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Chef Dave/Happy Accident- < Medusa Records (By Dave Terpeny)
A happy accident is, by definition, an event (or series of events) that result in an unexpected positive outcome or outcomes.
The Chef Dave Band was named by a happy accident I suppose, when a booking agent misunderstood the pronunciation of the Seth Davis Band. Seth, by the way, is the founder, composer, producer and fusion guitarist behind Chef Dave.
The sound of Chef Dave may also be a happy accident. I don’t know. But however it came about it is full of southern soul.
By that I mean the satin smooth soul of Otis Redding, the gritty soul of Solomon Burke and the preaching soul of Clarence Carter. And I also mean the high lonesome sound of Appalachian Bluegrass, which has a keening southern soul all its own.
And don’t forget the down and dirty soul of Stax and the down-home soul of Muscle Shoals. It’s all here in a non-stop 73 minutes of instrumental genius.
I also don’t know if they were going for the ‘head sound’ that Otis and his contemporaries were famous for but they got that too. This album is loose and flowing.
Every line and every hole seems to effortlessly fall in every place it’s needed. The beat itself seems to know just what to do on its own and what makes this all the more remarkable is the complexity of the arrangements.
With only one song containing vocals, “Feelin’ Something†sung by Johnny Neel, the horns are forced to carry the weight of nonexistent backing vocals, Neel’s organ and Jimmy Wallace’s keys have to scream and spit out intermittent bouts of white hot heat in place of vocals and the rhythm section of Victor Wooten (“Bolognius Funkâ€) James Cook, Derek Mixon, Matt Dolan, Cameron Roberts and others dance around the flames with an impressive agility, creating pretzel-like ripples that Davis’ guitar, along with Carlos Pennell, surfs with a reckless abandon.
To keep track of every sound and instrument would require the focus and specific acuity of Rainman himself. Hell, I haven’t even mentioned the banjo of Richard Bailey.
And they make it sound easy. Listening to Happy Accident you feel as though you’ve stumbled upon an informal jam session in a Memphis dive. That’s the real ‘head sound.’
And in that dive there are a group of musicians, who have no idea how good they are, sitting together in a corner. They’re following the lead of a goateed guitarist as he, with a very laissez faire attitude, walks them through 40 years of funk, soul, R&B, bluegrass, jazz, and blues trips in the course of just over an hour.
And while they seem surprised at the thunderous applause they receive when they’re done, you find yourself going back to that dive every night, hoping to hear it all again. But it was just a happy accident that you heard them in the first place.
(kyndmusic.com)--------------------------------------------- --------------------------------
Seth Davis was the normal rebellious teen. But instead or sneaking out of his parents house or defying their other wishes, he slipped into his bedroom, locked his door and played guitar.
"My father's a guitar player and a music major," said Davis. "I think they got me a guitar when I was ten or eleven and a little amp, and I would say 'Don't you guys understand, I don't want to do music like you guys,' just being a rebellious kid. But I would go in my room and plug my headphones into my amp so they couldn't hear me practice."
Davis eventually played for his parents, to their surprise, and began a musical path that has taken him to various cities, "trying to find a place that would be good to me."
Nashville, Tennessee was that place, and while living there, Davis fell in with an esteemed group of friends including engineer Robert Battaglia and The Flecktones, the seminal bluegrass fusion outfit led by banjo player Bela Fleck.
He remained in Nashville for three years, taking the stage as often as possible, honing his bourbon-soaked slide playing, and connecting himself in the music industry.
Davis formed Chef Dave and went into the studio to record a demo which turned into the band's full length debut, Happy Accident, featuring legendary bassist Victor Wooten of The Flecktones holding down the bottom end. The release also featured Allman Brothers Band alumnus Johnny Neel ..boards and some vocals.(Jambase.com)
The Chef Dave Band consists of Seth Davis - Slide Guitar/ Chris Fort -Bass/ Luke Davis -Lead Guitar/ Zach Grindle--Drums/ Organ master Johnny Neel when his schedule allows.
Chef Dave started as an outlet for Seth to express his ideas on the slide guitar.
The name came to the band by accident. Seth didn’t want to use his name but didn’t really have an alternative when he booked the first gig. While on the phone with the booking guy for Nashville’s Exit In, he reluctantly said they were called the Seth Davis Band.
The guy on the other end of the phone heard Chef Dave Band and that’s how the show was promoted, and that’s how the band was named.
All these guys met by chance and have played a lot in the Nashville area over the last two years. During that time, this CD was created with the generous help of Robert Battaglia who is known for his work with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones .
Johnny Neel has played numerous shows with the Chef Dave Band and decided to become a part of this project.
Seth had worked for Victor Wooten and asked him if he wanted to play on the Happy Accident CD and Victor agreed.
*Chef Dave plays Modulus guitars and basses.*
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