Some Worldly Jamming From Planet Drum

It was neither the Grateful Dead nor the Other Ones on stage at the House of Blues on Sunday. But all it took was the presence of drummer Mickey Hart, performing with his stirring Planet Drum ensemble, to revive some of the Deadhead ambience.

Given the nature of the music, it wasn’t surprising that the dense crowd in front of the stage began to sway and dance long before the first piece had ended. Because in many respects, the sound of the percussion-heavy group was strongly reminiscent of the Dead’s famous free-floating drum jams.

And it was in those passages, when percussion sounds were whipping freely and energetically around the stage, tossed from one drummer to another, that Planet Drum was most appealing. Uncolored by any other-cultural pretensions, it was plain, move-your-body, enjoy-the-vibe music.

Hart and his ensemble were less compelling with pieces that took on the guise of music from such cultures as Africa, the Middle East and South America. Not because the pieces weren’t played well, but because despite the surface accuracy, they lacked depth and content, coming across for the most part as exotic simulations.

Give Hart credit for the enormous amount of valuable work he has done to preserve and advance awareness of music from other cultures. But Planet Drum was at its best when it remained close to the music from its own part of the globe.