The Benevento/Russo Duo is a band simple in name and concept, but not execution. The instrumental duo blends the catchy song structures of rock music, the improvisation and technical chops of jazz, and the experimental soundscapes of electronica. The band's members are also brilliant composers, and wisely keep the music from coming near the clichéd funk grooves and boring noodling that so many fellow members of the jam scene lapse into. The pair arrived at Higher Ground in South Burlington on Oct. 16 to prove that, although they haven't released an album since 2006's “Play Pause Stop,” they're still one of the finest live bands in existence.
Keyboardist Marco Benevento's massive setup blends old and new. Anchored by a vintage Wurlitzer electric piano and a Hammond organ and bass pedal board, Benevento also employs numerous effects pedals usually heard with guitars, along with various gadgets, toys, and noisemakers to craft his trademark dense, layered sound. Drummer Joe Russo, though he looks just like Adam Savage of the TV show “MythBusters,” plays his kit with the reckless abandon of the famed Muppet drummer Animal without breaking a sweat.
The show featured a pair of cameo appearances from musical legends. Phish bassist Mike Gordon, who has toured with the duo on multiple occasions, came out for the encore, as he has at each Benevento/Russo Duo show at Higher Ground in the past three years. The duo-turned-trio closed the show with a long improvised jam that surely brought the Phish Phans in attendance back to headier times. Burlington-based saxophonist Dave Grippo, titular character of the Grippo Funk Band, joined the band about halfway through the show for “Play Pause Stop” and “Becky.”
There may have even been more distinguished guests in the building. “We have all these great musicians upstairs, but they're just drinking all our beer, they don't even want to play with us,” Benevento remarked at one point. He also invited Phish keyboardist Page McConnell to the stage to play a song, but McConnell never materialized.
The show's highlight came with a 15-minute rendition of Radiohead's “Paranoid Android.” The cover began as a sultry lounge reinterpretation, before transitioning into a noisy rock song, Benevento's keyboards awash in distortion. Russo stopped drumming entirely during the bridge, as Benevento gradually sped the melody up, sounding a bit like a music box gone completely haywire. The drums rejoined for the song's close, a fit of cacophonous noise. “That was a song written by Joe,” Benevento cheekily commented afterwards.
Though the club was barely half full on this night, the Benevento/Russo Duo whipped those that were there into an energetic frenzy by the end of the night. They proved that, whether they're playing a 25-minute improvisation with a Phish member, or a 4-minute instrumental pop song, they know how to get people dancing.
Benevento will be back in the area with his new project, the Marco Benevento Trio, on Nov. 10 at FlynnSpace in Burlington. |
