Touting their debut studio album, Don Was & The Pan-Detroit Ensemble revved up the intimate confines of The Alluvion listening room with two sold-out shows on Wednesday. The review and photos.
Frenetic, Thunderous, Funky and Eclectic: Don Was & The Pan-Detroit Ensemble at The Alluvion. (Photo/Tyler Franz)
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A jam-packed Alluvion in Traverse City welcomed Don Was & The Pan-Detroit Ensemble on the opening night of its tour, and if the band didn’t blow the roof off the cozy listening room, it came close.
From the passion of David McMurray’s frenetic sax to Jeff Canaday’s thunderous drums and Steffanie Christi’an’s strutting vocals, the nine-member band demonstrated on Wednesday night the intensity and grit befitting a band comprised of some of the Motor City’s baddest musicians.
The all-star Detroit aggregation also featured Luis Resto on keyboards (and violin – more please!), Wayne Gerard on guitar, Vincent Chandler on trombone, John Douglas on trumpet and Mahindi Masai on percussion. Holding it all together in the middle of the stage was the captain of the ship, the award-winning producer and president of Blue Note Records Don Was. With his hat, dreadlocks, sunglasses and ever-present smile, he was a focal point throughout the show.
Yet the bassist never turned the spotlight on himself, not even taking a solo. Instead, he kept the pulse and groove — no easy task with all the action taking place around him.
Since opening two years ago, the cozy Traverse City listening room has hosted a number of acts, both national touring artists and local bands. It has apparently gained such a reputation that Was’ management opted to start its national tour there, and neither the band nor the crowd disappointed. Both Wednesday night shows were sold out.
Bandleader: Don Was (Photo/Tyler Franz)
The set was a mix of music from the Grateful Dead (Was is a co-founder of Wolf Bros with Dead guitarist and singer Bob Weir) and tunes from “Groove In The Face Of Adversity,” the band’s upcoming debut album. And the groove was inescapable at the show.
Highlights were many. Start with the new album’s first single “Midnight Marauders” which builds into a slow burn. Or the Was (Not Was) track “Carry Me Back To Old Morocco” with an intense guitar solo by Gerard. Then there was the band’s funky, jazzy take on Cameo’s “Insane,” prompting dancing in the only corner of the room where there was space.
But really, most any moment in the show could be called a highlight. That’s especially true of Murray’s many solos, which showcased his dazzling, frantic runs and arpeggios. Keyboardist Resto was equally impressive and enjoyable throughout. His solos and backgrounds veered from spicy piano to spacy synth runs, even a theremin-esque interlude.
The show concluded with Curtis Mayfield’s “This Is My Country.” Mayfield’s 1968 track about some believing that black people don’t deserve the same rights as white Americans seemed particularly appropriate with today’s political divisions, where masked ICE agents and the national guard are being deployed at the president’s whims. And who better to give it life than a gifted and integrated ensemble comprised of musicians from a city where gritty rock, proto-punk, jazz and R&B all coalesced?
Sure, you can nit-pick if you want. Christi’an’s singing was histrionic at times, and occasionally hard to understand. McMurray was pretty much the sole focus of the horn section, relegating Douglas’s trumpet and Chandler’s trombone to background status. Perhaps that won’t be the case at future longer performances where the band isn’t trying to fit two shows into one night to accommodate demand.
None of that mattered Wednesday night. “We’re the Pan-Detroit Ensemble and we are on a mission to promulgate the music of our hometown,” Was proclaims on his website. Mission accomplished.
Was and the band perform tonight (Oct. 9) at Lansing’s Grewall Hall. Tickets ($34.02-$57.52) for the Lansing show are available online here.
The official album-release show takes place Saturday (Oct. 11) at Detroit’s Majestic Theatre, with tickets ($49.85-$127.19) available online here.
Read more about Was and his band in this Local Spins interview.
PHOTO GALLERY: Don Was & The Pan-Detroit Ensemble at The Alluvion
Photos by Tyler Franz
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