We Gotta Be Funky! | Concert Review
- Date: Thursday, March 1, 2018
- Show: Amsterdam Funk Orchestra & Benjamin Herman
- Where: Sugarfactory in Amsterdam
What a pleasure it was to see the collaboration between the greatest Dutch funk band and the greatest saxophone player of the Netherlands, Amsterdam Funk Orchestra and Benjamin Herman!
The concert started off with a couple of songs from Amsterdam Funk Orchestra, composed by bandleader Efraim Trujillo. A good warm-up for the audience! Varying from one funky song to the other, it gave various instrumentalists the opportunity to play a solo. This made me appreciate not only the collective sound of the band but also the virtuosity of each individual player!
Solo by alto saxophonist Tiander Turpijn (picture by Karen van der Stal)
After enjoying these funky songs, it was finally time for special guest Benjamin Herman! Once elected as “best-dressed of the Netherlands”, the saxophonist looked slick as always. He started off with a couple of his self-penned songs from the album “Deal”, after which he played incredibly virtuosic solos from Amsterdam Funk Orchestra’s newest album “Pure Fiction”.
In this performance, Benjamin Herman not only proved himself a great saxophone player, he also surprised his audience with his flute skills! He played an extremely groovy lick in the chorus, followed by various solos by members of the Amsterdam Funk Orchestra. The song ended with a continuous repetition of the lick, which continued for such a long time that Benjamin Herman might have fainted. Luckily, he used circular breathing which kept him on his feet and enabled him to continue the lick for an incredibly long time. Awesome!
Benjamin Herman playing his lick on the flute (picture by Karen van der Stal)
Of course, a performance by the Amsterdam Funk Orchestra had to be closed off by a funky song. Composed by Efraim Trujillo, we were all instructed to sing along to his last song, with the lyrics “We Gotta Be Funky, It’s Gotta Be Funky, We’ll Make It Funky For You, It’s Gotta Be Funky”. Well, what’s left to be said? Funky it was!
Amsterdam Funk Orchestra playing a funky song (picture by Karen van der Stal)
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