by Tom Baldino
Band leader and trumpet player Emmanuel Ohemeng III, aka EKO III, certainly got it right when he formed Perpetual Motion a decade ago. This five piece high energy band out of Philadelphia raised the roof of the Chubby Pickle Saturday night with an infectious blend of jazz, fusion, funk, rap and soul which was thoroughly appreciated by those on hand. The current lineup, which has been together about six years, also included Dwayne Williams Jr. on baritone sax, William McDonnel on keys, Christian Hencek on six string bass, and Jeremy “A Love” Reynolds on drums. Each brought their unique skills to form a sound that was definitely “not your father’s jazz!”
The night began with their song “People Make the World go Round,” which included some soaring horn solos by EKO III and Dwayne over a solid beat, with Christian’s six string bass nailing it all down. It was followed by a new song, “Midnight Lotus,” with the introduction of some dreamy keys by William leading into an up-tempo arrangement that was highlighted by “A Love’s” intense drum fills. The song “Venus Flytrap,” was the bands reimaging of Freddie Hubbard’s tune “Little Sunflower,” giving that nearly sixty-year-old piece a terrific, almost fusion like makeover. The original, “Viva La Esperanza,” was led by EKO III’’s hand claps, which got the crowd involved, and the band sustained this high energy number with a funky beat, and included a brief rap by Emmanuel. The set ended with a version of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” which ramped up the intensity and got a positive reaction from those on hand.
Between sets the affable Emmanuel worked the room, talking to people at the tables, thanking them for coming out and letting them know that the music was available on many streaming platforms. The second set kicked off with their song, “Tomorrow Wasn’t Meant for You,” which opened with a funky organ riff that led into some great horn solos. It was followed by an exceptional instrumental version of Erykah Badu’s “On & On,” that was highlighted by some beautiful interplay by the horns, over a sultry beat. The song “On My Mind,” from their debut album “Eclipse,” slowed things down, with EKO III’s well placed trumpet solo. It was followed by a song written by Christian, “In the Pocket,” which began with his lively bass intro, then adding keys, a sharp drum beat, and finally the horns joining in, it included funky bass and keyboard duet. The closer, “Golden,” was a nice mid-tempo number which featured keys and horn solos, with some more rapping by EKO III.
The last set opened with the song “Amy,” which EKO III dedicated to a very important figure in his life, his grandmother. It began with a heartfelt trumpet solo, and you could feel the emotion in his playing. Another original, “We’re Like That,” had EKO III rapping over a great funky sax, that propelled the song. “Crowd Control,” was a call and response number that had the full participation of the room, chanting “crowd control,” in response to EKO III’s shout out of the same. After a short reprise of “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” the band tore into the song “Vermillion,” and finished with a rousing version of Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition,” which included an ending that incorporated BellBiv DeVoe’s “Poison,” with that signature drum beat, and the refrain, “the girl is poison”. It was a great finishing mashup to powerhouse night of music that was unlike anything the room had seen or heard before.