninsula.

What an odd yet highly alluring combination.

Adams wielded his electric guitar while Durante alternated amongst violin, frame drum, and tamborello. The performances ranged from what I think of as desert blues a la Tinariwen with American blues inflections to interpretations of traditional Italian folk. Other songs had a rock'n'roll boogie to them. With Durante laying down a beat and Adams picking out a rhythmic melody, the songs would become trance-like and I found myself getting lost inside the grooves.

One of the great things about their performances was how they managed to make a simple, lo-fi setup be so enticing by alternating tempos and some tasteful soloing on guitar and violin. Never did I feel that a larger band was needed for the songs to find their potential. They were raw and the rhythms potent as they seeped into me.

Both Adams and Durante were in good cheer and neither seemed to mind playing for a small crowd. The intimacy factor was high. A fantastic show. 

Afterwards my friend and I stopped in for a nightcap at Jan's, formerly Woody Anne's. There was a smattering of people having a relaxing hump day night. Spotted Cow was only $5, a bargain, and the big picture of Lake Mead was aglow with alternating colors.