Ultimate
Breaks and Beats II
328 Performance Hall, Nashville, TN - 4.08.00
Nashville party throwers Egon and Count Bass D joined forces like the Wonder Twins when they put together the sequel to Ultimate Breaks and Beats. You know it's gonna be an unforgettable hip-hop party when heads like Shortkut, Peanut Butter Wolf and Mr. Dibbs are on the bill, but no one was prepared for the likes of grand funkmaster Galt MacDermot.
The 71-year-old composer of HAIR and the pianist sampled by Busta Rhymes, Pete Rock and the Beatnuts came all the way from his home in Staten Island, NY, to show these "young punks" what real music is all about. When he walked onstage, he knew the preceding acts would be difficult to match. Nashville-based Egon and DJ Signify had opened the show by cuttin' it up on four turntables and were followed by Jon Doe, also representin' Music City. Next was the LA-based Breakestra, who truly redefined funk. Mr. Dibbs' skills were uncontested. Everybody's jaws dropped when he took his hands off the wheels and his goatee was scratchin' all by its lonesome. Despite a head cold, Shortkut came to town to prove that size really doesn't matter. As for Peanut Butter Wolf, well, what is there to say that hasn't already been said about one of the most notable DJs in the business, except that there are still traces of Cap'n Crunch on the stage at 328.
Despite all this, MacDermot stepped bravely into the light, his platinum hair creating a stir in the audience. "Who does this guy think he is?" asked someone standing in the shadows of the audience. MacDermot ignored the insult and sat down in front of the keys on his grand piano. He wasn't sweatin' it. He knew his partners in crime (legendary Bernard "Pretty" Purdie on drums and Wilbur "Bad" Bascomb on bass) had his back, even though he didn't need any help. MacDermot went to town. It was inhuman. He became a cloud of sweat, fingers and teeth. The only people that weren't dancing in the house were those who were paralyzed in a state of shock. After a standing ovation, he finally left the stage, his head held a little higher than when he walked on. I don't think anyone could look him in the eye again for the rest of the evening. He had humbled everyone in the room. All proceeds of the event went to the nonprofit student radio station of Vanderbilt University, WRVU Nashville.
words/photos: Will Jordan
from URB July/Aug. 2000