Singing Praises

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David Bromberg and the Peter Rowan and Tony Rice Quartet. At the Lobero Theatre, Saturday, January 13.

Reviewed by Paul Chiment

As the arctic wind put a serious chill over Santa Barbara Saturday night, David Bromberg warmed his audience with an infectious belly laugh and his fiery delivery of bluegrass and blues. Never one to be neatly categorized, Bromberg blended many styles as he let his fingers fly up and down his guitar’s fretboard, bending notes along the way.

Bromberg is one of those rare performers whose blend of talent, wit, and sincere appreciation for his audience earn him respect the instant he steps onto the stage. Wearing a devious smile and chatting with the audience (and himself) during his songs, Bromberg didn’t just sing the blues — he preached them, showing all the passion and authority of a Southern Baptist minister spreading the gospel.

But Bromberg’s sermons aren’t about angels or virgins; his are packed with stories of broken hearts, cheating women, Jack Daniels, and rusty old Buicks that stopped running a long time ago. Belting out lyrics and skillfully blending strums with masterful fingerpicking, Bromberg controlled, entertained, and enlightened his congregation well into the night.

Throughout the evening, Bromberg played more than just blues. As a sideman for Bob Dylan, Chubby Checker, Ringo Starr, and Jerry Jeff Walker, Bromberg can play it all. This was never more apparent than when the Peter Rowan and Tony Rice Quartet joined him onstage, combining the graceful balance of speed, flow, and what can only be described as “that bluegrass twang” of Tony Rice’s guitar with Peter Rowan’s impressive vocal range. Sharon Gilchrist on mandolin and Bryn Davies on upright bass rounded out the quartet, and as Bromberg shared and directed solos, this bluegrass jam session quickly got the audience’s feet thumping and allowed the musicians to showcase their unique styles. Particularly impressive was Davies’s command of the upright bass. Her quirky combination of old school walking up and down the neck with a more modern slap approach, injected an element of jazz into the bluegrass sound and made for memorable solos. But it was Bromberg’s blues, and his lightning speed and accuracy, that held the audience rapt. And the blues never felt so good. Amen.

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