It was thanksgiving night at B.B. KINGS in Times Square. The winter wind was blistering cold outside, but Pinetop Perkins had the club steamin’ with the blues. I had the pleasure of meeting the 91-year old Mississippi bluesman before the show. He now lives in Texas and his blues is as strong and contagious as ever. The show opened with guitarist George Kilby Jr. leading the band, which consisted of an amazing array of musicians. Two saxophonists, a tenor and a baritone, complemented bass, drums

Billy Cobham’s Culture Mix blends the sounds of musicians from around the world to create a creative, breathing music that at times has a modern industrial feel but also makes you want to move your feet. Recording for a new live release, the group played Tuesday through Sunday at the Iridium and featured special guests Airto Moreira and Randy Brecker. The recording should be spectacular considering the intensity of the late set I witnessed on Saturday night. Overall, the music created a very

Me’shell Ndegeocello celebrated her birthday by presenting those in attendance with a wonderful gift. She led an amazing cast of musicians through an exotic, flawless performance. Her Brazilian percussionist set the tone at the beginning of the first tune, giving the group a world music feel. Toward the end of the set he did a remarkable solo on a hand drum. Her group also included DJ Jahee Sundance, who added another interesting element to the overall soundscape. Well-placed waves of sound and

A night of glistening guitar-led ensembles started with the Larry Coryell Trio, featuring Mark Egan on bass and Paul Wertico on drums. They performed several tunes off their new CD, Tricycles. The title track really moved with Mark Egan setting a solid bass groove. Another selection from the new CD, Good Citizen Swallow, was also noteworthy. After highlighting tunes from the new CD, Larry Coryell broke out his octaves arsenal on the Wes Montgomery classic Bumpin’ On Sunset. Coryell commented tha

The evening started with an Archie Shepp composition that he wrote for his oldest daughter. After his daughter changed her name, he changed the name of the song. Beautiful and enthralling, the melody set the atmosphere and Shepp’s solo took the Iridium audience on a musical journey up toward the heavens. While the other musicians took solos, Shepp added texture and inspiration on the piano. This exchange reached its peak during Andrew Cyrille’s amazing drum solo. Shepp interspersed funky stateme