Jon Cleary and The Absolute Monster Gentlemen @ The Gov, Adelaide 26/5/2024
Does a Sunday evening get any better than this? Heading to The Gov, Adelaide’s best live music venue, securing a table and chairs to rest one’s weary bones in the back corner with a great view of the stage, great company with a couple of friends, a glass of red wine to ward of the winter chill and Jon Cleary and The Absolute Monster Gentlemen on stage giving us a lesson about New Orleans music.
We know Jon Cleary is from New Orleans because he told us so at the beginning of the evening, “Were all the way from New Orleans and we’re going to play some music for you” before easing into Lottie Mo from his latest album. Jon’s backing band consisted of Cornell William on bass, Pedro Segundo on percussion and AJ Hall on drums. In the past Jon had played keyboards and guitar on stage but this evening it was just keyboards. The band were tight when needed and also loose when the time was right.
Taj Mahal’s Cheating on You followed with some funky bass from Cornell Williams amongst the smooth sounds of the song. Jon Cleary plays Funk, Blues, Soul, Rock n Roll and Rhythm and Blues and this evening we got the lot. A new song Pickle for a Tickle was played and the band moved into extended “Soul Sacrifice” territory for a while with the two drummers coming to the fore.
“We have all kinds of Funk in New Orleans” Jon announced “This one is extra greasy funk. It’s a tribute to Curly Moore’s 1966 Get Low Down” and the song was indeed very funky. Unnecessarily Mercenary lifted the vibe in the room and got seated people standing.
Jon explained “this song was one of the first songs I tried to play. Forty years later I am still trying to play it” The song was Professor Longhairs Tipitina. “This is our version of Professor Longhairs version” Jon laughed. The song started with some boogie piano from Jo before moving into the song and then into some free form jam, giving each member a few minutes to shine on their own.
The words “We are going to have a break for a few minutes. Go get a drink” really did mean a few minutes. They were back on stage within ten minutes, belting into Aaron Neville’s Mardi Gras Mambo followed by some honky tonk piano in So Damn Good. Blues followed in “my favourite blues artist, Johnnie Taylor” with Last Two Dollars a standout song. Zulu Coconuts provided a bit of light humour with Pedro Segundo bringing out a washboard to play. Watching Pedro all evening was fun in itself with his array of instruments, ranging from chimes, beads and even springs amongst other toys.
But it was the blues drenched Frenchman Street Blues that was THE track for the evening. Beautiful! The Meters Just Kissed My Baby rounded out the second set, extended again with some free form jam from each of the players. A highly funky song to finish with.
Pedro and AJ returned to the stage for an arousing drum burst before Jon and Cornell joined in for another long jam, a tribute to all the artist from New Orleans, those still with us and those “who have left the stage, but we can still play their songs”.
“This is out last show of the Australian tour” Jon told the audience. “We will be back soon, or you could go to the airport, get on a plane and come see us in New Orleans”. Sounds a great plan. “As it is the last night in Australia, I think we may play another song if that is OK” he continued. Of course it was OK. Dr John’s Such a Night closed out the evening with Pedro playing a triangle solo towards the end.
So, does a Sunday evening get any better than this? With an evening of Funk, Blues, Jazz, rock and Rhythm and blues, not to mention the red wine, no it doesn’t. We left The Gov, heading out into the cold winters evening, but with the embers of a musically hot evening still warming our hearts.
.Live Review By Geoff Jenke