Daily Arts Writer

In 1971, the Allman Brothers Band produced what is, to this day, their definitive recording. Taken from a series of shows at a small New York City rock club, Live at Fillmore East stands as one of the best rock albums ever made.

Now the Allmans, nearly 30 years later, release a new recording from another New York venue, this time the Beacon Theater, home to an annual three-week run by the band.

Peakin' at the Beacon, packed with older tunes the band brought back for this year's tour, weaves expertly through percussion-driven grooves to soaring guitar solos.

Every live Allmans disc has at least one gem. An Evening with the Allman Brothers has "Blue Sky." On 2nd Set, it was an acoustic version of "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed." On this album, it's another instrumental: "High Falls." The 27-minute rendition includes a percussion section solo that has been the highlight of recent Allmans shows, guitar solos from Dickey Betts and Derek Trucks and a bass solo/scat performance from bassist Oteil Burbidge. It encapsulates the 31-year old band in less than a half hour. It makes this album worthy of your money on its own. But it's not alone.

A clearly funk/jazz influence brought to the band by Trucks and Burbidge shines through on "Stand Back" and "Leave My Blues at Home."

Above all, this album offers material you can't get anywhere else and shows the band, through all its changes, can still play a great show.

There's no way this album will replace Live at the Fillmore East - but it's an excellent addition to an impressive array of live recordings from the Allmans.

Grade: A-