Monday, October 29, 2012
Live Review Jesse Boykins III brought 'schwaza’ to the Five Spot
Posted by Samantha Ramirez on Mon, Oct 29, 2012 at 6:27 PM
- Mr. Carmichael
- Jesse Boykins III
On October 24 the super soulful singer played live at the Five Spot, two years after his last visit, and he set the room on fire while performing such enchanting songs such as “Amorous” from The Beauty Created LP, and “Before the Night is Through” from his Love Apparatus. He turned up the mood by performing such crowd favorites as “Back Home (Mermaids & Dragons)” from his previous album Way of a Wayfarer and "the Perfect Blues” from his upcoming full-length collabo with producer/MC Melo X (due out Tuesday, October 30.)
Boykins performance left nothing to be desired; the 45-minute experience was extremely intimate as he has a way of providing each person in attendance a relationship with his music. I won’t lie for a minute: In my mind we were having a moment while he gazed with intensity into the crowd. You can’t blame a girl for wishing, but that just goes to show how connected he is to his audience, and I’m certain I wasn’t the only one with that thought. Every song he delivered carried with it a sense of passion, provoking emotions from everyone that was present, meanwhile demanding every eye in the room to focus solely on him.
The nearly surreal performance came after an exquisite display of such local talent as Gilles, Micah Freeman, and the electrifying band Bosco who was jamming out so good and heavy on stage that a guitar string broke. No worries, the show must go on.
Boykins’ new sound is rooted in traditional soul while incorporating elements of Afro Beat, West Indian, and electronic music — a sound so unique that many have labeled him a pioneer of “world soul.” Whether he was crouching down to share the mic with deeply moved fans, exchanging eye contact with the crowd, demanding attention with his eccentric attire, changing from an African dashiki to a crocheted Jamaican tank top on stage, or serenading us with hypnotizing vocals one person at a time, he offered a stimulating, unforgettable visual performance. “Schwaza!”
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