Starry Starry Night

I came to the music of The Beatles pretty late. But when I did, I went after it full-blast! “How do these guys get SO much out of these basic chords?” With The Beatles, there was a deeper alchemy in play with melody (sticky memorable lead lines and Sir Paul’s bass genius) the “negative harmony” of plagal cadences, profound lyrics, fun silly nonsense lyrics, Ringo’s rock-steady and perfectly crafted unique grooves,  stunning vocal harmonies from all four gents, and the magic contributions of that Fifth Beatle, George Martin.

As a jazz composer, I was smitten with this sonic Beatles wizardry and was determined to have some of it in my own oeuvre –a mission that is happily ongoing to this day.

But let’s take a moment to look at the genius of the “All Starr Band” itself. Ringo has enough hits to fill a solo concert in his own right, but in the ultimate egalitarian move, chooses to make himself a part of a greater whole by creating a superband for every tour. As a self-described “band guy” who loves being part of a group rather than the sole frontman, Ringo regularly gathers the best and brightest for every journey that they make. This tour is certainly no exception. Check out who he has called forth this time and the set list that such a gathering makes possible:

THE ALL-STARRS

Steve Lukather (Legendary Guitarist/Vocals with Toto)

Colin Hay (Vocalist, Composer, Guitarist with Men at Work)

Warren Ham (Saxophonist and WWs/Harmonica with Kansas and Toto) 

Hamish Stuart (Bassist and Composer, Average White Band)

Gregg Bissonette (Extraordinary drummer DELUXE with Maynard Ferguson, David Lee Roth, Gino Vannelli, and MANY others)

Buck Johnson (Keyboardist and backing vocals for Aerosmith and many others)

THE MUSIC

Rosanna, Hold The Line, Africa, Who Can It Be Now?  Down Under, Overkill (one of my personal favorites), Pick up the Pieces, Cut the Cake, and Work to Do.

WOW!

This is brilliant! Not only do we get all the joy, peace, and love that a Beatle brings, but we are also treated to a delightful sampler platter of some of the hippest hits that ever graced the airwaves in popular music. Such a deal!