By: David Schultz

In November of 2006, Marco Benevento took to playing weekly shows on New York City’s Lower East Side, setting up residence at the now-defunct Tonic. Using the stage as his laboratory, Benevento geared each show towards playing unrehearsed sets of primarily improvised music. At the time of the Tonic residency, very few people were aware of the nightclub’s impending closure and Benevento’s Live At Tonic now serves as a testimonial for the venue’s final days in much the same way Robert Randolph & The Family Band’s Live At Wetlands acts as that venue’s aural shrine. If Benevento’s set of Tonic shows marked the death throes of one venue, his latest at New York City’s Sullivan Hall marks the birth – or rather rebirth – of another.

For the month of January, Benevento will be synonymous with Thursdays at the newly christened Sullivan Hall. Although the name has changed, Sullivan Hall still retains the same look and feel as The Lion’s Den, albeit with a renovated stage, freshly lacquered floors and a vastly improved sound system. The new name took effect with the New Year. Only two days after U-Melt played the first notes and Tea Leaf Green headlined the first show, Benevento began Sullivan Hall’s first residency, sharing the stage with trumpeter Steven Bernstein, drummer Bobby Previte and DJ Olive.

Whether it’s with Joe Russo as the Benevento/Russo Duo or on his own, what makes any show involving Benevento so much fun is his willingness to just get on stage and see what happens. Even more entertaining, he gets other musicians to accept the challenge with him. This past Thursday, Night #2 of the residency, Benevento’s announced guests were Russo and guitarist Brad Barr of The Slip but by the time the show finished, the trio had doubled with singer Sonya Kitchell, saxophonist John Ellis and Slip drummer Andrew Barr all lending a hand.

With a grand piano at his disposal, Benevento led Russo and Barr through a breezy hour long first set. The three moved gracefully through some jazzy and classical melodies while stopping every so often to dip their toes into some funk or classic rock. In addition to offering a complete version of The Duo’s “Sunny’s Song,” they touched on Traffic’s “Glad” as well as some Stevie Wonder licks. As fans of The Duo are well aware, Benevento and Russo are masterful at creating an ocean of sound with just a keyboard and drums. Shedding their familiar Duo roles, they explored other musical areas leaving acres of room open for Barr. The Slip guitarist, who played the set with a bouquet of flowers sticking out of the neck of his guitar, animatedly moved around the stage, helping Benevento out at one point by playfully fanning the cover of the piano. Unfortunately, just as they seemed to really get rolling, they shut it all down for a set break.

The lengthy intermission provided a mixed blessing. Those who felt the pressing need to get some rest before the following work day fled into the night, noticeably thinning the crowd. However, when Benevento, Russo and Barr returned with Ellis in tow and began to tear the house down, there was room to move about and groove along with the band. Sometime after 1:00 a.m., Benevento launched into the rolling melody of Jane’s Addiction’s “Summertime Blues,” staying there for quite a while as Kitchell and Brad Barr’s brother Andrew hit the stage. At this point, a garage-style jam session broke out. With Kitchell ad libbing and scatting along the way, they eased into a fantastic rendition of “Can’t Find My Home” and a rollicking version of “Lucille.”

With so many musicians winging it at the same time, the last fifteen minutes of the show were the sloppiest of the night. However, what was lost in tightness was gained back in the spontaneity and inspired communal lunacy of the effort. In quickly talking to Brad Barr after the show, the guitarist seemed a bit unsure how to describe the closing moments of the show. I thought it could be summed up in one word: fun.

Benevento has three more shows left as part of the Sullivan Hall residency: January 17th will feature Galactic drummer Stanton Moore and Slip bassist Marc Friedman and January 24th will have drummers Billy Martin and Calvin Weston and saxophonist Skerik. The last night, January 31st, will double as a CD release party for his latest solo album Invisible Baby. For the occasion, Benevento will be joined by the ridiculously talented Reed Mathis and Slip drummer Andrew Barr.

Labels: Live Reviews, Marco Benevento