Annapolis MD
January 29, 2006
A new year brought a new venue for smooth jazz guitarist Chieli
Minucci. It was his first time playing at the Rams Head
Tavern in Annapolis, MD. The audience, filled with new
fans and old friends, was ready to welcome Chieli to the stage.
Chieli and the band played his songs as well as songs from
the Special EFX repertoire. Surprisingly enough, they
didn’t play anything from Chieli’s latest CD, Got
It Goin’ On, at least not for the early
show. My guess would be that since it is still so early
in the smooth jazz concert year that they are still working
on the set list for the 2006 concert season. Though I
was slightly disappointed because of that, the show was still
a good one. The material he played sounded great, and judging
by the applause and adulations, I’d say the audience
would agree.
They opened with “Courageous Cats,” (Jewels)
and “Speak to Me,” (Masterpiece) but
it wasn’t until the third song, “Kickin’ It
Hard,” (Night Grooves) that
the band and audience really connected. A live rendition
of an already good song turns it into a great song, and this
one was no exception. After a rousing keyboard solo by
Jay Rowe, and a drum solo by Lionel Cordew, Chieli and the
band segued into a riff from the song, “Spain,” before
going back to “Kickin’ It Hard.” I
don’t know if many people in the audience caught this. Chieli
explained it as, “We’re always trying new things…in
public.”
Chieli next performed a rendition of the Stevie Wonder song, “Cause
We’ve Ended as Lovers.” (Renaissance) When
I heard him play this for the first time a year or two ago,
I thought that his playing was so soulful that you could almost
hear the anguish that the title of the song implies. It
still sounds quite soulful, and one can still hear the heartache.
Next came “Beginnings,” (It’s
Gonna Be Good) and then we were treated to
a new song that has not yet been recorded; “Rush
Hour,” which was played as a duo between Chieli on
acoustic guitar and Jerry Brooks on bass.
They ended the show with “Body Beat” (Body
Language) and “Uptown East,” one
of my favorites. The crowd encouraged the band to
return to stage for an encore, and they obliged with “Cruise
Control,” (Butterfly) and
another killer keyboard solo by Jay Rowe.
It’s a bit surprising that this was Chieli’s first
time playing the Rams Head, but judging from the crowd’s
responses, he would most assuredly be welcomed back again anytime.
- Mary Bentley
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