Pink Martini: a review.
I'm sure you've all heard at least one song from the Portland ensemble everyone is talking about. What, you haven't heard of this Samba-nipponesque, torch-singing orchestra? Well, maybe you should get out more.
I know that my musical taste is suspect, what with my closet affinity for power-ballad singing Canadian trios of the 1980s, but hear me out. Pink Martini is stupendous. Between shows at the classic art deco Paramount Theater in Oakland, and the legendary Hollywood Bowl, they detoured for an SRO performance at the intimate Rio Theatre in Santa Cruz, California.
The evening began with the spotlight on a solo violinist. Slowly, Ravel's Bolero unfolded to a bossanova rhythm, ending riotously in a tangle of brass and piano. Then singer China Forbes stepped up to the microphone in a halter dress of flowing black velvet and sang a 1934 Carmen Miranda homage to teardrops. Perhaps you can imagine how it went from there. Here's a hint, from 1930s Brazil the orchestra took off all over the space-time continuum.
Visiting south of the border genres including the cha-cha and merengue, the orchestra interspersed intercontinal flights of fancy (cosmopolitan laments from Italy, France and Japan) between the latin dance numbers. Et puis, je fume.
During a swing piece that let its ragtime roots hang all out, I half expected the ghost of Benny Goodman to step up and add a raging clarinet to the full ensemble instrumental.
It wasn't all racous fun. Halfway through the set most of the orchestra took a time out while the violinist played a work by Fritz Kreisler. Think classical music. Think of the quick precision of Vivaldi harnessed by the late 1900 tonalities of the Romantic period. That's what he played. Phenomenal.
These quirky musicians also write their own songs. The title track of the group's second album, "Hang on Little Tomato," a song of hope to get you through the night, is based on a 1964 Hunt's catsup ad from Life magazine. I did say they were quirky.
You should venture out if they come to your town. But if you do, get there early, you'll want good seats.
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4 comments:
Can I get "Hang on, Little Tomato!" on a t-shirt? That is seriously charming.
Sadly, you cannot. All you can get is shirts from album cover Hey, Eugene and a Bechtelesque airplane circlig the world.
http://www.pinkmartini.com/store/pm_store.html
Oh I love Pink Martini!
Je ne veux pas travailler!
That song was freakin' HUGE the year I lived in France. And then I downloaded a bunch more of their music. Happy stuff. I'm so sad that I missed them the last time they were here.
well, they just started a new tour, so they may very well swing through your neighborhood.
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