Rodney Strong Vineyards
September 2, 2006
Healdsburg, CA
The essence of fall filled the warm afternoon
air. The
first crush at Rodney Strong Vineyards had begun with the harvest
of the Sauvignon Blanc grape earlier in the week. A subtle
reminder that the summer smooth jazz concerts series at the
lovely Rodney Strong Vineyards would soon be coming to an end…but
not today. Today we would bask in the rich and vibrant
sounds of Michael Lington’s sax and Rick Braun’s
trumpet.
As Michael’s name was announced he strolled onto the
stage playing the romantic “Still Thinking Of You” and
was greeted with the warmest of applause. Immediately
Michael noticed the mic on his sax wasn’t working so
he grabbed the nearest mic on stage, adjusted it and continued
to play without missing a beat. He got another round
of applause from the audience.
The guys made a smooth transaction into “Too Good To
Be True” and “Harlem Nocturne” where we got
more than a taste of his very accomplished band members. Thomas
Organ on guitar and Leon Bisquera on keyboards; each took a
turn in the spotlight. Leon picked up the tempo;
his fingers seemed to dance along the keyboard sending waves
of melody into air. Thomas brought it down just a bit
as he took command of his guitar and it sang softly yet powerfully.
At this point Michael initiated a little friendly competition
with Thomas. They taunted each other back and forth,
one matching the other, each taunt more difficult than the
last, upping the ante so to speak and the audience loved every
minute of it. What started as a simmer ended in a boil
with Michael sending that sweet sax sound to the moon and back. Michael
laughingly asked who won and the crowd responded with applause,
hoots, hollers and whistles. Everyone agreed that
it clearly was a draw and both Michael and Thomas stood on
the stage beaming. If you’re getting the impression
they were having way too much fun, you’re right, they
were.
Michael took a moment to welcome the audience and tell them
he was happy to be back. He asked if anyone attended
the show two years before when he was there with Brian Culbertson
and the power went out. He said they just continued to
play horns, Michael on sax, Brian on trombone and Brian’s
dad Jim on trumpet, until the power was restored. Michael
received a round of cheers from those who remembered the experience
well. With that said, Michael went into a medley of his songs
for us starting with the beautiful “Twice In A Lifetime” from
his Vivid CD followed by the very
popular “Two Of A Kind” and “Off The Hook.” The
textures, the sounds and rhythms came together like a woven
musical tapestry. Everyone was clapping, swaying, tapping
their feet to the beat of the music or in most cases all the
above…it was just that good.
As the band played softly in the background Michael began to
introduce them, first Thomas Organ on guitar….Thomas
teased Michael by playing a pointed chord on his guitar and
Michael told him to stop showing off again because we already
knew he was great. It was apparent that there was more
to Michael’s relationship with his band than mutual respect. There
was a bond, a friendship, a sense of family. Michael
continued to introduce the band, John Menzano (bass), Leon
Bisquera (keyboard) and Ricky Lawson (drums).
No sooner had Michael asked if there were any Lington fans
in the crowd, hands flew up. Michael, with his sax dangling
at his side, took a mic off its stand and headed into the audience,
stopping about half way out into the crowd and in front of
a fan. He introduced himself, asked her name and
if the gentleman next to her was her husband. She acknowledged
that he was. He asked her husband’s permission
to play a song for her… “He’s a big guy
and I don’t want to get into trouble.” There
was a round of laughter from the audience. Michael
began playing the lovely “Everything Must Change” from
his CD of the same title. Michael is truly a passionate
sax player and that certainly rang through on the song. If
the woman he was serenading didn’t have goose bumps,
I had enough for the both of us. He continued playing
as he made his way through the audience. He stopped beside
a fan with a camera, took the camera out of her hand, reached
out and took a photo of the two of them and never missed a
beat…now that is multi-tasking at it’s finest.
Back on stage Michael explained he only had time for one
more song and it was up to the crowd as to which song they
wanted to hear…”Pacifica” or “Show
Me” from his Show Me CD. Naturally
they wanted both; but since he only had time for one he closed
the show with “Show Me.”
The smooth jazz community scored a big win when this young
man named Michael Lington found his way from Denmark to the
U.S. He has developed his own style, his own signature. He
has harnessed the magic within his sax and surrenders it for
all to experience. That has earned him a place among
the best of smooth jazz artists. His charisma, his openness
with his audience makes listening to his music that much more
enjoyable. You are on top of your game, Michael!
As I sat waiting for Rick Braun to be announced, I could see
him standing in the wings eagerly waiting to come out. The
band members, most of them familiar to me, were Andre Barry
on bass, Randy Jacobs on guitar, Gregg Karukas on keyboard,
and Sergio Gonzales on drums, had already taken their respective
places on stage. A stellar lineup of some of the best
musicians that smooth jazz has to offer. What started
out to be an excellent day was turning into an exceptional
day.
The audience was not only excited to see Rick Braun, but the
all-star band, too. Then local smooth jazz radio station
host announced that Rick was stuck in traffic while traveling
to the show and heard all the ads about loading it up for the
Labor Day sales so Rick decided get on the bandwagon and offer
his latest CD, Yours Truly, for
a mere $10.00. But wait it gets better yet. As
Rick was introduced, he came out playing “Marty’s
Party” with none other than saxophonist Shilts (aka Paul
Weimar) trailing close behind him. Could it possibly
get any better? Just wait and see.
After the first song, Rick took a moment to introduce the band
and tell a little something about each one but with a generous
amount of humorous embellishing. Rick had the audience
roaring with laughter. As they were introduced, each
gave us taste of what we had to look forward to. During
the introductions of Randy, Gregg, and Shilts, Rick announced
that after the show they would also be selling their CDs for
just $10.00.
After the introductions Rick drove right into “RSVP,” an
upbeat song with a smooth vibe. He slowed it down a bit
for the familiar “Notorious,” which was played
beautify with the help of Shilts. Rick played a short
medley taking his trumpet to the highest of highs; so artistically
awesome. Randy got a chance to shine as Rick brought
him to the front of the stage on “Kisses,” but
not before ribbing him a bit. Rick explained that the
CD features Peter White but today we have Pedro Black, referring
to Randy. Randy, being an expert at his craft, gave a
superb performance. Next Rick took us on a ride with “Missing
In Venice,” another great song from his Sessions
Volume 1 CD.
Rick took a moment to share with us a special event in his
life, the birth of his daughter Emma who arrived a bit on the
early side. He was so touched the first time she opened
her eyes. He said there were no words to describe moments
in your life like that, but with the help of Ricky Peterson
and Paul Brown he had written “Emma’s Song.” Gregg's
keyboard added to Rick’s beautiful playing. This
song has all the essential elements that would make a daughter
proud; I’m sure that it will one day be in Emma’s
treasured collections.
Shilts came back to the stage and commented on what a beautiful
song “Emma’s Song” was and that it really
does brings out the essence of young Emma, “She is such
a beautiful soul.” Shilts also shared a bit of
his personal life as he told us that he had two children himself. One
night he sat down and wrote a song for them and decided to
title it “For Crying Out Loud Will You Please Just Bloody
Well Go To Sleep.” The audience roared with laughter. He
turned around toward Rick and said, “See we're not the
only ones Rick.” Shilts told us that unfortunately
he couldn’t play it for us, head-banging heavy metal
wouldn’t fit but he would play the first single off his
new HeadBoppin’ CD, “Look
What’s Happened.” This one is full of funk
and just plain rocks. Shilts certainly knows how to illuminate
the stage. Wow! Sergio, a drummer you can not overlook,
did an outstanding job keeping the beat and got a chance to
show off here and numerous other times during the show.
Rick jokingly reminded us that he had a new CD for sale and
on it we would find the next song, “Shining Star,” a
revived Earth Wind and Fire hit. At this point Rick and
the boys have literally driven the crowd wild. Rick
makes a smooth transition right into another favorite, “Cadillac
Slim.” He delights everyone by taking a stroll
through the crowd. I’m sure by now everyone can
all be heard for miles around. Andre takes the lead and
struts his stuff like nobody but Andre can do. This guy
is so full rhythm, so full funk, it oozes from every inch of
his being.
Rick pulled out all the stops and headed straight into “Green
Tomatoes.” I doubt that there was anyone left in
their seat at this point in the show because I was surrounded
by bodies bopping and swaying to rhythm of these incredible
sounds. The boys put on quite a show as they moved in
sync with each other across the stage. It certainly was
a sight to see. Rick and the boys kept the outrageous
upbeat momentum with “Grazin In The Grass.” I
found myself in the middle of a crowd gone wild.
There was no containing the crowd as they whistled and yelled “More,
more, more!” Rick put down his trumpet and picked
up the mic and yelled out to the crowd, “You all are
crazy!” As if they needed more encouragement, the
crowd’s response was more whistles for Rick and the band. With
that, Rick and the boys jumped into an oldie but goodie R&B
song made famous by Wilson Picket; “Mustang Sally,” with
Rick singing the lead. Wow!!! Rick can sing quite
well! Rick stopped in the middle of the song saying
that he needed some backup singers and invited the ladies of
the audience to join him and the band on stage. I doubt
Rick expected so many women to take him up on his offer because
within minutes Rick and the band were lost in the sea of women
singing backup.
It’s been a long time since I’ve seen anyone bring
down the house quite like Rick and the boys did that day. Watching
these masterful musicians play together was a treat in and
of itself. Listening to the fusion of complex
styles, the rhythms, the melodies, the soul of the music is
the icing on the cake. Rick’s display of overwhelming
enthusiasm to entertain his audience as well as his dominating
expertise on the trumpet and flugelhorn make him a “Shining
Star.” Yes, it did turn out to be an exceptional
day! A day I’ll long remember.
- Rochell Letasi |
