Now that my hearing has come back, and I've come down from the adrenaline rush of last Thursday's concert featuring Johnny Winter and the James Montgomery Band, I feel compelled to drop a few lines about.
First of all, there's no question that Johnny Winter is a prodigious talent, a kind of guitar-slinging cult hero to the many fans of his in the audience at the Latchis. His has never been the kind of music I gravitate to, but it was a treat to hear him play "Highway 61." Johnny Winter playing Bob Dylan. That was big.
Likewise, James Montgomery is a real master. I was lucky enough to talk to him a few days before the show, and he's a real gentleman. On stage, he's a completely charismatic showman, with the talent to back it up, It's a real testament to him that he's able to surround himself with such brilliant musicians. Fly Amero, who played guitar with Orleans, and the Uptown Horns were the real deal. All his guys were.
But the real gem of the show, perhaps because this was an unknown quantity to me, was the performance of Jess Tardy and her band. Tardy has got a nice thing going on, kind of a sweetly soulful, jazzy, slightly country-ish sound a la Bonnie Raitt, Grace Potter or Susan Tedeschi. She opened for the big guns and more than held her own with a nice mix of originals and respectfully covered tunes. It didn't hurt that she features Sam Carmichael, a Brattleboro kid and great human being on keyboard and backing vocals. But Sam or no Sam, this Jess Tardy is the real deal.
After the show, I told Sam I hope she comes up to Brattleboro for a show of her own. She'd be a big hit here. In the meantime, check her out at jesstardy.com.