Tribute band continues maiden voyage into the mind of musical prognosticator Herbie Hancock

By Jake TenPas

It's high time that the myth of the bar band was crushed like a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon on the forehead of a Portland hipster.

Sure, there is such a thing as a bar band, belting out plodding, bloozy covers of Led Zeppelin and Creedence Clearwater Revival to cries of "Play some Skynard!"

But to assume that every band that happens to play in a bar is a "bar band" is as simplistic as the drumbeats that accompany such stereotypical fare.

The reality is that great music, both subtle and intelligent, gets performed in bars and clubs all the time, much to the enjoyment of patrons of such establishments long bored with the pedestrian antics of "bar bands."

From jazz to folk to rock, blues and hip-hop, bars have been the bastion of titillating tunes played by talented musicians since before Lynard Skynard picked up their first bottle of Jack Daniels.

In today's musical climate, the idea of dismissing such a wide array of sounds simply because of the venues in which they're played is sillier than a hyena on laughing gas.

As if to drive this point home with the force of souped-up thruster rockets, Bombs Away Café offers a concert of such infinite harmonic beauty and propulsive danceability that all doubters will be left stranded on a barren piece of earth as the sonic spaceship that is great funk music shoots toward the stars.

On Friday, Jan. 23, the purveyors of fiery Southwestern food and correspondingly cooling brews presents "A Tribute to Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters" at 9 p.m.

Piloting the outward-bound vessel will be an assortment of musicians varied enough to ensure mutiny on lesser vessels, but so committed to the music of one of modern jazz's great musicians and composers that the trip will feel quicker than a bullet train to Philomath.

Local bassist Dan Scollard (Thousand Pieces, Porterhouse, Tone Sharks) will be joined by keymaster Joey Porter (Porterhouse, Rubberneck, Five Fingers of Funk), keyboardist Jeff Baxter (Jive Talkin' Robots), guitarist Douglas Lewis (Cameo, Chaka Khan, Linda Hornbuckle), drummer Reinhardt Melz (Curtis Salgado, Lloyd Jones), percussionist Luis Opazo (a variety of Northwest Salsa bands) and sax player Josh Cliburn (Rubberneck, Porterhouse) for the second of three planned performances of this material.

Sitting in the bar at the back of Bombs Away, Scollard explains how such a talented cast of musicians came together behind a common cause.

"All of us are in love with Herbie Hancock's music. It has all the soul and gritty earthiness of funk with the intelligence of jazz," he explains. "It's moving, and it still sounds fresh."

That might be because the music of Hancock and his band, The Headhunters, sounded so far ahead of its time when first released. For the uninitiated, think of The Meters or James Brown's bands playing in Tattooine's Mos Eisley Cantina.

In fact, contemporary bands such as Galactic and Medeski, Martin and Wood are still trying to match The Headhunter's bold arrangements and foot-pushing drum beats.

Story has it that it all began in the late-‘60s after a chance encounter with the music of Sly and the Family Stone. After tickling the piano in Miles Davis' classic quintet, Hancock was invited back for the recording of what would become one of jazz's landmark albums, "Bitches Brew."

After playing a gig at the Monterey Jazz Festival, Davis decided to stick around for Sly, who was coming on next. Davis was notorious for bolting after his group had kicked out their jams, so when he stayed put, Hancock did the same.

What they heard that night changed their lives and arguably the directions of jazz and popular music forever.

Shortly thereafter, Hancock left Davis' band and went to San Francisco, home of such great rhythm sections as Tower of Power's Rocko Prestia and Dave Garibaldi, The Family Stone's Larry Graham and Greg Errico, and soon, The Headhunter's Mike Clark and Paul Jackson.

After filling out the rest of the band, Hancock went on to release such legendary albums as "Headhunters," "Thrust" and "Manchild," all of which will be covered by Scollard, Porter and the rest of the tribute band Friday night.

"One night, Joey and I were looking through Willamette Week, and we began to notice that the vast majority of shows going on were tribute bands playing their favorite music," Scollard recalls. "I don't know how many tributes you need to Led Zeppelin, but we said, ‘Why not do Herbie?' "

After making a few quick inquiries to area musicians, all of which were greeted with immediate answers of "Yes!" the diverse group of musicians got together to wrap their minds and chops around the music of the master.

Of course, playing the fusion music of the early '70s requires more than just learning the notes, chords and rhythms. It means committing to a form of musical time travel that includes breaking out vintage keyboards and taking a fresh look at your technique to see if it accurately conveys the voice of the songs and musicians.

"Joey's got an arsenal of classic keyboards, and I've been using a different bass, amp and speaker, not to mention style of playing," said Scollard.

Initial rehearsals led to a gig a few months back at The Fez in Portland that was so dynamic that Willamette Week largely ignored a simultaneous Galactic show to heap praise on the funky endeavor.

After that, it was only a matter of time before Starship Headhunter rocketed toward Corvallis to reintroduce Scollard's adopted hometown to such far-out sounds.

"At the Fez show, we had pretty young white girls dancing and old black dudes leaning against the walls, nodding their heads," says Scollard. "We knew that this music still has the ability to touch people.

"This isn't music your grandparents listen to, and if they do, they're super cool."

More funk

for your trunk

The tail end of this month is so packed with fantastic musical offerings that it would take five columns worth of information to truly fill you in. Short of not sleeping, I offer the following suggestions for your listening pleasure. Enjoy irresponsibly.

Selassie I Soldier; 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23, The Peacock — Brutally crucial reggae sounds all the way from Jamaica, by way of Seattle. Openers House of Dread sound will get the jam thumping like a dub bass line.

Hill City Bus; 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 30, Headline Cafe — Local funky monkeys and punky brewsters rock like there's no tomorrow for your eardrums, and that very well may be the case.

Yeltsin, Dot Dot Dot and Civilian; 10 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31, A.J.s on 2nd — Get your noise on with Ward 5 Battle of the Bands champs Dot Dot Dot and their sonic partners in crime.

Eleven Eyes; 9 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 31, Squirrels Tavern — Choices such as the one between seeing Dot Dot Dot and Eleven Eyes can only be the work of the devil, or Admiral Twinkel Devil. If you like your pure, extra-strength funk cut with healthy doses of jazz and hip-hop, check this out.

Jake TenPas covers pop culture and night life and edits the Entertainer. Contact him at 758-9514 or jake.tenpas@lee.net.