Very little has been written about The Allman Brothers Band’s performance of Eat A Peach last September, broadcast in December over XM satellite radio. This review will appear in the next issue of Hittin’ The Note.
* In case you missed it…On September 28th, 2004, The Allman Brothers Band recorded Eat a Peach at the XM Performance Theatre in DC for broadcast as a segment of the satellite station’s Then…Again…Live series. While maybe not as intensely improvisational as we’ve come to expect from an ABB performance, the idea here was to recreate an album, and at that, the band succeeded marvelously. From the ingrained opening piano couplet of “Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More” through to the last grand ping in “Little Martha,” each song is rendered faithfully but stamped with a distinct flair. Gregg Allman offers a stunning “Melissa,” with Warren Haynes managing to dig to the depths of the blues while lifting the song step by step to the heavens with his soloing. “Les Brers in A Minor” is jazzed, Oteil Burbridge’s liquid mercury bass pulses seeming to juggle the arrangement in the air. “Mountain Jam” still stands imposing, erupting in instrumental virtuosity and ingenuity. The subtle nuances and jaw-dropping imprints Derek Trucks adds to every song are his alone, though I imagine Duane Allman to be smiling. Search out a copy of this immaculate recording through a trader and enjoy it for what it is. The road does indeed go on forever because the music—whether rock, blues, jazz, or an inspired co-mingling of the three—is timeless and glorious. (Thanks to my friend T-Bone)
