Coolmixes

"Eclectic" is a description that's been overused to the point of cliché, but it certainly applies to Traffic, whose 1994 U.S. Tour is documented in The Last Great Traffic Jam. Here was a band, formed in the late '60s, who played psychedelic rock, melodic pop, and traditional folk, with occasional dashes of jazz and world music added to the mix, fronted by Steve Winwood, a preternaturally gifted musician whose inspired soul and R&B vocals earned him comparisons with Ray Charles. Co-founder Chris Wood died in 1983, but in his absence, Winwood and fellow original member Jim Capaldi (drums, vocals) put together a fine touring band, with Randall Bramblett (woodwinds, keyboards) a capable replacement for Wood and Rosko Gee (bass), Walfredo Reyes Jr. (drums, percussion), and Jim McEvoy (keyboards, guitar) filling out the lineup. Traffic lovers may be disappointed that the likes of "Paper Sun" and "Feelin' Alright" aren't on the set list, but the band's inspired versions of other classics, especially "40,000 Headmen," "John Barleycorn," "Glad," "The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys," and "Gimme Some Lovin'" (Winwood's hit with the Spencer Davis Group), reveal just how good this band was. The DVD (which included a bonus CD with three informal studio recordings) isn't perfect; there are too many distracting film effects for this reviewer's taste, and Jerry Garcia's guest appearance on "Dear Mr. Fantasy" is painful, as the Grateful Dead guitarist plays tentatively and looks generally lost and Brian Wilson-esque onstage (Garcia died the following year). Still, despite Winwood's various other incarnations (with Davis, with Blind Faith, and as a solo artist), his stint with Traffic yielded the best music of his career, and The Last Great Traffic Jam--which really is "the last," as Capaldi is now dead as well--is a must-have for the group's fans. --Sam Graham

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