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Note: Available as a DVD/CD SET
There’s something about a James Taylor concert that is both stimulating and comforting, sort of like eating a lot of your favorite comfort food. James has been with us for quite a while now, providing thoughtful music for a number of years, but I believe “One Man Band” is the first live recording that accurately captures the warmth, humor and innate intelligence of the man and his songs. The concert takes place in the Colonial Theater, a beautiful old-style performance space in the neighborhood of Taylor’s settling place in the Berkshire Mountains of Western Massachusetts (which also happens to be the place where I lived a sort of Huck Finn existence during the summers of my childhood). It’s heartwarming to see JT pay homage to such a beautiful area, and the beauty of the revitalized theater multiplies the effect.
Nothing becomes a JT show more than intimacy, and this performance overflows with a personal warmth that virtually shines. From the stage. The ‘One Man Band’ is a literal description for Larry Goldings, Taylor’s pianist and sole live support, but the show still has a healthy degree of variety, due to the inclusion of a huge ‘drum machine’ construction and accompaniment via taped performances that he displays on a large video screen mounted over his left shoulder. The video accompaniment is vital to the pacing of the show, which is why I find the DVD disk preferable to the CD. The between song banter often refers to photos that Taylor displays on the screen, and the stories add a degree of charm that is unfortunately (but necessarily) removed from the CD. Besides, it’s worth it just to see Taylor’s ‘drum machine’.
A well rounded song selection, interspersing a predictable array of hits (“You’ve Got a Friend,” “Fire and Rain”) with a few lesser-known gems (“Something in the Way She Moves,” “Line ‘Em Up”), are all performed with vigor and a surprising dose of humor. Taylor’s guitar style is understated but impressive as well. Throughout the performance, Taylor’s relaxed presence is balanced by his apparently genuine modesty to be playing for his own ‘neighbors,’ but if you watch and/or listen to this show, you may come away feeling as though you too live next door to the man.
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