Remember concerts? They’re slowly coming back.
Keyboardist and vocalist Rique Pantoja brings his band of Steve Tavaglione/sax-fl, Jimmy Earl/b, Joel Taylor/dr, Ricardo Silveira/g and Cassio Duarte/perc for a gig at LA’s Gallery Theater. The band veers toward some soul stirrings with Tabaglione’s tenor on “Pra Lili” as well as some tasty salsa with guitar lines by Silveria on the hip “Que Loucura”. Pantajoa’s piano and Tavaglione’s flute charm on “Da Baiana” and there are world sounds carried out by Earl’s bass on the upbeat “ 1000 Watts”, with pretty and sweet directions on “Arpoador”. Easy on the ears and fun for the feet.
Vocalist Angela O’Neill got creative with her band of Sam Morgan/ts, Ron Cyger/wwinds, Rich Walker/bs-fl, Paul Litteral/tp-fh, Harry Smallenburg/tb, Rocky Davis/p, Bill Bodine/eb, Tony Pia/dr and guest singers Al Timss, Jackie Gibson and Bill A. Jones, by delivering a concert in a back yard. Go ahead, call the cops! Jones taps into his inner Rat Pack for “On A Clear Day” , and Gibson is suave and luminous on “It Might As Well Be Spring”. Bodine delivers a hip bass line for a deep dig of the instrumental “Now And Again” and Timms sounds like he’s in a shark skin suit for “I’m Gonna Live Till I Die”. O’Neill shouts out “Hallelujah I Love Him So” and glistens for “When The Sun Comes Out”. The horns keep it all nice and swampy, particularly on blue “Cry Me A River”. Hey, don’t let that tray get by me!