Stu Hamm Band at The Iridium 4/17/14
Stu Hamm is regarded as one of the premiere bassists of our time. An attendee of Berklee College of music in Boston, Massachusetts, Stuart’s New Orleans attitude and unorthodox playing styles led him to work with many guitarists such as Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Frank Gamble, Steve Smith, Eric Johnson, Richie Kotzen, Michael Schenker, Yngwie Malmsteen, legendary lyricist and singer Ronnie James Dio and many many more. Being hailed as one of the premiere bass clinicians, Stuart’s band encompassed guitar great Alex Skolnick (If you do not know that name, Alex plays for a legendary Thrash band called “Testament” and is a founding member of the Alex Skolnick Trio), slide guitar master Bruce Arnold and drummer Jason Smith. Stu opened up the show with a patented American song, the Star-Spangled Banner by Jimi Hendrix on his bass. Amazing as it seemed, this was only the beginning to a varied night of music. Going through his discography, Stu played from albums such as Outbound and Flex-able with tunes from bands like Weather Report, The Meters and Hendrix obviously. Songs that ranged from the Obligatory boogie to Flow my tears with Joe Satriani. These essences were portrayed so harmoniously between band members. Alex Skolnick was just unbelievable. Watching him play with Testament a few times in my career was a privilege. However, this intimate setting at The Iridium Jazz Club can only be described as a true honor to see such synchronicity between these gentlemen of varied genres. To co-exist with the stellar performance of the band, Stu’s humor provided a necessary flavor to the taste of the music. Everything was just flawless. My favorite part of the show was Stu’s mix of The Beatles Abbey road with Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata entitled “Abbey sonata”. What an amazing piece of music. For two nights this show went on. But for one night, I was given the opportunity to experience this wonderful musician who is by far, one of the most unique musicians I have ever witnessed. Check out the photos below and If you ever get a chance, go experience a show at The Iridium. Its worth I promise you.The Iridium is located on 1650 Broadway, New York, NY. You can check their website out at www.theiridium.com.
Catch you all on the flipside.
–Derek Soto–
Stu Hamm Band Gallery
