Traffic - The Last Great Traffic Jam (with Bonus CD) (2005) Review

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Traffic - The Last Great Traffic Jam (with Bonus CD) (2005) ReviewWhere to start? As a long-time Steve Winwood fan, I've grabbed everything I could get by Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, Blind Faith, solo material and side projects. Among these include several live concerts, such as Traffic Live in Santa Monica (released on laserdisc), a live 1987 concert for the German RockPalast, and the Austin City Limits performance for PBS. I've also seen Traffic twice, in 1973 and in 1994 (from which tour this was filmed).
The 1994 concert tour, promoting `Far from Home', was one of the best concerts I'd ever seen, and I've seen many. I was hoping the energy and musicianship I saw then had been captured for this DVD, and I'm happy to confirm it was.
Before commenting on the music itself, it should be noted that this is more than just a concert DVD. Woven into the film is footage of the band as they traveled the U.S., just being normal people (well, famous rock star normal), with such images as Winwood shining his shoes, or Bramlett and Winwood playing air guitar to the drone of a livestock auction show on TV. It's clear that the band enjoyed good rapport and had fun doing the tour.
With Winwood and Capaldi of the original band (more on that later), joined by Roscoe Gee (from `When the Eagle Flies'), Randall Bramlett, Mike McEvoy and long-time Winwood collaborator Walfredo Reyes, Jr. (who played on the live RockPalast, the Austin City Limits show and the About Time CD), these guys cook!
Concentrating their set on mainly Winwood/Capaldi compositions, they kick off in fine form with `Pearly Queen' and `Medicated Goo', giving freshness to these classic tunes with tastefully extended jams, Winwood blazing on guitar. ` Mozambique', from Far From Home, offers a glimpse as to the direction Winwood would take on About Time. An instrumental, it has a world-music type feel with fiery guitar work. The classic song `40,000 Headmen' has Winwood switching to organ, and the band pure perfection. Bramlett's flute work was true to the original, but was not merely derivative. Exquisite!
Another favorite, the instrumental `Glad', moves Winwood to piano for a rousing version, with an extended piano solo. The band offers a letter-perfect take on `Walking in the Wind' from the 1974 release `When the Eagle Flies), a song rarely done live.
The crowd was enthralled to silence as the opening chords to `Low Spark' began. I've heard this song countless times over the years, but this is the definitive version. It has never sounded better! With energy to spare, they kick into `Light Up' (they use abbreviated names instead of the full song title), with the late Jim Capaldi on lead vocals. To be honest, this is one Traffic song that I never really cared for, usually skipping it when I played `Low Spark'. While it's the same song, what a difference this performance makes! Capaldi's exuberant stage persona created an almost intimate atmosphere in the large auditorium, and the song segues into a long, rhythmic boogie jam with each band member giving a brief solo, followed by a mind-numbing Winwood guitar solo. No guitar player has anything on this guy! Amazing.
The version of `Dear Mr. Fantasy' found here is notable for two reasons. First, it was captured at an outdoor daytime concert in California; the other footage was from night performances in concert halls. Secondly, it had Jerry Garcia playing guitar with the band. Now, Deadheads will probably like that, but for me, it was no great shakes. Garcia looked really bad physically (as another reviewer noted), and frankly, I didn't think he added anything. His countrified slide noodlings didn't really fit the song, and when Winwood played his guitar solo, he virtually blew poor Jerry out of the water.
Closing the disc are two crowd-pleasers. First, the lovely `John Barleycorn', with only Winwood on acoustic guitar, Bramlett on flute and Capaldi on tambourine, presenting yet another textbook offering of superb musical craftsmanship. The final song, which must end every concert Winwood performs, was the obligatory `Gimme Some Lovin'. This version was reminiscent of the performance captured on `Welcome to the Canteen', with an extended, polyrhythmic arrangement, with lots of percussion.
To those that think Dave Mason's absence was a big loss, I disagree. Although he was an original member, his song contributions were weak, apart from the classic `Feelin' Alright'. And, while he was a gifted guitarist, he wasn't particularly distinquished. Moreover, he wouldn't collaborate with the other band members on songs, which was a source of tension throughout their relationship. It's no musical loss that he's absent.
While this release was under the Traffic name, it really is more of a Steve Winwood/Traffic hybrid performance. Winwood is much more energized and in command here than in any other live performance mentioned earlier. He has great musicians who work flawlessly together, and this DVD captures that dynamic perfectly.
I paid less than $14.00 for this, and it included an excellent bonus CD with acoustic versions of '40,000 Headmen', `John Barleycorn' and `Low Spark'. I cannot recommend `The Last Great Traffic Jam' highly enough. It's a joy to have.Traffic - The Last Great Traffic Jam (with Bonus CD) (2005) OverviewLAST GREAT TRAFFIC JAM - DVD Movie

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