George Porter Jr. joined forces with Ivan Neville, Ian Neville, Tony Hall, and Deven Trusclair for a celebration of The Meters at the 2024 Fuji Rock Festival this past weekend, but before the quintet took off for Japan, they gathered with two other Dumpstaphunk alums, Alex Wasily and Ashlin Parker, for a funk-filled, late-night set at The Mint in L.A.
The group behind George and Ivan was billed as “Phunky Friends,” but the connection to Dumpstaphunk was unmistakable. The only person missing was the late Nick Daniels III, who sadly succumbed to multiple myeloma this past April. Dumpstaphunk continued to tour after Nick’s tragic passing, albeit with just one bass player instead of their usual duo—that is, until they roped George into their funky arrangement.
In many ways, Porter fit the bill as more than a fill-in for Nick, even before joining Dumpstaphunk for select dates in recent months. After all, George is one of the Founding Fathers of New Orleans funk. He rose to prominence in The Meters, which he founded with Art Neville, whose son Ian and nephew Ivan went on to form Dumpstaphunk in 2003. In other words, George has long been family to Dumpstaphunk. And on a Thursday night in July, he was officially inducted.
The set began with a selection of songs performed by Ivan and his “Phunky Friends,” before George entered the fray. They kicked things off with a rousing rendition of The Neville Brothers’ “Fire and Brimstone”, which they dedicated to Nick’s memory.
From there, the band pivoted into a pair of Dumpstaphunk originals. First came “Make It After All”, with Tony providing both impassioned lead vocals and some spectacular slap bass. That was followed by the funky instrumentals of “Itchy Boo”, featuring a boatload of brass by Alex and Ashlin. The Phunky Friends then teased George’s arrival by trotting out a cover of The Meters’ “Groovy Lady”.
At long last, the legend himself stepped gingerly onto the stage and assumed his seat next to Ivan’s keys. George didn’t waste any time showing off his preternatural skills on the bass. He jammed out with Deven on drums and Tony, now on guitar, to the tune of The Meters’ “Funky Miracle”.
Plenty more material from The Meters followed. From “Jungle Man” and “Talkin’ ‘bout New Orleans” to “A Message From The Meters” and “People Say”, there was no shortage of nods to the iconic band that landed George in the pantheon to begin with. That included a heartwarming story from Tony about learning to play bass from George in New Orleans and the importance of passing down knowledge to the next generation.
In between those Meters-centric moments came selections from the collective catalog of funk shared by George, Ivan, and their cohort. They got the packed house riled up with a version of Robert Palmer’s “Sneakin’ Sally Through The Alley”, paid their respects to the late, great Dr. John by way of “Right Place Wrong Time”, and pulled from the repertoire of George Porter Jr. and Runnin’ Pardners on “Wanna Get Funky”.
To close out the night, George, Ivan, and company bookended their performance with another Neville Brothers standard, “Fiyo on the Bayou”. With that, the band was whisked off into the night, ahead of a morning flight to Japan. George insisted that he would stay a while longer to hang out on the other side of the planet.
As for Ivan and his Phunky Friends, they have no such luxury. Come the start of August, Dumpstaphunk will be in New York City for a pair of doubleheaders at Blue Note Jazz Club before heading to Pennsylvania for the Erie Blues and Jazz Festival. For a full list of all their upcoming tour dates and to purchase tickets, visit Dumpstaphunk and George Porter Jr.‘s websites.
The post George Porter Jr., Ivan Neville, & Phunky Friends Pay Homage to Nick Daniels, The Meters At The Mint In L.A. [Recap/Photos] appeared first on L4LM.
