Sometimes, there is a sandwich so delicious, so well put together, it just makes all the others ponder their existence. Maybe the other sandwiches need to go back to grad school, get out of the real world for a bit, lay low, get some grant money and fund some research. The sandwich I’m talking about, is of course, Cuban. There are so many factors that go into a delicious sandwich, that its easy to go wrong. Giant meatball hero, bread gets soggy. Cheesesteak….cheese not properly melted. But in this case, everything fit into place. The ingredients lived in perfect harmony on a roll fit to support them. It being 10am, I will stop typing, because lunch time is a world away.
Prior to Wilco, I saw Bobby McFerrin at Carnige hall. I’d never been in this room before, the acoustics were like none other. The setup was Mcferrin on vocals, and 2 guys he had just met playing a variety of instruments, purely improvisational. We all remember him from “Don’t Worry Be Happy”, and I imagine that haunts his dreams. But then again, I’m sure the giant house he bought because of it provides a nice venue for those dreams to be haunted in. His voice is not so much a voice, as it is some previously unheard chameleon like instrument, able to adapt seamlessly to any situation. When he sings some pop music, it doesnt sound like an opera singer trying too hard, when he sings opera, it doesn’t sound forced. Out of pure self indulgence, here is the band I would like to hear him sing with:
Mcferrin- Vocals
Stanton Moore-Drums
Cyro Baptista-Percussion
Victor Wooten-Bass
John Medeski-Keyboards
Nels Cline-Guitar
Now, lets take a minute to imagine what this would sound like. Sure, Wooten would play an all too elaborate bass solo, but we can forgive him for this. Other than that, I see no holes in this plan. Can we call Bob Geldorf to make this happen? Maybe Al Gore? Excellent, I’ll get back to you.
I’d also like to use this venue for an acoustic performance. Just get a band together and have everyone balance their own dynamics. Drums with brushes, upright bass, acoustic guitar, full horn section, Marimba. Maybe we’d need one big mic out in front to pick up everyone like those bluegrass bands do, but I find this perfectly acceptable. I just need a marimba player.