Every once in a while I happen to catch a group’s performance that really impresses me and I’m so taken in by the talent and musicianship that feel I want to share some of the details with others. That happened this past Thursday evening at a free outdoor “concert in the park” sponsored by the city of Santa Barbara Parks and Recreation Dept. This event was the 7th in an 11 concert summer series held across from the beach in a grassy outdoor setting. (These performances have gotten relatively popular over the years. They’re attracting upward of 5000 people here recently.)
The group was known as the Ronnie Gutierrez Band, a four-piece group out of Los Angeles. The group played almost exclusively Latin and Latin jazz, which included such styles as Salsa, Cumbia, Meringue, Cha-cha, Mambo, and others along those lines.
(In response to an audience request, they threw in a Santana medley as well) Two of the musicians, Ronnie and his 70 year old father, Mike, are percussionists, (the father was billed as a 1960’s percussion icon) who traded off among three drumming “stations.” The other two musicians were a bass player and a keyboard player.
While every one of the musicians was top notch, I was especially impressed by the keyboard player. He made the four piece group sound every bit as full and as good as many of the better 8-10 piece Latin groups I’ve heard in the past. He basically carried all the lead for the group. His equipment consisted of a Roland XP-80 76 key piano keyboard on the bottom and a Roland JV-80 61 key board above. His piano work dominated the arrangements, but he would take lead and improvise with various voices from the JV-80, using flute, various sax voices, vibes and once in a while a guitar. Then he would bring in the brass section voicing at just the right time to give that full sound of a much larger band. Although many would consider his equipment dated, his musicianship “sold” the realism of the various voices he used. I kept looking for the non-existent “other musicians” on the stage when he was soloing.
There were a couple other things I noted about his set-up. He had what appeared to be that Apex keyboard stand that was discussed on this Forum a short time ago. (AX-48BP) I watched him set-up this stand and it was extremely easy and quick. And once set up, it appeared to be very stable.
None of the guys used any written music, so there was no need for a music stand at the keyboards. The keyboard player sat, while all of the other musicians stood. (Except the few times that one of the percussionists used the conventional drum set and drum throne).
I’ve heard it said many times on this Forum, that the musicianship is what makes a keyboard really shine. The guy that played those two Roland boards was a prime example of that. He didn’t just use a specific voice, he played it like he was playing that particular instrument and it truly sounded great.
This band was a big hit with the crowd, as evidenced by the hundreds of people who were dancing on the grass in front of the stage. It turned out to be a very enjoyable evening.
Paul C.
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