Martin Longley enjoys an evening of quality blues from a veteran.
Coco Montoya
Robin 2
A touch of the snuffles didn’t prevent Californian bluesman Coco Montoya from delivering a sterling set, easing out around 90 minutes of diversely faceted material.
This southpaw singer-guitarist implied that most of his four-piece band had been slumping under the weight of a bad infection. Not so good for a touring situation, but we wouldn’t have noticed if Montoya hadn’t given us a health alert. He also expressed gratitude that he’s still on the road and cookin’ at the age of 62, flexing his hands as if his fingers were feeling the strain. Again, this could have been easily concealed by this modest troubadour.
The energies of the set might have shifted in their nature throughout, but there was an ever-present aura of coiled power evident, even during the several ballad numbers that provided musical variety. One of Montoya’s distinctive qualities is an ability to play with space, in-between the outbursts of articulately stinging solo expression. The repertoire traversed a broad range, with hints of Southern pop, salsa, soul and funk, usually underlined by chameleon keyboard settings, springing from piano to various organ sounds, Hammond to Farfisa.
Montoya was a member of John Mayall’s posse during the 1980s, and this gig’s encore was a Freddie King number, filtered through that old Bluesbreakers lens. He also featured a song that was penned for mentor Albert Collins (delivered in suitably howling fashion), then decelerated with some Smokey Robinson and included a strong showing of his own compositions. Since his solo career began, around 20 years ago, Montoya has been signed to some of the globe’s finest blues labels: Alligator, Blind Pig and Ruf.
He shouted out thanks to Laurence Jones, a rising star on the UK blues scene, who’d opened the evening with his three-piece band, which featured local bassist Roger Innes. Jones, from Stratford-upon-Avon, is also signed to Ruf. It would not be surprising if the pair started to guest on each other’s sets once the tour progresses. Jones has more of a 1960s beat sound, mixing pop-rock with a heavier Hendrix element. All Along The Watchtower went down well, and Jones wished the ailing Walter Trout a steady recovery, playing the tune that featured both of them on the youngster’s last album. Montoya too expressed hope for Trout’s challenging recovery.
Even though the crowd looked slightly lost in the Robin’s ample space, they still compensated with extra-robust applause, sending Montoya home a happy man, even though the stage lights were blinding him to the empty expanse on the dancefloor..!
