live @ Metro Cafe 11.6.2000
When the Grateful Dead died, the “jam band” scene that flourished in its’ wake gave rise to some hideously self-indulgent groups as well a passel of mediocre ones, but occasionally brought challenging bands onto the radar screens of listeners who might have never known of thier existence otherwise. One such outfit is Seattle’s Living Daylights, a jazz trio with enough world music and rock/funk textures ingrained into its conceptual DNA to make them appealing to more adventurous jam-heads. At the Metro Cafe Monday night, the Daylights were in top form, scorching the stage with a confident and rhythmically steaming 100 minute set.
The group----saxophonist Jessica Lurie, drummer Dale Fanning and bassist Arne Livingston--- worked mainly from their recent “Electric Rosary” disc, but added a fine new composistion and several older tunes to a well-paced program.
Both holding the song in place and revving its’ engine, Fanning’s drum work was often jaw-dropping: the beats of “Chez Arnesto” even momentarily recalled Rashied Ali’s work with John Coltrane’s late bands. Livingston’s electric bass was equally remarkable, summoning sitar-like sounds during “Fall” and locking with Lurie on a “Pike or Pine”’s 70’s detective show groove. Lurie, on flute as well as saxophone, certainly solidified her reputation as a highly imaginative soloist. Especially fine were her spiraling notes on a traditional Bulgarian number and her quirky, fleeting phrases in “Repeatable Swing”.
The Daylights biggest achievement was never allowing individual talent--of which there is much--to undermine the groove (did you hear that, jam bands?). Not so much smashing boundaries as ingeniously sneaking between them, Living Daylights’ jazz/jam band border dance deserves to be mentioned with the vanguard of both camps.
Washington Post, November 2000
