Mel Cooke, Freelance WriterWESTERN BUREAU:
THERE IS a lot of music in The Pocket and the band's seven members scooped out double handfuls to toss to an appreciative audience at Redbones the Blues Cafe on Saturday night.
The music came with motion, from a soulful saxophonist Tafane closing his eyes and playing on Medicine, the title track of their first album, which ended the first segment of Friday's show, to a foot twinkling 'scabby' from guitarist Big T on their interpretation of Satisfy My Soul, which had only the three word refrain in common with the Gong's classic love song.
Lead singer and sometimes guitarist Omar Teitelbaum was at one point stock still, microphone clutched in both hands, at another jumping from the stage to come closer to the audience as the jazz verse of Steady as You Go was morphed into reggae on the chorus.
THE BAND
Keyboard player Matt Wood was occasionally on his tiptoes, bouncing to the beat, the bass player was as steady as a sail on a becalmed ship, while the drummer BB rocked along. And the lone female on stage, the back-up vocalist, provided delightful, though not ostentatious, hip movements in time to the music.
A late sound check and final tune-up were done to rows of depressingly bare white and red seats for those who came to see the show only, although the diners were many, but by the time all was in order for the 10:15 p.m. start, things had filled out somewhat, although it was never a bumper audience.
"This song was written on Hagley Park Road, on a rooftop, about a year ago," Teitelbaum introduced the first song, which set the stage for an evening of good, expressive music, coupled with excellent delivery of lyrics that were at worst good and best superb. There was an interpretation of the street scene of youths "begging you a dollar/to wash your windowpanes away" in I'd rather Be.
On Satisfy My Soul The Pocket lived up to the promise to "get a little funky up in here"; Lila Rose was a true roots song about the kind of love that "passes you by in an instant, but lasts forever". Borrowed Hearts was a request to "borrow your heart for a while/so I can see/if my tears will cry/once again".
GOOD APPLAUSE
With each song being anchored by good applause, The Pocket went slow for Falling Into You, written for Teitelbaum's sister's wedding, featuring an especially expressive solo from Big T, before the band went to a break with Medicine. There was humour for the announcement of the break, as Teitelbaum said the break was "for us to get in tune with ourselves and people can get in tune with themselves, for that is the most important thing".
The Pocket, from Washington DC, USA, has been coming to Jamaica for two years, acquiring a Jamaican component in the process as the bass player is from Falmouth and the saxophonist from Kingston.
