concert review: Leon Russell @ The Cedar Cultural Center 1/24/16

Leon Russell, is one of the true troubadours of American music, and his work, has influenced roots music, just as much as it has, pop music.  Through his career, he has played jazz, rock, country, bluegrass, blues, pop, standards, gospel, and surf music.  Russell, is part of a quartet band comprised of himself on piano and vocals, guitarist Beau Charron, and the rhythm section of Jackie Wessel on bass, and Brandon Holder, on drums.  This band went through much of his well known catalog of songs, and through a number of covers, in their performance at the Cedar Cultural Center, in Minneapolis, on Sunday night.

Russell's piano, and singing, were right on target.  He was born in Lawton, Oklahoma, and sings, with a drawl in his voice.  It is his songwriting, that has also won him acclaim throughout his career.  Though, on this night at Cedar Cultural Center, Russell played some original tunes, but stuck heavily, to well known covers.  He was not just interested in playing the music, but also, telling the stories, behind the songs he was playing, whether he had written them himself, or, if he covered a tune, by another artist. 

Russell would spin yarns about Bob Dylan, and about his playing with George Harrison in the all-star benefit concert, Concert for Bangladesh at Madison Square Garden back in 1971.  He spoke of tunes he wrote, before playing them like "A Song For You" (probably his best known number), "Delta Lady" and "Tightrope", or, of the covers he played, either songs he liked, or that he remembered from his youth, delving into such numbers as "Jumping Jack Flash" by The Rolling Stones, (a tune he has kind of made his own, through covering it), "Roll Over Beethoven" (by Chuck Berry), and numerous others.

In fact, Russell played a medley, that featured two Rolling Stones numbers ("Jumpin' Jack Flash" and "Paint It Black"), also intertwined with The Temptations' "Papa Was A Rolling Stone", and "Kansas City".   Russell also delved into country, and blues, during his set.  He paid tribute to the late, great B.B. King, with "Hummingbird", to Ivory Joe Hunter, with "Kansas City Woman", and to Little Willie Littlefield with "Kansas City", and to Ray Charles, with "I Got A Woman".  Country music, has also been a big influence on Russell.  So, he threw in some meaningful covers including the traditional fiddler's number, "Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms".  Hoagy Carmichael's "Georgia On My Mind" was another set highlight, leaning towards the idea that pop standards, are indeed still a relevant art, and can bridge generations.

Gospel music, was another big feature of the show, as Russell played Charles Hutchinson Gabriel's "His Eye Is On The Sparrow".  So, Russell's set, was a real melding of a good number of American music traditions, into one spectacular set.  The most significant song of the night, had to be, the encore, though.  "The Ballad of Mad Dogs & Englishmen", written by Russell, as a tribute, to the late, great, Joe Cocker.  Cocker and Russell, toured together and played together in the legendary ensemble that is the song's namesake.  He tipped his hat, too, to Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, who played a concert, last fall, at the 2015 Lockn' Music Festival in Arrington, Virginia, to pay tribute to "Mad Dogs & Englishmen" and to Joe Cocker's legacy.

Leon Russell, was part of that lineup, along with other band alumni.  A DVD is forthcoming of that performance, and should be released, in the not too distant future.  Leon Russell is a very gifted songwriter and entertainer, and this showed, at the Cedar Cultural Center Sunday evening, for sure.

As a final note, here is a Tour Statistics list, that highlights every song Russell and his band have played.

http://www.setlist.fm/stats/leon-russell-4bd64b2e.html