Concert Review:  A Tribute to MF DOOM – Ponsonby Social Club, Auckland   January 28, 2021

The Tribute Quartet perform a rousing and compelling musical eulogy to the celebrated visionary and enigmatic underground Rapper MF DOOM. His death was announced just before the New Year by his family.

The band tonight are following hot on the heels of many other musicians who have offered tributes, including Questlove, Tyler and Thom Yorke.

The Players: Kenji Iwamitsu-Holdaway on electric bass and guitar. JY Lee on clarinet, saxophone, flute and sound effects. Swap Gomez on drums. That is Yoko-Zuna minus one.

Guy Harrison from Avantdale Bowling Club amongst others, plays keyboards.

Madvillainy

Pretty much half the set tonight features tracks from the album Madvillainy. They open with The Illest Villains which is collage of mixed media sounds.

Then into Kon Queso and a solid On-the–One beat backed with a funk Jazz bass. Nice clean clarinet notes. The sound is big city at night. Neon and Noir.

Wonderful to see musicians laying down the engine room rather than electronic effects. Over the course of the night the players roll out nice smooth melodic grooves and get the room to cook.

It is a sold-out show at the Ponsonby Social tonight. Again, the sound system is superb to showcase some of the city’s most talented Jazz musicians.

For example, All Caps. The engine room throbs with power but Lee’s delicate flute lines carry the tune. Nice keyboard riffs take up the melody and stretches out. Reminiscent of cool Sixties Noir Jazz.

Gazzillion Ear has the voice of Daniel Dumile (DOOM) rapping at medium speed. Street poetry racing through pro-wrestling, super heroes and super villains, gangs and drugs and revelations. The music has a minimalist structure with a solid Funk roll. Melodic flute lines again and the song rolls with a smooth groove.

Raid really does sound like a Sixties nightclub Jazz. A slow build up with keyboards and flute leading. Barry White is referenced.

Figaro is similar but the song gains rhythmic propulsion especially when the bass comes in with a limber, fluid backbone-loosening solo. Acoustic in sound and feel.

Meat Grinder and the keyboards take the lead. Extends out with rapid fills backing the beat and the band take out the song with jumbo riffs to finish.

On Fig Leaf, Kenji steps out in front with an electric guitar for the first and only time. Fast and melodic Blues tones which build and then some shredding. The packed crowd have been dancing already but this brings some ecstatic responses.

Melodownz

The guest Rapper is brought on to complete the set. Melodownz, who is Bronson Price. A fast-emerging artist from the inner-city suburb of Avondale.   

Rapp Snitches and Deep Fried Frenz. Price has a smooth rhythmic delivery of Beat poetry from the streets of America. He stays with the original lyrics but then goes into improv with observations on his own life. And of the evening and the people around him tonight. The adventures of Melo and MC DOOM on the wheels of rhythm. Some great drum fills end the show.

A much-admired artist by fellow-musicians as well as a large and appreciative audience in America and the United Kingdom. The Quartet deliver wide-ranging and diverse music which is compelling and very much danceable. They are building a reputation here and certainly they will be back soon.

Rev Orange Peel

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