Live From The Montreal International Jazz Festival

About

It’s hard to believe that this is the same Ben Harper who shyly debuted in 1994 with the mellow <i>Welcome to the Cruel World</i>. The raw opening number “Faster Slower Disappear Come Around” hits so hard — and with more classic rock authority than the Black Crowes and Lenny Kravitz combined — that attendees of the Montreal International Jazz Festival who remember Harper from his early works may have had to check their concert programs twice after hearing him and Relentless 7 tear into this one. Jason Mozersky’s lysergic leads sound more suited for late ‘60s psychedelic ballroom concerts than a jazz fest. Even “Number With No Name” sounds more dangerous here than on 2009’s “White Lies for Dark Times” with its gargantuan distorted blues riffs and the explosive drumming of Jordan Richardson. At times the tones echo Jimi Hendrix so much that it only makes sense for a kaleidoscopic cover of “Red House” to show up here. The standout version of “Keep It Together (So I Can Fall Apart)” reveals that it must have been impossible to sit still during this epic performance.

via Apple Music