The Funky Knuckles
Organised by: Voll-Damm Barcelona Jazz Festival
Venue: Jamboree
Photography and review: Jordi Amela (@amela_photo_concert)
Review in collaboration with Genesimphonic (Ràdio Gelida)
On 10 November, The Funky Knuckles gave a masterclass at Jamboree. Two of them, in fact, since they decided to play different sets for the two scheduled sessions — something not everyone can pull off.
I’ll “spoiler” it now by saying this review is absolutely positive, but I do have a bone to pick. We know Jamboree doesn’t have much space, but it has a very special charm. There was no need, at a Funk gig, to pump out fog like we were in a haunted castle. It makes life very hard for photographers, fighting the haze, poor lighting choices and next to no room to move. Bear in mind the quality of the photos benefits the venue, the festival and the artist alike. Take note, please. Also not the sharpest call — seated bassist barely five foot tall, placed behind the horn section’s two hulking guys. Little details that, the older I get, the less I understand. Lastly, Jamboree — I’ll chip in for the light bulb myself if I have to — could you put some light where the drummer traditionally goes? That said, and from the eternal love I have for this iconic venue, let’s get down to business.
In the second session, The Funky Knuckles ran through tracks like “Tooth”, “Social Dist”, “Barbosa”, “Rain Journey”, “I Believe” and, as an encore, “Sixteen Bars”.
The venue’s sound was perfect. It’s been clear for a while that the bass’s “Mark” amp puts out an impressively high-quality tone, and the drummer wouldn’t even need mics given how huge his hit is.
Wes Stephenson on bass is a metronome, forceful and with just the right touch. He’s already got us used to this level of perfection from his work with Mark Lettieri. By the way, regular keyboardist Kwinton Gray was replaced by another player who, I’d swear, is the same one who’s been touring with Lettieri.
Cedric Moore is simply a machine on drums — probably, along with the bass, the band’s two most impressive soloists. The horn section’s interplay, with Evan Weiss on trumpet and Ben Bohorquez on sax, locks together perfectly. Guitarist Ethan Ditthardt, despite his youth, could be called old school in how he holds the guitar and in the arpeggios and phrases he uses. Restrained and efficient.
Overall, I enjoyed it a great deal. At times it felt like too much was happening at once and I wanted more harmonic clarity, but that’s really down to personal taste, and there were so few moments of that overload that they’re more than made up for by the impressive offering from these aliens. Long live the GroundUp Music factory.
