Danny Gatton: Danny Gatton and Funhouse - Live at the Holiday Inn 1987

Danny Gatton is a guitarist more "heard of" than heard. A guitarist's guitarist, Gatton was known as "The Humbler," a nickname bestowed upon him by another fine guitarist, Amos Garrett. The story goes that Garrett would play his band a tape that he had of a live recording of Gatton and whenever he felt like his band was getting too cocky, this humbled them and put them right back in their place. Gatton was a unique talent, as equally adept at rockabilly, country, and blues as he was at jazz. He would often move seamlessly between all of these styles, making him hard to categorize. His unique blend was ultimately dubbed "redneck jazz," a name that seemed to fit but really shortchanged his technical abilities and would cause many to overlook his prowess on guitar.  

On Live at the Holiday Inn 1987, Gatton and his accompanying band, which in addition to Gatton on his Gibson ES-295, also included John Previti (bass), Barry Hart (drums) and Chris Battistone (trumpet), tear through a set of jazz standards with glee. While the setting may seem odd, the brunch crowd at the Holiday Inn was in for a treat on this day. Thankfully, someone had the foresight to capture the gig on video. It is from this tape that Greg Lukens remastered the recording, presenting it in as pristine a condition as possible for listeners to enjoy.  

Gatton seems invigorated on this set, flying all over the fretboard, yet still maintaining his unmistakable greasy style, while demonstrating for all that had he so desired, he could have been the most celebrated jazz guitarist of all time, yet that was not the trip he was on. So Live at the Holiday Inn 1987 will have to do. It is perhaps the rawest and most joyous recording of him in a straight-ahead jazz setting, and boy does he ever cook. Funhouse is more than up for the challenge; Gatton certainly throws down the gauntlet, and the band is just as white-hot as he is. Previti and Hart lay down the swinging rhythmic groove, while Battistone matches the guitar runs with his own trumpet lines.

Many will recognize "Killer Joe" from the Quincy Jones album Walking In Space (A&M, 1969), but here the band takes the tune and shoots it out of a cannon, destroying the tempo and pace of that version by kicking the things up a few notches while still retaining the unmistakable melody, transforming the mellow coolness of Jones' version into an adrenaline-fueled firestorm."Take the A Train" concludes the set like an all-out sprint to the finish. Battistone cooks on the trumpet, while Gatton continues to exchange blistering lines with him, and Previti and Hart man the backline, pushing them to new heights. The Billy Strayhorn  tune has never sounded quite like this, and possibly never will again.  However, Gatton is more than just a speed player; he shows off his comping skills on "Fried Pies," where it often sounds as if there is an organ player up there with the band, but it is all Gatton and his hands creating that organ sound.

Gatton's nickname might have been "The Humbler," but he never meant his playing to humble others; he played with joy and passion, and that is what pours out of the speakers. One can't help but feel inspired, not humbled, by his playing. Oh, to have been having brunch at The Holiday Inn on that fateful day in 1987...

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