Zvonimir Tot live at Andy's Jazz Club Chicago concert review by Brad Walseth and photos by John Broughton (original) (raw)

Story by Brad Walseth Photos by John Broughton

Talk about your power trios! Outstanding guitarist Zvonimir Tot blew everyone away at Andy's with his trio, which included heavyweights Larry Gray on bass and Ernie Adams on drums. Performing a delicious mixture of originals ("Blue Quest," standards ("Love for Sale," "Cantaloupe Island" "How High the Moon" and "Scrapple from the Apple") and film themes "Love Theme from Cinema Paradisio"), the guitar master and his band overcame a loud audience with a display of exceptional playing. Gray and Adams are two of the finest musicians in the city and formed a brilliant rhythm section. The songs ranged from beautiful quiet moments (Gray's bowed bass and Tot's lovely melodic playing unfortunately had to fight the rude fans) to full-blown fusion-esque shredding. Tot's playing showed the years of experience playing classical guitar and jazz. He sometimes veered into Al Dimeloa style burning, but also could play softly and melodically. He also uses effects to good advantage. For example - on "Freddie the Freeloader"- his guitar sounded like an organ, and he was able to produce orchestral strings on the love themes. Don't miss your opportunity to catch this world-class trio the next time they appear.