By Fredric Dannen
Rock and roll was the first musical genre that drew life from technology and spoke through an amplifier. By the 1960s, rock musicians had discovered that if your guitarist was good enough to fill the roles of both lead and rhythm performer, and if you turned up the volume of the guitar and bass, the sonic impact was equal to a four-piece band, with greater room for improvisation. Behold: the power trio. Guitarists with the level of virtuosity to head a trio were invariably steeped in the blues, and two of the great power trios of the ‘60s were led by Eric Clapton (Cream) and Jimi Hendrix (The Jimi Hendrix Experience).
The indie rock/jazz/blues musician Todd Clouser, Kansas born and Minneapolis grown, has been likened by reviewers to Hendrix (Philadelphia Inquirer) and Clapton (Jazz Times). By 2010, Clouser had made a name for himself as a singer/songwriter, touring and recording, and was recognized by National Public Radio as “a fascinating musician.” The following year, he met Mexico City percussionist Hernan Hecht, originally from Argentina, and Aaron Cruz, a Mexico City bassist. Clouser moved to Mexico City to live within a block of Hecht and Cruz.
The power trio they created, A Love Electric, has since produced five records and given over 500 concerts–at festivals such as Solarte in Spain and Winter Jazzfest in New York City, and in theaters, clubs, and concert halls, from Town Hall in New York to B Flat Jazz in Berlin. The rock festival giant Vive Latino summed up the group this way: “A savage guitarist, a merciless drummer, an enormous bassist.” The Prague Post described the group as “Explosive.”
Clouser’s band, with virtuoso percussionist Victor Monterrubio substituting for Hecht, who is touring, will make its first appearance in San Miguel since April 2019 in a concert produced by and featuring local jazz piano favorite Doug Robinson. Robinson’s own combo, Mo’ Ritmo, will fill out the bill for what is certain to be one of the spring season’s most exciting concerts.
Robinson founded Mo’ Ritmo over a decade ago with the late guitarist Ken Basman. Today the ensemble features Robinson on keyboards, drummer Jorge Servin, percussionist Monterrubio, bassist Javier Regalado, and guest guitarist Francisco Lelo de Larres. The band combines traditional jazz, rock, and world music into an original musical tapestry one is unlikely to encounter anywhere else in Mexico.
The venue is the San Miguel Playhouse, at Avenida Independencia 82; the date is Saturday, May 6; and the time is 7pm. There will be one performance only. Tickets are 650 pesos for the center section and 550 pesos for the sides, and can be purchased online at boletocity.com. Boleto City will also have box office hours at the theater. Please visit boletocity.com for up-to-date information.
