Pat Wictor with Reggie and Kim Harris ~ 2023 June 10 ~ Javawocky Coffeehouse, Brockton, MA
Pat Wictor, vocals and guitar; Reggie Harris, vocals and guitar; Kim Harris, vocals.
Scroll to below videos for a review of the show.
Videos ... if a problem with viewing, go to Youtube and search by performer and date; the Youtube account is in the name "nicepace"
How Will They Tell It? (Pat Wictor)
Love Is the Water (Pat Wictor, Reggie Harris, Kim Harris)
Three Little Birds (Pat Wictor and Reggie Harris)
Review
I've seen a number of fine concerts in the folk category at Javawocky Coffeehouse in the basement of a Unitarian church in Brockton, MA. Unfortunately Javawocky is ending its long run as a music venue after this show. Our first visit was in May, 2015, to see Kim and Reggie Harris, so it was appropriate that this show tonight would feature Reggie Harris.
The schedule said Reggie would play a duo show with his long time musical partner, Pat Wictor. Reggie thrives in this type of duo format (we've seen him with Greg Greenway in a similar format). And then Reggie's sister passed away after a long illness, and the family scheduled her memorial service for this date in Philadelphia, PA. And the venue contacted Pat and asked him if he was okay with doing the show by himself, and of course the answer was yes.
A fairly good crowd had filed in by the 7:30 starting time when Pat opened with a couple of blues classics. He played standing up, with his slide guitar slung around his shoulders. (Any guitarists reading this, feel free to tell me what that's called.) He proceeded to play a number of originals, including a calypso number (see the video above), switching between the slide guitar and a Blackbird acoustic. He did one a cappella song where he sang the vocals, including some scat, and vocalized what can only be described as instrumental accompaniment. I'd never heard him before, and was enjoying his clever and informative between-song banter, his talented playing, and his pleasant tenor voice. After about an hour, as expected at a folk concert, he took an intermission.
Concert Going Partner and I were patronizing the yummy dessert table when we heard a surprised and delighted cheer from the crowd. I looked around and there were Reggie and Kim Harris! Reggie's sister's memorial service had ended at a time when it was still possible for them to drive to Brockton, MA in time for the show. Reggie gave Kim the credit for keeping him together and enabling the successful 300+ mile journey.
So Steve, the guy in charge at the show, put two more microphones on the stage, a few tweeks were done at the sound board, and Reggie joined Pat for the second set, with help on vocals from Kim on a song or two.
And the evening took on a whole new atmosphere. There was already a bittersweet quality to what was going on, what with this being Javawocky's last show ever, but to have a performer on stage who had just come from a beloved family member's memorial made the emotional level really take off. Reggie talked about his sister and her long illness, and how she had appreciated the attentions from her family in her last days. There was sadness, and there was joy. And then there was the music. Reggie did a few of the familiar songs from his repertoire, all three of them joined in on Pat's a cappella tune "Love Is the Water," and then Pat and Reggie joined forces on "Wade In the Water," and it was incredible. In my many years of concert going I have seldom been in a room where there was so much love. They played a good long second set (well over an hour), ending with the Bob Marley classic "Three Little Birds." All told, this was one of the most memorable concerts I've attended in a long time.