Today, fan-favorite soul-funk keyboardist/vocalist Nigel Hall celebrates his 41st birthday. Hall has kept busy over the last several years touring and recording with Lettuce, releasing another stunning solo record, Spiritual, and participating in various other collaborative projects. One such memorable collaboration came during the 2017 edition of Brooklyn Comes Alive, when he Eric Krasno, Louis Cato, and Chris Loftlin reformed their old quartet, Chapter 2, as the core band for a very special Eric Krasno & Friends performance.
The reunion of this particular quartet on this particular stage as the culmination of an incredible two-day lineup of music at Brooklyn Comes Alive carried a considerable nostalgic weight for all involved. As Hall commented from the stage at the start of the performance, the Brooklyn Comes Alive Eric Krasno & Friends set marked the first time the four had played together since the first-ever night of music at Brooklyn Bowl, at its soft opening in 2009.
[Photo: Phierce Photo by Keith G.]
Of course, in the spirit of Brooklyn Comes Alive, the band welcomed a number of guests to augment their performance. The first of the sit-ins came when guitar legend John Scofield joined the band for a rendition of rock standard “Hey Joe”, popularized by The Jimi Hendrix Experience on their debut LP, 1967’s Are You Experienced?. With a pair of guitar virtuosos onstage, it was Hall who truly shined through on this rendition, putting a James Brown-like spin on the lead vocals and matching Scofield with a funk-infused keyboard solo to boot. Watch Nigel Hall rip “Hey Joe” at Brooklyn Comes Alive 2017 below:
Eric Krasno & Friends w/ John Scofield, Nigel Hall, & More – “Hey Joe” [Pro-Shot]
Happy birthday, Nigel!
[Originally published 9/15/18]
Nigel Hall and Lettuce return to Brooklyn Comes Alive for the 2022 edition of the event this Saturday, September 15th, at The Brooklyn Mirage. While all six members of the future-funk outfit have performed at the festival in some capacity in previous years, Saturday’s performance will mark the first-ever official Lettuce performance at Brooklyn Comes Alive. Lettuce will be joined by STS9, Medeski Martin & Wood, and Cool Cool Cool for the marathon show. For tickets to Brooklyn Comes Alive 2022, head here.
