Otis Taylor Band: 3-28-13 at SPACE

Concert Review

Otis Taylor Band
March 28, 2013 @ SPACE
By Dave Miller

Otis Taylor can make time fly.

Taylor doesn't play typical blues. He plays what he calls "trance-blues." With limited lyrics and chords, Taylor's songs delve deep into grooves. Extended instrumental journeys interspersed with impressionistic lyrics can put a listener into a hypnotic, meditative state where a sense of time is lost. The progressive blues artists and his sympathetic band lock in and stay there, riding the wave of a song until it eventually reaches shore.

Taylor's blues travel not only through cities, but the countryside, too, thanks to his electric banjo and Anne Harris' fiddle. On Thursday at SPACE in Evanston, Taylor started on a Blue Star brand Banjocaster and opened with "Ten Million Slaves." It wasn't long before Taylor turned to his Fender guitars to give the show a three-guitar attack that included Shawn Starski and guest Mato Nanji of Indigenous. Taylor's new album, My World Is Gone, features Nanji on six songs. The album's central subject matter of Native American struggles was sparked when Taylor heard Nanji say what would become the album's title in reference to his Native American Nakota Nation. Three songs from the album were played -- the title track, "Blue Rain In Africa" and "Lost My Horse." The material is a continuation of Taylor examining dark social issues in our country's history.

Not just anyone could hold their own with a fiddle in hand against a three-guitar assault, but Harris is not just any musician. She's a Chicago treasure. The person I compare her to is the late Clarence Clemons. Though smaller in stature than the Big Man, Harris exudes a similar vibe, spirit, peace and personality. At times she's the biggest presence on stage. Not only is she an ace on fiddle, her dancing makes it hard to take your eyes off her. She makes Arcade Fire look like a bunch of stiffs. Taylor is lucky to have Harris in his band, and apparently knows it judging by how often he allowed her to solo between his songs. Harris also moonlights in Cathy Richardson's band. Taylor and Richardson must keep their fingers crossed and hope nobody swoops in and steals Harris from them.

Speaking of Richardson, the belting rocker made a guest appearance on "Hey Joe," which, like many songs on the night, turned into a lengthy jam. Taylor may look like a badass with his gruff beard and imposing frame, but he's a generous soul. He repeatedly doled out solos to his backing musicians, visibly content to take pleasure in what he heard from them. His humble stage patter belied how he is keeping the blues alive with a groundbreaking approach.

The performance did fall short in terms of length. The band took a surprising break after playing five songs in 41 minutes. The show ended with a rousing jam that brought the number of Taylor songs played to a dozen over nearly an hour and a half. Concert length can be overrated, but with Nanji sitting in with the band, the modest show length felt too short and like a missed opportunity.

The setlist:

Ten Million Slaves
Blue Rain in Africa
Hey Joe/Contraband Blues
Lost My Horse
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My World is Gone
Talking About It Blues
Rain So Hard
Hambone
Black Witch/Mandan Woman/Lifetime of Freedom

First set start: 8:14 p.m./Finish: 8:55 p.m.
Second set start: 9:23 p.m./Finish: 10:10 p.m.
Totals: 12 songs, one hour 28 minutes