Under the stars, with guitars, guitars guitars…
Acoustic or electric; six or twelve strings, nylon or wire, strummed or picked, the Greek had it for you Saturday night.
Opening up the evening was Canadian guitarist Galen Weston delivering material from his guitar wizard debut album Plugged In. He teamed with fellow Canadian Richard Underhill/as and he made the team completely international with a rhythm section of Cuban drummer Michel Medrano Brindis and Prague bassist Lukas Kytnar.
Switching between Gibsons and Fenders, Weston delivered a delicate balance between 70s rocking soul and contemporary jazz. Exemplified by the funky “Wes-tone Funk” and rocking “Bensonite” Weston was able to tap into his inner Jeff Beck and Jimi Hendrix and make it coalesce with Underhill’s Sanborn-inspired alto while the rhythm team supplied the backbeat and propulsion.
The tasty ballad “Song for Daphne” contrasted Weston’s clear tone with Underhill’s passionate lyricism, while the airy “May 5th” had Kytnar’s bass coalesce with the alto for an alluring lilt. The closing “Funk Opus #2” mixed Weston’s dramatic solos with jazzy sax which, as PT Barnham famously said, left the crowd wanting more.
In case you were in Glendale and wondered where all of the Armenians were Saturday night, rest assured they were all safe and sound in the audience along with the Greeks, Latinos and others with a Mediterranean heart to cheer and dance to the Gipsy Kings.
And the Gipsy Kings give reason for the affections and devotion. Opening the show with an intimate trio format with gentle support from the cajon, Nicolas Reyes and Tonino Baliardo created an intimate campfire atmosphere on the folksy “Simplente.” The gentle strums and passionate vocals still resonate to the heart and is able to reach the wandering soul in all of us.
After that, the entire caravan came on stage, making for six, count ‘em, six guitars, along with drums, keyboards and percussion. The stampeding excitement of pieces such as “Llevame Compass” and the avalanche of “Mem Bem Maria” mixed the intoxicating strumming and tapping of the guitars with relentless rhythms.
The band is able to create a suave rumbling during the celebratory “Samba Samba,” yet can also switch gears to create a soft summer mood as Tonino serenaded the audience with a glowing “La Montana”. With a voice that sounds like a farm hand with blisters on his hands, he is able to show the dirt under his fingernails on the earthy “Ladona” or cry out like Brando’s “Stella” on the yearning “Jobi Joba.”
As for Nicolas Reyes, he was the essence of six stringed Andalusian romance, whether he strummed through the plaza on the luscious “Pharaon” or performing grandiose strums and multi-note runs akin to a table dancer on the infectious “Palmero.”
By the time the band closed with the dramatic “Bamboleo” and encored with the stomping “Vamos A Bailar” and anthematic “Volare,” the Greek Theatre had turned into a burning gypsy campfire that celebrated life and life with the guitar.
Upcoming shows sponsored by Nederlander include Gregory Porter Oct 6, Yusef-Cat Stevens Oct 6-7, Willie Nelson Oct 18, Norah Jones Oct 25 and Ringo Star Nov 11.