Jon Fishman Reunites Pork Tornado and Jazz Mandolin Project at Nectar’s Tribute to Sergei Ushakov
Photo Credit: Bill Kelly
In January, the Burlington, Vt. music scene and broader jam community lost an esteemed participant and lifetime advocate with the passing of Sergei Ushakov. Ushakov was a familiar face among Burlington artists and concertgoers, best known for his tremendous efforts as the sound engineer for legendary jam haven Nectar’s for more than 30 years. Last Saturday, Feb. 15, the famed venue honored Ushakov with “Celebrating Sergei: An Analog Outpouring,” a free concert headlined by none other than Jon Fishman.
Fishman performed throughout the 11-hour tribute show, lending his jam talents and prestige to three distinct performances. The iconic Phish drummer first set into the show as part of the all-star Analog Superjam, which also featured hometown heroes like Dave Grippo, Jake Whitesell, Seth Yacovone, Nico D’Elisa, Jack Vignette and Ryan Clausen. In rotation, the ensemble delivered fan favorite covers like “Spanish Moon,” “Call Me the Breeze,” “Peaches en Regalia,” “Cosmik Debris” and “Back in the U.S.S.R.,” with Fishman remaining onstage through the set.
Fishman returned for a shocking revival of Jazz Mandolin Project, a side touring outfit for the drummer that dates back to 1998. The JMP joined forces for the first time since 2010, banding together Fishman, Jamie Masefield and Chris Dahlgren for treatments of originals like “The Phonecians,” “Bromeliad” and “Oh Yeah!” alongside eclectic covers like Miles Davis’ “Miletones” and Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs.”
Fishman’s third act was a reunion of Pork Tornado, another fondly recalled side outfit of another era. Founded in 1995, Pork Tornado saw their heyday during Phish’s first hiatus, when they issued their one and only studio recording in the form of a 2002 self-titled album. In these peak years, the band was a touring force and memorably welcomed veteran engineer Ushakov to lead sound on their live circuits. Pork Tornado’s revival at Nectar’s was their seventh since formally disbanding in 2002 and figured Fishman alongside keyboardist Ray Paczkowski and guitarist Rob Compa with saxophone from Grippo on “Going Down” and “Move with You.”
In all, the “Celebrating Sergei” event was a tremendous tribute reflecting the music professional’s impressive life and career and indelible imprint on the Burlington music community. Find setlists from the show at phish.net/setlists/fish/ and an obituary to the departed Nectar’s engineer here.
