Tonight was something special. And unexpected…
The Mrs. introduced me to Aneesa Strings some time ago, and I thought she was cool – I mean, who doesn’t dig a woman with an upright bass and a great voice? But honestly, it didn’t exactly knock me out. Not in the way that I’d actively seek out her music, it was just a little too much on the tame side for my tastes.
So when she told me Aneesa was coming to town and she wanted to go see her, I figured, m’eh, why not? It was a Friday night show at Yoshi’s, a club we’ve been to many times and despite being located in Oakland, it’s a spot we really, really like.
We decided to make a night of it and made reservations at the restaurant that’s attached to the club – or is it the club that is attached to the restaurant? Anyhow, we’d always wanted to try the food there – a Japanese -Fusion menu – but every time we’d been there in the past we were running up there after work and never had time to make it to dinner before the show. But this time around it was a late show, we’d made reservations at 7:45, and figured we’d have just enough time to eat before her set.
Let me tell you, we were FOOLS for not eating there in the past! Goodness me, the food was absolutely spectacular! I won’t go into all the details as I’m not a “foodie” and this is a concert review, but I will say I had a pork chop that was hands down the best pork chop I’ve ever eaten in my entire life. And I’m no stranger to pork chops… But seriously, everything we had was delicious and the pork chop was out of this world. I’d eat another one right now if I could!!
Aneesa was accompanied by a drummer, keyboard player and a guitar player, a relatively standard jazz band setup. The show started off a little slow frankly, and after the first song I was thinking to myself “I might be a little too tired to sit through an hour of this“, but very quickly things started to heat up.
I’m not gonna pretend to know what songs she played, old or new, I’m not at all familiar with her catalog of work. What I will say though, is that she was a phenomenal artist. Her voice was smooth as glass – at times – and sometimes gritty, when it was called for. Her bass playing was absolutely on point, it was plainly obvious that she and the upright bass were dear old friends. And midway through the set, she switched it up and picked up an electric fretless Fender Jazz bass, and that’s when things really started cookin’!
One particular highlight was her rendition of Sade’s Ordinary Love, which is a song I (and millions of others) love. I have never heard anyone cover Sade and sound good. Never, that is, until Aneesa. She not only did the song justice, she put just enough of a twist on it to make it her own and I was completely taken in by her version. To be able to hold down that impeccable bass groove – if you know you know – AND sing that song, with that depth of soul, beauty and conviction is beyond impressive.
And speaking of impressive, her band was on fire! We were seated about 8 feet from the drummer, who was right up at the front of the stage, and I was able to see every stroke, every kick drum beat, and as a somewhat snobby drummer myself, I just gotta say WOW. He was so fluid and yet solid as a rock. He played so many parts that straight up surprised me, and yet fit the songs perfectly. That’s how I judge a drummer; if I can predict what they’re gonna play before they play it? M’eh. But this guy took all kinds of turns I never expected, while staying completely in the pocket and just grooving. It was very inspiring. Her guitarist was very much in the background, both literally and musically, but he too was great. I don’t know a lot of jazz players, but his playing reminded me of Larry Carlton. Not at all overbearing, just the right amount of spice to compliment the flavor of the songs. Same with the keys, he took a few solos letting us know he had some chops, but for the most part he played in a supporting role, filling in the overall sound. But as an ensemble, she couldn’t have asked for a better band. They played flawlessly – to my ears anyway – never overshadowed the primary artist, and just helped weave a beautiful, sonic tapestry.
Then for the cherry on top, she finished the show with what was perhaps the most unbelievable “mash-up” I’ve ever witnessed as her encore. She launched into a slightly down tempo, gritty, funky version of Come Together by the Beatles, which wove its way into Blackstreet’s No Diggity, incorporated a few bars from a Biggie Smalls track (I don’t recall the particular song title, but it was immediately recognizable) and back to the Beatles. Now, I’m not really a fan of the Beatles, and I’m absolutely not a fan of Blackstreet nor partial to Biggie, but I gotta admit, the musical acrobatics, the sleekness of which they melded the three songs into one, was certainly one of the most memorable moments I’ve seen on stage in a long time. It was a stellar end to an incredible show.
All things considered, I couldn’t have enjoyed the night more. Excellent food, a great vibe and amazing artistry.
Thank you Aneesa for a night full of “WOW!”, and props to your band for playing their hearts out. I’ve seen literally hundreds of shows over the last 40+ years, and last night’s show at Yoshi’s is gonna live in my personal Hall of Fame! It just goes to show, sometimes when you step outside your comfort zone and open your mind and your ears, you get to witness magic. And last night was absolutely magical for myself and the Mrs!
Thanks for stopping by!
