After more than two decades of hardcore punk with intelligent messages, the boys in Bane are finally hanging it up. Originally intended to only be a side project for Converge’s Aaron Dalbec in 1994, the band quickly gained a life of its own, earning love and respect from fans and fellow musicians alike. While never quite being a “straight edge” band, Bane has never been one to cower away from a message of sober positivity while keeping their tough as $#!% attitude. Anyone who was a teenager in the 1980s and 1990s will be there, but even for those who never got into punk, this is one show that will leave everyone asking, “Can we start again? Go back to what it meant back then?” MAT WEIR INFO: 8:30 p.m. Catalyst Club, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $18/adv, $20/door. 429-4315.
FRIDAY 4/8
HARD ROCK
THE DARKNESS
The U.K.’s the Darkness were a surprising hit in 2003 with five hit singles off their debut record, most notably the hard-rocking earworm “I Believe in a Thing Called Love.” The band rode a weird line of homage and ’70s rock parody. They had all the ingredients: the sweet licks, feathered hair, flamboyant clothes, and operatic falsetto. They’re not quite the hitmakers they were 13 years ago, but their newest album is packed with just as much power-rocking riffage, and singer Justin Hawkins belts out all of those unbelievably high notes that old-school Darkness fans will be sure to love. AARON CARNES INFO: 9 p.m. Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $25/adv, $30/door, 429-4135.
AFRO-LATIN FUNK
JUNGLE FIRE
The loose, genre-tinkering grooves that define the 11-piece Jungle Fire really begins to make sense once you learn that the L.A.-based group started out as a single jam session in 2011. They’ve kept that feel alive five years later, and produce some of the most innovative, infectious, high-energy dance music going. It’s got elements of funk, Latin, African, hip-hop, and soul, but doesn’t focus too much on any one style. It’s highly percussive (they have five percussionists) and horn-driven (four horn players!) and are currently signed to Nacional—arguably the hippest, most cutting-edge Latin music record label around. Jungle Fire should please anyone itching to dance to some fresh beats. AC INFO: 9 p.m. Moe’s Alley, 1535 Commercial Way, Santa Cruz. $9/adv, $12/door. 479-1854.
SATURDAY 4/9
ROCK/TRIBUTE
HOUSE OF FLOYD
For years, House of Floyd has been the Bay Area’s premiere Pink Floyd tribute band, covering their namesake’s entire discography from the early Syd Barrett years through Division Bell. Unlike other Pink cover bands, House of Floyd not only carries the sound, but also the style and atmosphere of the original, evolving long jams and spaced-out silences to their trippiest completion. MW INFO: 8 p.m. Rio Theatre, 1205 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $25/gen, $40/gold. 423-8209.
INDIE
FEED ME JACK
Mixing complex technical chops and catchy melodies is a delicate balancing act, one that Oakland’s Feed Me Jack has gotten quite skilled at. The five-piece formed here in Santa Cruz in 2011, and since relocating has earned an even bigger audience. Their latest CD, Ultra Ego, is a superbly produced collection of songs that uses jazz as the glue that connects their math-rock and indie-pop leanings. The blend creates a lot of haunting and gorgeous sections—they never stick around on any one for too long, but still keep the songs progressing in a logical and emotionally satisfying manor. AC INFO: 9 p.m. Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz. $8. 429-6994.
SUNDAY 4/10
TRIBUTE
LYNETTE SKYNYRD
Hailed as the world’s only all-female Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute band, Lynette Skynyrd may be one of the few bands that doesn’t mind requests for “Freebird” hollered out during their shows. But this Southern California-based outfit stomps on the notion of being just another tribute band, with blistering performances driven by the ace musicians and a return to the epic nature of ’70s rock concerts. Described by one reviewer as “badass rockchick authority that stands the test of time,” Lynette Skynyrd drags the spirit and power of rock ’n’ roll back to its rightful place: the stage. CJ INFO: 2 p.m. Don Quixote’s, 6275 Hwy. 9, Felton. $10/adv, $12/door. 335-2800.
FINGERSTYLE GUITAR
RICHARD SMITH
A National Fingerstyle Champion, British guitarist Richard Smith was just 5 years old when he first picked up the guitar, and he’s been at it ever since. Playing in the country swing and acoustic fingerpicking styles made popular by Chet Atkins, Merle Travis and Jerry Reed, Smith has, in the eyes of at least one of his influences, eclipsed his teachers. As Atkins said, Smith is “[t]he most amazing guy I know on the guitar. He can play anything I know, only better.” On Sunday, Smith brings his guitar wizardry to Felton. CJ INFO: 7 p.m. Don Quixote’s, 6275 Hwy. 9, Felton. $15. 335-2800.
IN THE QUEUE
BOLIVIA CLÁSICA
World-renowned classical pianist Ana-Maria Vera and friends. Wednesday at Kuumbwa
MAKING MOVES
Psychedelic/Afro/Cumbia/Rock out of Santiago, Panama by way of Kansas City. Thursday at Moe’s Alley
MILITIA OF LOVE
Veteran reggae group from Monterey County. Thursday at Don Quixote’s
BROTHERS COMATOSE
Americana back-to-back with Painted Horses and the McCoy Tyler Band. Thursday and Friday at Crepe Place
UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA
Celebrated group comprising American and New Zealand pop-rockers. Tuesday at Cocoanut Grove
Stephane Wrembel plays Kuumbwa jazz on Apr 21 A French-born gypsy jazz guitarist, Stephane Wrembel is a standout in the contemporary jazz scene, with his brilliant musicianship and lively, soulful style. Well-known among gypsy jazz enthusiasts, Wrembel is a veteran of the spotlight, including a performance at the 2012 Academy Awards and work on the scores for the Woody Allen films Midnight In Paris and Vicky Cristina Barcelona. A student of tradition, Wrembel also thrives on moving sounds and styles forward and is influenced by world music of all styles.
INFO: 7 p.m. Thursday, April 21. Kuumbwa Jazz, 320-2 Cedar St., Santa Cruz. $22/adv, $27/door. 427-2227. WANT TO GO? Go to santacruz.com/giveaways before 11 a.m. on Friday, April 8 to find out how you could win a pair of tickets to the show.
Steve Palazzo plays at Don Quixote’s on Apr 10
Steve Palazzo has been involved with music his entire life.
A couple of decades ago he was making instruments. And since the early ’90s, he’s been a full-time guitar teacher. However, a lot of folks might know Palazzo for the bluegrass band Homefire, which was together for a quarter-century before calling it quits just a few years ago. That hasn’t stopped Palazzo from playing music. Now he plays shows under his own name, drawing from similar roots music influences but with a more intimate feel. “Part of it was I wanted to do some different stuff besides straight-ahead traditional bluegrass. I wanted to do smaller ensemble stuff,” Palazzo says. “It’s been fun working on these tunes with a smaller group. There’s certain things we couldn’t do with a bigger ensemble. We put a little more emphasis on the vocals.” There’s also an album in the works, one that Palazzo has been working on for the better part of a year. Part of the reason it’s taken so long is that he’s been bringing in different local and touring musician friends to record on various tracks. He’s hoping to have his solo record out this spring, and believes Americana music lovers will truly appreciate it. “I’m attracted to those roots styles. There’s traditional fiddle tunes, one track is a Johnny Cash tune, but we arranged it with fiddle and mandolin, and two guitars. It’s traditional stuff,” Palazzo says. “I’ve played this music long enough where my versions of these tunes are never exactly like anybody else’s at this point. There’s some straight-ahead bluegrass, but then there’s just some fingerpicking stuff.”
INFO: 7 p.m. Sunday, April 10. Don Quixote’s, 6275 Hwy. 9, Felton. $15. 335-2800
In the dance world, the Jabbawockeez are iconic: the men in the white masks who revolutionized hip-hop. They made performance about the body, about the beauty of the whole, and about the power of one small isolated movement that, when it ripples through an entire migrating bird formation, knocks the breath right out of you. “If you ask any mainstream choreographers under the age of 35, the Jabbawockeez were a huge influence to all of them,” says Pacific Arts Complex (PAC) co-founder David Bortnick. “One of the members, Jeff ‘Phi’ Nguyen, said they can ‘kill it without killing it,’ meaning you can be really soft and together and that synchronization takes the place of the power of the move.” Their name is synonymous with a kind of egalitarian hip-hop that negated the need for a “lead dancer” and elevated the art form to new heights. What most people don’t know, even locally, is that at the core of the Jabbawockeez revolution was a Santa Cruz dance legend, the late Gary Kendell. “Gary Kendell is who I would credit with bringing real street dance, hip-hop and hip-hop culture into Santa Cruz, into the studio and onto the stage scene,” says Carmela Woll, a local employment law attorney who co-founded the dance studio Motion Pacific in 1998. “I won’t say no one else came to Santa Cruz and did hip-hop, but he seeded a generation of kids who grew up to be teachers and performers.” He was magnetic, says Woll. Kendell, known as “Gee” to his students, was raised in Seaside, and at the time he led Santa Cruz’s small but powerful hip-hop scene, says Woll. It was around 1990, when Woll was a math teacher at Santa Cruz High School with no formal dance training, that she took one of Kendell’s dance classes at the local studio All the Right Moves. “He was hip-hop, one hundred percent,” Woll remembers, adding that he was born to an African-American father and Korean mother. “It wasn’t something he put on for class, it was how he dressed, the music he listened to, the people he hung out with, it was the whole culture. It wasn’t just a dance form.” When All the Right Moves closed, Woll and a handful of Kendell’s other dedicated followers decided a space was needed to continue his work. Woll left her teaching job to become Motion Pacific’s director, opening the studio with fellow dancers Greg Favor andMolly Heaster. Kendell began teaching at Motion Pacific, amassing a following and cultivating new talent while he continued to perform around the Bay Area. In the early 2000s, Kendell and Randy Bernal, who were a part of the San Jose group MindTricks, joined forces with the Sacramento trio Three Musky (who performed with the trademark white masks and gloves). In 2003, what started out as an attempt to form a San Diego-based chapter, turned into the Jabbawockeez. Kendell died at the age of 37 in December 2007. In March 2008, the Jabbawockeez won the $100,000 grand prize on the MTV show, “America’s Best Dance Crew” with six members instead of the intended seven. “From my perspective the scene really deflated,” says Woll, of how the Santa Cruz hip-hop dance culture changed after Kendell died. There are plenty of classes for kids, she says, and people like Harold McCord and Bortnick are inspiring young dancers today, but it’s sparser for adults. “Even those he taught as kids who’ve gone on to teach—and I’m so grateful that they’re keeping it alive and teaching what they learned—but to me, he was the heart and soul of hip-hop dance in this community,” Woll says. “I’m obviously biased, people might debate with me.”
Living the Legacy
There’s a moment in their dance piece when the UCSC competitive hip-hop dance team Haluan drops into a V-formation: the outside line sinks to a crouch, the inside group stays upright. They bend in the knees, shoulders follow their heads to the left, with their right arms straight in front of them, ridin’. This is the moment when you see the music, it’s the moment you see the power of the whole and how innovators like Kendell made this kind of dance possible. The kind of hip-hop network that thrived here during Kendell’s day doesn’t exist anymore. That’s why Haluan’s members are rehearsing at midday on the top floor of the only real parking structure on campus, in preparation for the En Route Urban Dance Showcase on April 30. Sweating in the first sunlight of spring, and with all 40-something bodies moving in unison to 50 Cent’s “Disco Inferno,” it’s a fierce kind of energy. Lauren Korth rehearsing with UCSC’s Haluan Hip-Hop Dance Troupe, which hosts the En Route Urban Dance Showcase. PHOTO: KEANA PARKER That kind of energy is a crucial ingredient to creating your own hip-hop showcase, especially in a town where the enthusiasm has dwindled, says Ray Chung, one of En Route’s first coordinators. “We wanted to connect Haluan and the larger Santa Cruz community and the rest of the Bay Area, hopefully, even the rest of California,” says Chung, who has since graduated and now unofficially helps from the sidelines. “We wanted it in town so that outside communities could see what’s happening here.” Showcasing 16 groups from up and down the Golden State’s coast—some collegiate, some medleys of teenagers and adults—strutting their finest moves, En Route returns to Santa Cruz on April 30 for its second coming. It was an effort of labor and love, says Lauren Korth, 21, a senior at UCSC and a Haluan director, and although the dance team operates under the umbrella of the Filipino Student Association, it requires not only self-motivation, but also a lot of self-funding. “Something that people don’t always realize is that people are paying to perform for you,” says Korth. “There are very few ways that dancers make money now unless you’re in a professional ballet company or want to do it commercially in Los Angeles, or by chance are good enough to be in Jabbawockeez and win ‘America’s Best Dance Crew.’” Haluan creates choreography as a collective, with all of its members pitching moves that may or may not make it into the final piece. It’s fitting, says Korth, because Haluan translates into “mixed” in Tagalog, and every dancer brings a little of their own flavor to the final production. “It’s just passion and drive to be better dancers and make your dance group better, being the best you can—there’s nothing else behind it,” Korth says. “We do it because we love it and we want to put on a good show.” Being geographically cut off from the Bay Area makes it difficult to connect to the thriving scene over the hill, says Chung. Granted, Santa Cruz is not exactly an urban hub. With the African American population at barely above one percent, it’s no wonder that a dance form that historically came out of black urban street culture didn’t have the cultural clout to establish itself in a sleepy beach town. It’s something that Bortnick, whose advanced hip-hop team, Kinetik, will perform at En Route, felt first-hand when he performed with Kendell. Bortnick was 8 years old when Kendell did a lunchtime show in the cafeteria of Branciforte Elementary School. Kendell took Bortnick on as a mentee and toured with him and another student. “I was the only white person in the room in a huge majority of the classes I took—not in Santa Cruz, but when I would follow Gary around the Bay. For a long time, the Asian presence was underrepresented in the media, but they were a huge driving force in hip-hop in the Bay,” says Bortnick of the period when he’d perform with Kendell as a child in the ’90s. “But what was really awesome is that [ethnicity] really doesn’t matter. If you have it, you have it. Your dancing is going to speak louder volumes about your authenticity than your race or your socioeconomic background. It’s one of the things that I love most of the hip-hop culture. Your image as a dancer is so much less important than your ability. Ability just reigns supreme.”
Sound and Vision
“Randy Bernal, one of the founding members of the Jabbawockeez said, ‘Be the music, so I can see the music,’” remembers Bortnick, who also puts on the Gee Fam Dance Convention every summer in honor of Kendell. Hip-hop in the early ’90s was an altogether different art form from what it is now, says Bortnick, who toured with Kendell in his early 20s with a patchwork of dancers who would later form the Jabbawockeez. “At the time there was a tendency to not ignore the music, but to ignore the subtleties in the music—so the music might go boom, boom, kah, but the choreography would go boom, boom, boom—it would be on beat, but not exactly match,” Bortnick says. The late Gary Kendell inspired a generation of local dancers and was one of the founding members of the iconic Jabbawockeez hip-hop crew. PHOTO: COURTESY OF CARMELA WOLL “[Kendell] was a breaker, and he had tricks, but what he was really known for was the ability to make you see the music in visuals,” says Bortnick.“You listen to this music and you would hear it once but you would never hear the little cowbell in the background, but then you’d see the dance to it and he would accent it and you would see the things you’d never heard.” Bortnick doesn’t claim that Kendell was necessarily the only one doing that kind of movement, because hip-hop was destined to go in that direction. But at the time, he says, it was mind-blowing. Those kind of small, subtle isolations of the body gave rise to a new kind of competition style, one focused on musicality and nuance rather than keeping things at a maximum energy level throughout an entire performance, says Haluan’s Korth. Korth grew up doing competition dance in various genres, where the goal was ultimately to make it to Los Angeles. She says that since she competed as a child and teenager, hip-hop has moved away from the individual to the group. “It’s less about how much fun you look like you’re having, and more about the movement itself,” Korth says. There’s been a rapid transformation over the past decade, Korth and Bortnick agree. Groups like Haluan aren’t competing to be on MTV, says Korth—although Justin Bieber featuring YouTube breakouts Keone and Mariel Madrid in his music videos was a huge thing for the community—in general, they just want to be YouTube famous. “YouTube is a game changer because someone can put something that is really emotional and raw and it’ll get 20 million views and suddenly it’s not a fringe thing anymore,” says Bortnick. “When I was growing up, you compared your crew to the crew down the street or the studio down the road. Now everybody is compared to the best dancers in the world because it’s all at the tip of your fingers and that can be really, really hard.”
Getting Schooled
It’s the rapid dissemination that has new styles popping up almost every day and academia hasn’t caught up. “I dont think there’s a rubric for it,” says Micha Hogan, 27, who was born and raised in Santa Cruz and remembers the days of local hip-hop troupes like BoomSquad in the early 2000s. “There are styles to teach, but with ballet it’s a style and there are critiques and techniques that have been handed down for hundreds of years since it started. If you want to do hip-hop, it’s now in gyms.” Hogan went all over to pursue a dance education, including to Columbia College in Chicago, but no matter where he went, he would only see hip-hop outside of the curriculum—unless it was a “dance appreciation” day in class, he says. Hogan is now a dance teacher at PAC and Motion Pacific, but like Bortnick he didn’t finish school because it just didn’t make sense to. “One of theproblems is that there is a lack of affluent, well-educated degreed people in the [hip-hop] community. And you can’t teach at a college unless you have a master’s or a Ph.D. You’re really not going to find a hip-hop choreographer with a Ph.D.,” says Bortnick. “There’s no justification for spending all that money, be spat out of school, and be behind all the people who didn’t go to school and spent all that time auditioning.” It’s weirder still, because hip-hop is everywhere, says Hogan: “Hip-hop is pop culture.” “Everyone wants to learn hip-hop, few people are like ‘I want to be a ballerina for the clubs, I want to go to clubs in San Francisco and kick people in the face!’ What do you do at the club? Hip-hop,” says Hogan. It’s the perfect time, then, says Bortnick, for an event like En Route to bring Santa Cruz back to its roots. “Hip-hop classes on college campuses now leave much to be desired, but hip-hop crews on campuses, like Haluan, are flourishing. They’re phenomenal,” he says. “It’s something that Santa Cruz really needs right now.” Hip-hop is chipping away at the walls of academia, says Hogan, and it’ll get there because at its core, it’s a dance form that allows redefinition. “It’s body rolls, it’s isolations, it’s hip movements. When you’re by yourself and you’re grooving, you’re moving to the beat—that can be classified as hip-hop,” says Hogan. ‘It’s hard, it’s edgy, it’s emotionally driven. Hip-hop is embedded in you, it’s an attitude, it’s a style, it’s a sense of being.”
En Route From All Over
Hosted by UCSC’s Haluan Hip-Hop Dance Troupe, the second annual En Route Urban Dance Showcase will feature performances by: Barkada Modern (West Covina), Boogie Monstarz (Sacramento), Choreo Supremacy (Salinas), Dynamic Street Rockers (Watsonville), Haluan Hip-Hop Dance Troupe (Santa Cruz), Homebound (Merced), INSA Dance (Irvine), Kinetik Crew (Santa Cruz), Lsf LiveSan Francisco (San Francisco), Main Stacks (Berkeley), Mobility Dance Crew (Davis), reDEFINE (Union City), Str8jacket (San Mateo), Squadratic Formula (Bay Area) Team Velociraptors (Berkeley), the PROJECT co. (Sacramento), Wild Ones Dance Co. (Los Angeles)
It was a terrific 10-year alliance between Love Apple Farm and Manresa Restaurant, but now lycopene queen Cynthia Sandberg and three-star Michelin chef David Kinch have “mutually decided to end a very long relationship,” Sandberg told me last week. During their time together, the duo inspired countless farm/restaurant collaborations—one of the best, and most delicious artisanal examples of “going viral.” But now Sandberg is having a great time re-inventing herself. It seems to happen every 10 years, she confesses. “First I was a purchasing manager in Silicon Valley, then a trial attorney, then a farmer for a Michelin restaurant, now an educator and organizer for tomato freaks worldwide,” she says. Yes, Sandberg is taking Love Apple in new, global directions. “We’ll continue our tomato plant sale, making it even bigger and better. I’m proud to say that it’s the largest tomato plant sale in California. We will also continue our full roster of expanded gardening classes,” she says. “And I’ve started a venture focusing on all things tomato,” Sandberg reveals. “It’s called the World Tomato Society, and basically it’s a global organization that celebrates the world’s most popular fruit. I will be growing lots of tomato plants here at Love Apple in order to focus on seed-saving, trialing new tomato varieties, and preserving old heirloom varieties of tomatoes.” Sounds luscious. Sandberg, ace grower and tomatoista anticipates “a fabulous year of change” for herself, both personally and professionally. We’ll be watching to check out Sandberg’s next move. And wishing her the best of luck! Check worldtomatosociety.com for the juicy details.
Speaking of Tomatoes
We are addicted to tomato chutney. Seriously. We go through about a jar a week of the sensational and sweet/tart Tomato Chutney from Sukhi’s Gourmet Indian Foods (available for around $5 at New Leaf, Shopper’s Corner, etc.) Maybe the secret involves the way the raisins and wild onion seeds work with the tomatoes, sugar and vinegar. The flavors go brilliantly with many foods. We’ve slathered it on omelets, whisked it into vinaigrettes for green salads (it loves arugula), and recently discovered how useful it can be in recreating a mini-holiday dinner. You’ve got bread, mayo and sliced turkey, right? Now add a layer of tomato chutney to that sandwich and close your eyes. Thanksgiving dinner, only spicier. Get some.
Almost Here
That would be the incredible expanding Lillian’s Italian Kitchen, still putting the finishing touches on its updated corner of Seabright and Soquel. Housed in the historic Ebert’s building, complete with the signature art deco clock, Lillian’s is being detailed as we speak. Keep your appetite revved up for a May opening. Also being fine-tuned is the new Westside Verve. Joined at the hip with Bantam at 1010 Fair Ave., the newest Verve has a smart little front patio all set to host caffeine lovers. Soon.
Wine of the Week
Byington Alliage 2012 is one of those welcoming red Bordeaux blends that makes friends with almost everything. The handsome blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc offers feisty tannins upon first opening, but by the second day has softened into a procession of satiny flavors. Blackberries give way to cassis and hints of iron. We enjoyed it across two evenings, with spicy foods and with grilled pork. Elegant without being pretentious, this creation of 14.1 percent alcohol errs on the side of perfection. Easy to like, again and again. $32, at the Capitola Whole Foods. And online of course.
Crab Alert
There’s Dungeness crab now coming in at Ocean2Table. The guys from the sustainable seafood fishery are offering delivered shares of local Dungeness crab. Ian and Charlie deliver their fresh catches at locations near you. Check the Ocean2table Facebook page for information about prices and deliveries. Nothing beats fresh.
Have you ever discovered a deal that was so good you felt sure that someone must have made a mistake? In these circumstances, you might feel a responsibility to bring the presumed error to the seller’s attention. Or, you may not be able to resist pouncing before anyone notices, and later whisper of your spoils to your friends. I’m sure that this is what has happened with the “Morsels” menu offered by the Kitchen at Discretion Brewing. These little tapas are the perfect accompaniments to any of Discretion’s tasty organic brews and will set you back only $5. Five dollars! Case in point: the chorizo plate. I’ve ordered this scrumptious treat at least a dozen times, and still can’t help incredulously double-checking the bill. And not just because it’s inexpensive—because it’s special. First, the plating is so pretty I almost have to work up the courage to eat it. A glistening pile of seared chorizo, a rainbow of pickles and a generous smear of Dijon mustard arrive dusted with a sprinkle of lively microgreens, laid across a wooden board like an artist’s palate. A teetering tower of seeded crostini stands balanced in one corner. Digging in, the chorizo is smoky with paprika. Its fatty savoriness begs to be dragged through the spicy mustard. Each of the three pickles is distinct and colorful, with bright and flavorful acidity. Paper-thin slices of chartreuse cucumber and fuchsia slivers of onion pickled with fresh thyme lie next to crunchy daikon radish, sunny yellow with turmeric and ginger. I take my time balancing the different components, combining them as I please, alternating bites of this delightful treat with sips of one of my favorite Discretion beers, Oh Black Lager. In case you had any doubts, the marriage of sausage and beer is still going strong. The schwarzbier is refreshing, dark and roasty, with a touch of malty sweetness and enough body to stand up to the assertive flavors. There’s easily enough to share with a couple of friends, but if I’m feeling decadent I won’t think twice about keeping it all to myself—unlike this secret.
Omar Sosa was born in Camagüey, Cuba in 1965 and began a relationship with rhythm at an early age. At 8, he began studying percussion and marimba, and later focused on piano at the Escuela Nacional de Música. He now performs worldwide—often 100 concerts a year—and is playing at Kuumbwa Jazz Center on Monday, April 11. He’ll be joined by the rest of his Quarteto AfroCubano, featuring Ernesto Simpson on drums, Childo Tomas on electric bass and Leandro Saint-Hill on saxophone and flute. Sosa spoke to GT from Paris, where he was working on one of many new recording projects. His latest album is JOG.
What do you love most about Africa and African music?
OMAR SOSA: What I love in Africa first is how the people are grooving every single second. I discover new music just by talking to people in the street or in a restaurant. I discovered really amazing jazz musicians and percussion players. The rhythm and groove is part of their day-by-day life. We brought traditional [South African] musicians to the recording studio and one of the ladies was singing traditional songs. In the session she said, ‘Can I dance a little bit?’ I said, ‘Well, you can dance. It is not a problem.’ When she began dancing I told the sound engineer, ‘Please put some microphones on the floor!’ We have a song on the record that’s based on what she danced. Everything is rhythm in Africa. If we listen to our body, it’s rhythm. Our heart is rhythm. Our blood. What I try to do through music is bring out the groove I feel inside of myself.
Your performances feel like a joyful ceremony to me. What’s the connection between music and spirituality for you?
You are already connected with your spiritual world. The voice you hear inside is the voice of your spirit. The point is; how are you going to translate this? And how honest are you going to be with yourself to pass this message on without having some conflict with the market or media? I make music because it is the only way I can translate what comes through me. I wish I can do another thing; painting or writing books. The only way I can translate the voice of my spirit and ancestors is through music. If I stop this I feel some pain inside, physically. If I get the opportunity to say it, I say it!
Jazz is well-known for improvisation, but many forget that improvisation was an important realm for classical musicians like Bach, Haydn and Mozart. How important is improvisation for you?
Improvisation for me is 95 percent. I was close to telling you that it’s 100 percent. What makes me happy is to translate through music what I hear inside of me. It may not be jazz and may not be classical—it is what it is. What happened with classical music actually happened with jazz, too. A lot of music today is really calculated; ‘OK, we need to play this and tomorrow we’ll play the same thing.’ It’s not a problem, it’s another way to look at the picture. But the philosophy of jazz was freedom to create and express what you feel in the moment. And the moment is just the moment. One of the fundamentals of music is improvising. For me, the first jazz player was Mozart.
The voice you hear inside is the voice of your spirit. The point is; how are you going to translate this? And how honest are you going to be with yourself to pass this message on without having some conflict with the market or media? I make music because it is the only way I can translate what comes through me.
What do you think about the changes that are developing between Cuba and the United States, after a trade and travel embargo of more than 50 years?
We’re really close to the United States—less than one hour. Yet we cannot go to the U.S. and the American people cannot come to Cuba. I’ve waited for this opening and now we have a little bit. The embargo was really long, and, believe it or not, a lot of mentalities are not ready for this change. But it’s important to have this change.
Your music is sensitive at times, so delicately soft and sweet. At other moments it’s dynamic and bold.
Last year I was in the sacred forest of Limpopo [South Africa] and you feel a lot you’re never going to feel in big cities. When you commune with nature you feel it and incorporate elements of subtlety. I try to reproduce this through the piano. When I play songs, what I hear is the breeze or the birds. I’m really happy when this happens. We are part of nature. Sometimes we think we have power over nature but nature is always going to win. Music is my humble way to say ‘thank you’ to nature and for the opportunity to be alive on the planet at this moment in human history. This moment on Earth is an interesting moment! [Laughter] Every moment is an interesting moment.
People throw around the term “underground artist” a lot. It gets confusing, because sometimes it’s slyly used to put an upbeat spin on a struggling artist. If you’re a starving Taylor Swift wannabe, sorry, you’re not an underground artist.
But if you do something original and amazing that’s resistant to going mainstream, your name may be worthy of being listed alongside Frank Zappa. I hereby nominate Tom Lehrer.
Lehrer’s songs are saturated with humor, intelligence and a willingness to both revere and abuse the musical styles of the day. They range from silly to sardonic to downright dark, and never really fit in with traditional radio, then or now. Most of his work was produced just before rock ’n’ roll took off, and he has enjoyed a steady and somewhat cultish fan base ever since. His first record was sold primarily to college students, who then as now appreciated songs that questioned the status quo and ignored the boundaries of taste. Most fans became aware of Lehrer via mix tapes, the record collections of hip older siblings, or the syndicated radio program The Dr. Demento Show, which for decades spun songs and comedy from the fringe. Typically late-night fare, the show dredged up old funny bits from the likes of Stan Freberg and Spike Jones, and nurtured up-and-comer Weird Al Yankovic to stardom. It introduced us to Monty Python and Shel Silverstein and The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Mel Brooks and National Lampoon and, yes, even Zappa. Everything on the show was clever and unique, but Tom Lehrer always seemed to come across as smarter, more musically informed and more complex. On April 9, in celebration of Lehrer’s 88th birthday, his songs will be performed in a show called Viva La Lehrer at the Kuumbwa Jazz Center by a variety of notable Santa Cruz musicians including smooth Joe Ferrara, wily Ukulele Dick, enchanting Jayme Kelly Curtis, a capella heartthrobs Constellation, glamorous Lizz Hodgin, versatile Steve Wilson, and tireless Peter Nichols, who years ago arranged a number of Lehrer songs for guitar to perform as a one-man show called Me and Tom. This is the third year Nichols has pulled together such a dynamic ensemble of players, Lehrer fans all. Many of the song titles broadcast their content, like “Poisoning Pigeons in the Park,” “Smut,” “The Vatican Rag,” and “The Masochism Tango.” On the other hand, you might have to hear “I Got It From Agnes” to know it’s a lighthearted song about the transmission of STDs. If these song titles make you uncomfortable, you probably shouldn’t come.
Most fans became aware of Lehrer via mix tapes, the record collections of hip older siblings, or the syndicated radio program The Dr. Demento Show, which for decades spun songs and comedy from the fringe.
Lehrer wasn’t particularly prolific—he wrote only 37 songs in 20 years—and his performances faded out as he put his Harvard mathematics degree to good use by becoming a teacher. He started at various ivy-covered universities back east before coming to poison-oak-covered UCSC, where he taught a liberal-arts friendly math class he described as “Math for Tenors,” as well as a very interactive musical theater class requiring an audition to attend. I tried out, but was rejected; I suspect that he could tell I was there more as a fanboy of his earlier work than as a musical theater enthusiast. It was well known that he was the opposite: a walking encyclopedia of musical theater who was dismissive of his own work. I’m still a fan, and as such I’m emceeing Viva La Lehrer. I’m also a fan of the artists in the show, so I’m going to make an extra effort to pronounce their names right. We don’t expect Lehrer to show up. There’s always a seat for him, but let’s face it, he’s just too CHICKEN to show up. You hear me Tom? Buck-uck! Chicken. Yeah, that probably won’t work. Peter Nichols invites him to these shows, but so far, nothing. It might have something to do with the fact that he’s 88, or because he’s no longer living in Santa Cruz full time. Or maybe it’s his bright yellow feet and feathers and a tendency to cross the street for philosophical reasons. Lehrer did once write to Nichols, however, in reply to a polite letter asking for permission to use his songs: “Dear Mr. Nichols, in reply to your letter of June 20th, I grant you permission to perform any or all of my songs in public anywhere you like. No fee will be required, but if you ever make a lot of money from this endeavor, please send me some.” The show is also a fundraiser for the Homeless Services Center, so not much chance of that. But the show gets bigger every year, so someday, who knows?
There will be two shows for ‘Viva La Lehrer,’ at 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 9 at the Kuumbwa in Santa Cruz; $22/$25.
An amazing group of singers based in Silicon Valley, the Choral Project, is celebrating its 20th anniversary season, and one of their performances will be held at Holy Cross Church in Santa Cruz on Saturday, April 9. The Art of Sound: Inspiration includes world premieres by Eric William Barnum and Joshua Shank, which were commissioned by the Choral Project in celebration of its anniversary. The concert will also include favorite selections from the past 20 seasons, such as Rene Clausen’s sublime “In Pace” and Latvian composer Juris Karlsons’ virtuosic masterpiece “Neslegtais Gredzens” (the Unclosed Ring). Music by Vaclovas Augustinas and Eriks Esenvalds round out this very special concert. If you have never experienced the Choral Project, then you are in for a treat. The choir sings mostly a cappella, but sometimes uses piano or percussion for, say, an African-rhythm song. Songs are diverse, captivating and masterfully sung. I have attended many of the Choral Project’s concerts, including a recent performance featuring the King’s Singers from England, which took place in the Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph in San Jose, and two last year where the Canadian Brass were guest artists, and American jazz pianist Taylor Eigsti played in a Christmas concert in the Mission Santa Clara de Asis in Santa Clara. The Choral Project’s performances are sublime experiences, and all superbly conducted by artistic director Daniel Hughes. “I am very excited for our mid-season concert,” says Hughes. “Audiences will love the world premiere commissions by Eric William Barnum and Joshua Shank—featuring memorable melodies that will resonate with music lovers of all ages for years to come.” The Choral Project has been invited to perform in this summer’s Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, so we can look forward to hearing them again in August.
At a 2012 show, Dogon Lights opened up for Tinariwen, the desert blues band from northern Mali that’s known for its fantastic blend of traditional styles and modern instruments. As the Bay Area world fusion band played, Dogon Lights multi-instrumentalist Vir McCoy looked out into the audience and saw one of the members of Tinariwen dancing to their music. It was a moment he won’t forget. “They were a little bit surprised by us,” McCoy says. “They set down their traditional instruments to pick up our instruments, but we were like, ‘wait, what are you putting down? That’s pretty cool, let me try that thing.’ We picked up their instruments and they picked up ours.” The members of Tinariwen may have been surprised to see a Bay Area band playing the instruments of their Sahara Desert homeland, but Dogon Lights was just doing what it does—blending cultures, styles and sounds into a genre-defying celebration of life and music. On any given song, you might hear the camel-skinned sintir, a traditional instrument of the Gnawa of Morocco; the kamale ngoni, a small, stringed instrument from West Africa; the thumb piano; the berimbau, a percussion instrument used in capoeira music; the djembe drum; and more, blended with electric bass and guitar, electronics, a drum kit, and whatever else the band is feeling. Add to that the rapping of Ashel Seazuns, and Dogon Lights is creating something truly extraordinary that they call Afro galactic hip-hop. The name Dogon Lights refers to the Dogon people of West Africa who believe that they were seeded here from the star Sirius. The name was given to the group by its founder, Yacouba Diarra, who has since returned to his home in Africa. The name has both an earthiness as well as a galactic feel to it—perfect for the Dogon Lights.
“We’re very careful about not being in any one particular genre,” McCoy says. “We’re creating our own.”
Comprising Seazuns, McCoy, Evan Fraser, Alpha “Bongo” Sidibe from Guinea, and Ian “Inkx” Herman from South Africa, Dogon Lights has a musical pedigree that includes work with Beats Antique, Mickey Hart, Rising Appalachia, Hamsa Lila, Dirtwire, Sting, Paul Simon, and Hugh Masekela. The band draws from many styles and cultures, and doesn’t follow convention when it comes to making music. At one point, the members considered adding a full-time bass player, but they realized that if they just run the kamale ngoni through a bass amp and turn up the low end, Fraser could hold down bass duties. “He’s playing basslines that are completely different than the way that people think of playing basslines,” says McCoy. “It makes it unique and really fresh.” Keeping things fresh is a priority for Dogon Lights. The members don’t want to lean too far into one genre or style or become predictable. There’s a goal of keeping a shared and interesting mix of sounds. McCoy likes to play psychedelic blues guitar, but he’s careful not to play it on every song. If he does, it starts to sound like something you’ve heard before. If the music starts to sound familiar, the band stops to mix it up. “We’re very careful about not being in any one particular genre,” McCoy says. “We’re creating our own.” The consistent thread through the music of Dogon Lights is its super-high energy. From the first drumbeat through the last note, the music sweeps you up and gets you moving. When asked what it’s like to play such fast, high-intensity music night after night, McCoy has one word: “Sweat.” “It’s a workout,” he says, “it’s just a sweat bath. But everybody gets to sweat together so it’s like a prayer.” When newcomers stumble into a Dogon Lights performance, they’re often left wondering what it is they’re experiencing. But that doesn’t last long. “It takes people a moment to figure out what’s happening,” says McCoy. “Then they just start dancing and it doesn’t matter. There’s that shared commonality where it’s like, well, this is really cool, whatever it is.” On the band’s forthcoming album, expected to drop this month, there’s more emphasis on the rapping of Seazuns. The resulting sound has been described as West Africa meets West Oakland. “It’s what happens if West African instruments came to the Bay and they met West Oakland, with this rap and electronic feel,” says McCoy. “Boom—Dogon Lights.”
Dogon Lights will perform at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 13 at Don Quixote’s, 6275 Hwy. 9, Felton. $12/adv, $15/door. 335-2800.
Steve Palazzo has been involved with music his entire life.
A couple of decades ago he was making instruments. And since the early ’90s, he’s been a full-time guitar teacher. However, a lot of folks might know Palazzo for the bluegrass band Homefire, which was together for a quarter-century before calling it quits just a few years ago.
That hasn’t stopped...
UCSC’s competitive hip-hop dance team Haluan carries on the little-known legacy of Santa Cruz’s revolutionary hip-hop scene with the En Route Urban Dance Showcase
