VARIOUS ARTISTS

VARIOUS ARTISTS - CD
TUMBLING DICE FLORIDA GIGS

LABEL:

Tumbling Dice

SOURCE:

Disc One: Charcoals, Kendall, Florida 29 April 1992; Disc Two: Coral Springs, Kendall, Florida 1 May 1992; Disc Three: Charcoals, Miami Lakes, Florida 2 May 1992.

FORMAT:

3 picture cds

RUNNING TIME:

67.34/77.51/56.04

SOUND/SOURCE:

Audience stereo

PACKAGING:

Fatboy case

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SOUND 10 / PACKAGING 10 / PERFORMANCE 9.5

Review By RICCAR99 - More articles by RICCAR99

TRACK LIST:

Disc One: 1. Introduction, 2. Hideaway, 3. Mercy Mercy, 4. You Gotta Move , 5. Edward, 6. Soul Serenade, 7. Can t You Hear Me Knocking, 8. I Wonder Why, 9. Outroduction.

Disc Two: 1. Band Introduction, 2. Hideaway, 3. Mercy Mercy, 4. You Gotta Move, 5. Edward, 6. Five Long Years, 7. Baby What You Want Me To Do, 8. Can t You Hear Me Knocking, 9. Little Red Rooster, 10. Outroduction.

Disc Three: 1. Introduction, 2. Hideaway, 3. Mercy Mercy, 4. You Gotta Move, 5. Edward, 6. Soul Serenade, 7. Can t You Hear Me Knocking, 8. Outroduction.

REVIEW:

The recent departure of Bobby Keys has prompted this no label release in Japan that features three concerts held all in clubs located in three different clubs of Kendall and Miami Lakes in the Florida State. These recordings were originally released in 2004 and later being reissued on a triple cdr named just Tumbling Dice some years ago, with a similar front cover with dices, but all black, so this time they come out on a silver disc. The sound output is excellent, being clear as an official records, despite having been recorded from the audience and a joy to listen too and it must be said that, in comparison with that previous release there are some extra minutes in here (but for the last disc which is shorter) probably due to the extended introductions, including the outroduction that was missing on the last disc; maybe some in between dialogues and comments from the crowd were cut in the previous release in order to present the discs as soundboard recordings.

Back in May 1992 a group of friends musicians joined together in order to play some music that is often left to the jam sessions occasions in Florida. They were Mick Taylor on guitar, Bobby Keys on sax, Nicky Hopkins on keyboards, Fuzzy Samuels on bass and John Lorry on drums and were billed as Tumbling Dice. The recordings are soundboards and offer proof of the great sounds achieved during that period, with many instrumental tunes and standard blues songs played with confidence in three different venues. Taylor guitars is let loose and the concerts always start with Freddie King Hideaway. Bobby Keys sax is given more room than often in many concerts and has his solo spot during breaks in songs like Mercy Mercy written by Joe Zawinul for Cannonball Adderly. Also Nicky Hopkins has a chance to showcase his many different influences in an instrumental called Edward, his nickname, that presents many familiar piano themes with the help of Taylor bluesy approach that underline his special keyboard work, we feel or remember music passages that belonged to Quicksilver Messenger Services or even appear in some great jam albums like Jamming with Edward. An instrumental by King Curtis called Soul Serenade follows with Bobby Keys lead sax paving the way for this great ambient tune. The first set ends with Can t You Hear Me Knocking which has Hopkins piano and Keys sax leading the way and in the middle has a total different approach even to Taylor solo treatment of the song. Then Albert King s I Wonder Why closes off a very special night that would be replicated on May 1^st with the addition of Jimmy Reed s Baby What You Want Me To Do and Eddy Boyd s Five Long Years where Lester Chambers joins the musicians on stage and as a final encore we get Howlin Wolf s Little Red Rooster which is played slower than usual; on the outroduction Gimme Shelter by the Stones is played as soundtrack. The last date has the same setlist as the first, except for the omission of I Wonder Why. Tumbling Dice will be resumed in 1993 but with Ivan Neville replacing the often sick Nicky Hopkins and the addition of other band members like Baby Floyd that will end up backing Keith Richards Expensive Winos for the Main Offender album and tour. Packaging is excellent with some information on the back cover track listings that was not on the previous release, namely the presence of Lester Chambers of the Chambers Brothers as guest on the second show.