Richard Thompson times 3 on Cayamo

Richard Thompson on Cayamo

Richard Thompson was a solo artist on Cayamo this week. And a member of a duo.  And a member of  a trio.

And it was all good.

Thompson  teamed with Loudon Wainwright for a reprise of Loud and Rich, playing a few originals, but largely covers of songs ranging from Bob Dylan to Charlie Poole.

He also played two sets with power trio bandmates Taras Prodaniuk and Michael Jerome. He described  the trio as a combination of Cream and the Kingston Trio (and alternately the Jim Hendrix Experience and Peter, Paul and Mary) and played a truncated version of “Tom Dooley” to the melody of “Sunshine of Your Love.” The Cream reference was apt. The trio reminded us just how potent guitar, bass and drums can be.

But it’s probably not a surprise that the very best Richard Thompson show was his solo acoustic set. Favorites like “I Misunderstood” and “1952 Vincent Black Lightning” were complemented by the hard-rocking “Valerie” and a fun cover of the Who’s “Legal Matter.”