|
Gato Barbieri at Yoshi's - August 3, 2003
Caught the 2 PM Gato Barbieri set at Yoshi's today. He played a lengthy 90-minute set with the first half of the set played in a slightly subdued manner. The second half was fired up with more passion and heat. The band line up was:
Mario Rodriguez – bass
Diego Lopez – drums
Robert Quintero – percussion
Charles Blensig - piano
The piano (keyboards) and bass were electric. This was a solid band and they played well together. There was some giggling early on between Rodriguez and Blensig that suggested a few missteps, or perhaps just happy to be where they were at that moment.
Gato opened with two long, romantic ballads then went into a slightly more uptempo song. The ballads were lovely. He didn't announce what he was playing but in deference to a shout out from the audience, he played Europa, and played it beautifully. That signaled a turning point in the tone of the set. After that, there was more energy and spice in his playing. He played a song that was either Summertime or something else with Summertime intercut in the song. Then he moved into a more traditional salsa style that featured the percussionist, Robert Quintero. Quintero plays with ferocity and he is quick. At one point, his hands were a blur. This part of the set really swung and it was hard to stay in my seat and not get up and dance.
Gato gave generous solo time to Blensig and Rodriguez early on in the set. Rodriguez, in particular, was solid in his playing. Near the beginning, Gato gave a very pointed scolding to the drummer during the opening of one of the ballads, who managed to look unhappy for most of set. The scolding included a pointing finger that I initially thought was Gato counting time but it eventually looked less about keeping time than a bit of of a dressing down. The drummer played a single solo near the end of the set.
Gato fussed with his horn a lot, the mouthpiece, the strap. He seemed to be putting a lot of effort into settling into his playing. In the early part of the set, he didn't seem to have strong control but eventually he hit his stride and played very well. There were the signature shouts punctuating his playing that caused everyone to just smile.
Yoshi, who seems to be most inspired by Latin music, danced for the last half of the set in the main aisle. She's a tiny woman and she does this very old world dance with flowing scarves. I love to see her dance because it is so joyful and she loves the music so much.
There was an amusing Ozzie Osbourne moment when Gato walked to the back of stage and picked up one of two bottles of water, both of which were already open, and one of them his. He unscrewed the top of the first one, stared at it for a moment, then screwed the top back on and set it down. Then, he picked up the other bottle, stared at it for a bit, then set it down also. He never had a drink from either and you could see the dialogue bubble over his head "S#*t! Which one is mine?" Except it would have been in Spanish, which is what he spoke mostly when talking to the audience. Later, he walked back and grabbed a bottled and guzzled it down.
In Spanish, he acknowledged the kids (which were very few today) in the audience and hoped they were having a good time. During the bass solo in Europa, an infant began a series of loud crowings that fit into the mood very nicely.
He closed with Brazil, what else? When the band walked off stage the house lights came up and I knew there would be no encore. I looked at my watch and saw that he had played for 90 minutes.
It was an enjoyable, very generous set and I am glad I finally got to see him play after so many years. After the set, I was outside the club talking and Gato came strolling down the sidewalk, led by one of the staff, and we all started to applaud. Up close, he looked smaller and a little fragile. They ducked back in the club, presumably so Gato could autograph CDs for the faithful.
|
Linear Mode
