Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain: Bloody Fantastic!

                                 By Glen Creason

     There is a lot to love about the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain from the top to bottom fine musicianship, to the accompanying droll English wit, to a sold-out house so supportive they brought their own ukes to cheer the band on. While the sources of the music performed were wildly diverse and the playing of that humble little instrument had many shades of color, the end product was a full and textured sound surprisingly powerful, amazingly nuanced and often hilarious. This is an astoundingly creative group of people with lots of stage experience behind them and a repertoire as big as the world or recorded music.  I can’t think of another group who could possibly carry off songs by George Frideric Handel, David Bowie, Lou Reed, Adele, Django Reinhardt, Junior Walker,  Cher, the Talking Heads, Bill Monroe, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Roberta Flack, Cat Stevens, the Eagles, Edith Piaf, Gloria Gaynor, Sergio Leone, Whistling Pete and Tom Jones all in the same show...sometimes with an instrument the size of a chicken leg.

     Yet, the tongue in cheek slants of much of the show does not mean any of the performance is less than masterful. As a matter of fact, the command of five different types of ukuleles could carry any concert but when you layer on the eclectic choices of music and an ongoing exquisitely dry humor you have an unforgettable and invigorating musical theater experience. Every single one of the eight members contributes by singing, playing or in some cases just giving dead-pan responses to the antics of the cast. These ladies and gents can play string/scat jazz like George Benson, bluegrass like Flatt and Scruggs, blues like the Quintet of the Hot Club of France, disco like it was 1975 and a version of “Shaft” that would have made Isaac Hayes proud. Adding to the thrill is the tight harmony the octet can reach playing together in different ukulele styles while reaching a wall of wonderful sound. Yes, this is a British show where folks may not have danced in the aisles but very often smiled at one another knowingly as they recognized  the incredible choices of “Anarchy in the U.K.,” “Rolling in the Deep,” “Life on Mars,” “Psycho Killer” or even “Smoke on the Water” played by eight sizzling ukuleles. I never really imagined I would write that sentence but there you are.

Savion Glover Sole Sanctuary March 22, 2013

   Savion Glover: SoLe Sanctuary to the Third Degree

                                                          By Glen Creason

     I should begin by saying Savion Glover is a once in a lifetime artist who has taken a humble art form and elevated it to the levels of opera or ballet. The art of tap-dancing will never be the same and hopefully this man’s greatness and genius will lead us to many more who aspire to take this form of dance to such inspired heights. I should follow by saying his concert at the packed Performing Arts Center a few days back will go down as one of the truly great shows there, no matter what follows in the years to come. Lastly in this triumvirate of awe is that I sure hope we can get him back here again next year.
     Glover dances like most of us breathe... in and out; as natural as a basic function of life. There seems to be a path between his boundless imagination and his body, especially his legs and feet that operates like an electrical current that he can dial up and down at will.  What places him right at the top with the great tap-dancers of the past is that he does not need musical accompaniment since he makes music with his feet that is unique and improvised in a dazzling variety. While his show gave tribute to these greats of the genre (and they were greats!)  he paid them the ultimate compliment by surpassing all of them and knocking the bar a quantum leap upwards. On a purely physical level, the unreal stamina shown in the performance could be compared to a running back gaining 320 yards on a muddy football field in December or maybe pitching a sixteen inning no-hitter in Houston in August.
     Even as the focus was on the sounds of tap shoes on the small elevated platform you cannot help making musical comparisons since Savion Glover expresses his themes with a jazz feeling that is wonderful and often transcendent. Sometimes he reminded us of Keith Jarret’s great solo concerts in Koln or Bremen-Lausanne and when he teamed with the superb Marshall Davis Jr.  it was like Coltrane riffing with Miles Davis. As a matter of fact, no one in their right mind would dare share a stage with the dazzlingly brilliant Mr. Davis  except the once in a lifetime headliner on this night.  Together, they painted grand landscapes of choreography venturing off into brilliant solos but working together with such intimate skill that it made it hard to blink…and the show ran over ninety riveting minutes. When they danced alone it was like a gifted pianist with the left and right feet independent in melody but together in harmony. When they danced together it was truly unforgettable.

American English: the Complete Beatles Tribute March 16, 2013

American English: Strange Name for Pretty Good Beatles Tribute

                    By Glen Creason

    If the concert “American English” as heard at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts was any yardstick it appears that myself and a couple of thousand more of my generation never got their fill of the Beatles. Even though we have been listening to their seemingly endless songbook for over forty years those great songs just never get old. Billed as “the complete Beatles Tribute” this meticulously produced show, featuring four neo-mop-tops, had a very precious legacy to uphold in front of many silver-headed fans in the audience who may have actually seen the originals back when gas was 27 cents a gallon. Actually, this was not such a tough crowd. Throughout, they sang and clapped and even twisted in time with a huge helping of the lads wonderful tunes drawn from three periods of Beatlemania.

     I would have to say the concert had five stages: 1. “these guys aren’t the Beatles! 2. “Gee…these guys aren’t too bad. 3. Oh, I love that song!” 4. “gee…this is fun!” 5. What amazing memories of a great time and great band. Frank Canino, Eric Michaels, James Paul Lynch and Tom Cable were the imaginary four lads from Liverpool and they never broke character even when they had slight wardrobe malfunctions or the stage was dominated by keyboard wizard Ken Zemanek who plays a non-speaking part of producer George Martin. There was lots of what most of us came for...Beatle songs! Over thirty of the old gems and some even a bit esoteric like “Til” or “Roll Over Beethoven” or “Act Naturally.” Set one may have started a little slow with a sort of jittery “All My Lovin’” but picked up steam with sure fire winners like “ Hard Days Night,” “Can’t Buy Me Love” and a totally rocked out “Twist and Shout” that had many a middle-aged (or older) sacroiliacs swiveling. After a short intermission the more psychedelic stuff came out along with solo material and some of the best sound of the evening took place with “Sgt. Pepper,” “Lovely Rita,” “Magical Mystery Tour” and a rousing finale of “Revolution No. 9.”

     John and Paul were close enough and Ringo was pretty much Ringo but James Paul Lynch holds this production together as George whose strong guitar work made the show terrific and demonstrated how important the under-sung Harrison was to the greatest band ever.  

China National Symphony Orchestra March 7, 2013

China National Symphony Orchestra Goes Big and Bold at Cerritos

                   By Glen Creason

    The opportunity to hear a full orchestra at the Performing Arts Center drew many out on a blustery winter’s eve but there was plenty of heat inside as the China National Symphony Orchestra filled the stage and stretched the acoustics of the fine hall to the limits. Many in the audience may have come to hear Richard Strauss’ truly heroic “Ein Heldenleben” in the second half but it was the two lesser known compositions by Chinese composers that really surprised and delighted. “Earth Requiem” dedicated to the victims of the tragic 2008 earthquake in China by Xia Guan began the evening and was a wakeup call in every respect. With a pensive and evocative beginning, conductor En Shao turned the orchestra towards the heavens and actually managed to sonically gaze at the stars with a huge, almost planetary response. It is not often the Center vibrates to its foundations but with near one hundred players on stage the effect was amazing. The second piece “Butterfly Lovers Concerto” was nothing of the “bubble-blowing hippies” sound of the title but a vigorous and emotional journey lead by violin soloist Chianyun Li who attacked the many demands of the much more Chinese influenced concerto like a hurdler hitting them in stride. The big orchestra was behind him and once in a while beside him taking turns being intimate then large, like Vista Vision large. No one was dozing in the genuinely astounded audience.

     The second half brought the Strauss and another muscular reading by En Shao, highlighted by some delightful musical statements made by the composer way back in 1899. The six part “Hero’s Life” was filled with sound and fury but marked by a beautiful violin solo in the third section and a remarkably dramatic and percussion rich “the Hero at Battle” that would have satisfied a gamer teen. There were other delights: offstage trumpet fanfares, a double tuba expression of disdain for the hero’s critics and a wonderful English horn solo in the final segment.  The only thing a little awkward on this night was the disjointed curtain calls that did not seem to elicit an encore.

Juan De Marcos and the Afro-Cuban All-Stars March 1, 2013

Juan De Marcos and the Afro-Cuban All-Stars: the Master Speaks

                        By Glen Creason

    Juan De Marcos is living the dream and that wonderful fantasy came to Cerritos over the weekend in the form of a marvelous couple of hours of the ensemble-driven magic of Cuban music. The concert showcased one of the truly irresistible forms of the terpsichorean art on the planet and they did it so joyfully it made indelible musical memories for the many who were on hand and on their feet for much of the show. Cuban music flows over you in waves, a multi-textured sound full of layers that are expressed by high-energy solos deftly handled by the many eager to please members of the band. In this case, a few of those talented members were from the Juan De Marcos family. Yet, they did not play because they have the band-leader’s blood but because they have the band-leaders talent running through their veins. Fourteen players shared the stage and the extremely generous Maestro De Marcos made sure everyone had their moments. Truly, what makes this show so great is that everybody is having a great time on stage and in the audience where most found it hard to stay seated.

     There were over a dozen titles performed, some segueing from the previous tune without a seam.  Many were Cuban classics like “Dos Gardenias,” “El Cuarto de Tula,” “Candela” and the one that put Senor De Marcos in touch with the “Buena Vista Social Club” phenomena “Dundumbanza.” Imagine my personal amazement when the three vocalists and the bandleader ended the first half of the show standing a foot from my seat in the orchestra while the entire hall went completely bonkers or whatever the word is in Cuban.  Part of the glory of this great show is the superb musicians who seem to leave egos behind but dazzle when their turn arrives. Such was the case for the incredibly expressive Gabriel Hernandez on Art Tatum-like piano-voyages, daughters Laura Lydia Gonzalez on clarinet, and Gliceria Gonzalez on keyboards along with the wholly groovy vocal trinity of Evilio Galan, Gilito Pinera and Emilio Suarez .  Yet, without shining a light too much on himself Juan De Marcos, was the center of this spectacle, exhibiting greatness with gusto. 

Women of Ireland February 23, 2013

“Women of Ireland”: Become Women of Cerritos

                By Glen Creason

     As St. Paddy’s day looms, Cerritos has taken on a definite green hue as of late and Saturday’s “Women of Ireland” show was more of the musical forty shades. On the tapping heels of “Rhythm of the Dance” this “Women of Ireland” show offered another grand scale, grand celebration of Celtic pride and a glorification of the Emerald Isle’s dance and song. The concert brought much more color than green, including an entire stage-full or beautiful women and fine looking men along with some amazing musicianship that spared no showman (or woman) ship. At the center is the dazzlingly gorgeous trio of O’Neill sisters (Fiona, Naomi, Evangeline) from Kerry  who sang well alone and even better together, such contemporary songs as “Marie’s Wedding,” “Carolina Rua,” “Where the Blarney Roses Grow” along with the lively “Red Haired Mary” that well pleased the decidedly enthusiastic crowd. The lovely ladies changed from one fine gown to another and while their voices were high and sweet on songs like “the Green Fields of France,” “There for Me” or “Imagine” it was hard not to get lost in the enchantment of the O’Neill’s pulchritude.

     Yet, some of the finest moments on this night came from the little, scene-stealing fiddler Niamh Gallagher who not only raised the temperature of the concert hall whenever she put bow to fiddle as her  joyful countenance was infectiously delightful to fellow performers and audience. Likewise, fueling the fun were the excellent small band of drums, whistle/bodhran, guitar, pipes/saxophone, the terrific keyboards of Cian Boylan and the amazingly invigorating accordion of Kevin Jones. Both gents were brilliant throughout along with Dan the drummer man. That is in no way to slight the absolutely marvelous dancing of the supremely confident (for good reason) Kelly McDonnell, her unfairly unidentified male counterpart and the two young ladies who exploded onto the stage like flying pixies, lighting up every number they joined and causing great gushes of applause from the balcony. When the evening concluded I could only repeat  “slainte chuig na fir, agus go mairfidh na mna go deo” (health to the men and may the women live forever!”)

Paco Pena: Flamenco Vivo February 15, 2012

Paco Pena Brings Flamenco Vivo! to Cerritos

                                                    By Glen Creason

     You would assume that since Paco Pena is widely considered the greatest traditional flamenco guitarist in the land that his show “Flamenco Vivo” would be pure Paco with a little help from his friends. Yet, the “Flamenco Vivo” concert before a packed house at the Performing Arts Center was very much an ensemble piece with the humble Don Pena providing a powerful but ego-less center to an extremely fine evening of this fascinating, centuries-old Spanish art form.  The troupe provided a thoroughly authentic and thrillingly passionate performance with everyone playing together to create something truly special and memorable in this rather rare night of Andalusian fantasy. The stage was spare and the feeling was intimate like a gathering in a courtyard or around a campfire as three guitarists, a percussionist, two singers and three dancers enthralled the very receptive house for near two hours.

     Of course, most people came to see Maestro Pena play his guitar or see the flying feet of the dancers but on this night, the soulful, Middle-Eastern influenced vocals also provided a perfect spice to the instruments and dancing.  The show began with Paco Pena leading with the exquisite Charo Espino and Daniela Tugues warming the stage with their expressive hands and rhythmic feet along with the achingly expressive singing of Jesus Corbacho and Cristina Pareja immediately turning Cerritos into Cordoba.  The following solo by the great guitarist was one of the most masterful since the last Sonny Rollins concert here.  Yet, all of this was merely a warm up for the dozen more pieces that followed, each adding to the enchantment.  Charo Espino used castanets and a shawl to punctuate stories in song and handsome Angel Munoz defied the laws of stamina with his dancing. Daniela Tugues was a vision in perfect synchronicity with the lush streams of flamenco music.  Singers Corbacho and Pareja showed the Arabic influence in their intense singing that somehow seemed to come from the same well as American blues.  At the end it was summed up perfectly in a rousing encore when they all joined on stage playfully with a guitarist singing his song and the rest laughing. The obvious joy in the artists on stage made the performance feel like part of an evening with friends, a very sweet moment indeed.