RJ Howson, Berry Duane Oakley & Garrett Dawson: PURE MAGIC
With apologies to the screenwriters of Forrest Gump: “MUSIC is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you will get.” Venues schedule shows, bands prepare setlists, and audiences of all sorts appear. There is rarely a way to know exactly how a particular show will unfold.
We had proof positive of that Friday, March 20, at Blue Marlin Seafood Restaurant in Bradenton Beach, when a couple of “locals” set up to play on the tiny outdoor stage at the equally tiny venue. The locals, as it turned out, were three brilliant players who have been on the scene for decades. The trio was fronted by guitarist RJ Howson, who calls himself a journeyman; we would elevate his status far higher than that. Berry Duane Oakley on bass is a member of The Allman Betts Band (his dad was the original bass player for The Allman Brothers Band), and impressive percussionist Garrett Dawson, a Butch Trucks’ Freight Train Band alum, was behind the drum kit. These gents are part of a huge family of superb musicians in Bradenton and Sarasota birthed from the ABB tradition and high-level blues circuits.
The show started late, and that turned out to be a blessing in its own way. There had been some discussion about they would play first set and then second. We got that all rolled into one with spectacular results. When they finally plugged in at 7, they grooved easily into “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy,” the famous Cannonball Adderley song written by Joe Zawinul. It transitioned into something familiar… “Tighten Up,” the old Archie Bell and the Drells hit! That slid briefly into the first ABB tease of the night, “Blue Sky,” before returning to “Tighten Up” and its famous coda. Dawson began with brushes and occasionally played the crab behind him with his right hand… what good percussionist do!
And we were off!
Oakley stepped up to the mic to bare his soul with “The Thrill is Gone.” There was ample opportunity during every tune for each player to show the good stuff, and they certainly did. Howson then offered a tune he wrote inspired by his friendship with Dickey Betts, “Set It Free (Skyway Song).” Oakley was back at the mic for the famous Albert King song penned by Booker T. Jones, “Born Under a Bad Sign.” Many in the crowd were nodding in approval. That increased with a pair of Hendrix tunes, “Little Wing” and “Angel,” strung together by “Little Drummer Boy”! Howson tears those Jimi tunes up! His range is mind-blowing; he can do anything.
“Johnny Too Bad” was a reggae tune by The Slickers from the Jimmy Cliff movie The Harder They Come, and then it was back to the deep blues with “Goin’ Down” that strolled into “Sweet Home Chicago” and finally into “Mountain Jam,” with a quick “Goin’ Down reprise. More blues next as Oakley dug into the B.B. King classic “How Blue Can You Get?” His voice is awesome, his bass-playing even better.
During this first half of the show, the white gravel area in front of the stage was a full-on playground for energetic children, playing, dancing, LISTENING! This is how we raise our children properly — with music!
Most of those families had split by the time Howson wound up the Howlin’ Wolf classic “Killing Floor.” His gifts began to spill out: first “Daytripper,” then two other teases. Finally the jam landed on “Please, Please, Señorita,” a composition he put together during a year playing with a 14-member salsa band. It was Santana-adjacent, just a killer vibe. Four young ladies had already been up to dance, but now they were a permanent fixture as Howson Dawson Oakley simply CRUSHED. The vibe was magnificent on stage, in the dancing swirl, and throughout the venue.
The trio dug deeper, keeping that groove riding for more than 15 minutes. Dawson had tons of space show his percussion talents, especially on that inverted frying pan! They and the dancers took a brief respite, but as soon as they cranked up “Chameleon,” the Herbie Hancock staple, there were twice as many dancers, and 20 minutes of awesomeness unfolded before they dovetailed that into the ABB paragon “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed,” so funky and perfect.
Technically, we were already 15+ minutes over finishing time, but nobody was willing to put a halt to the festivities (a wise decision!). In tribute to the ladies dancing, the trio stomped through the Hendrix powerhouse “Foxy Lady.” At some point, Howson tossed in “Eleanor Rigby” before they capped it off with a very Devo-like version of “Satisfaction.”…