March 24, 2006
Warner Theatre, Washington, DC

The “Jazzy Spring Breeze” concert at Washington, DC’s Warner Theatre on March 24 featured an appropriately refreshing line-up of Paul Taylor, Kim Waters, and Brian Culbertson. Although a late winter chill still lingered outside, each artist did his part to generate plenty of heat inside.

Paul Taylor opened the show by playing alto sax on his first two songs, “Steppin’ Out” and “East Bay Bounce,” then he switched to soprano sax for “Don’t Wait Up,” which really got the crowd clapping along.  As usual, Paul looked like he was having as much fun as the crowd was as he grooved around on the stage.  Paul returned to alto for “After Hours,” then pulled out his signature vocoder for the last half of the song. “PT Cruiser” featured a fun bass solo and rap from K.T. Tyler.  Paul finished the set with “Night Life.” The crowd loved the set, although I’m sure that many women in the audience were a little disappointed that Paul didn’t perform “Deeper,” when he usually invites women to dance on stage with him.

Kim Waters took the stage next, elegantly dressed in a suit and tie, ready to woo the ladies with his saxophone. While Kim had a few problems with his microphone when trying to speak to the audience, he had no problem communicating with his sax, delighting the crowd by moving from intricate runs to beautifully sustained high notes. Whether he was playing alto or soprano, he used the full range of each to seduce the audience. The highlight of the set was Kim’s performance of “All I Want To Do Is Please You.”

The third and final performer was Brian Culbertson and his band. The set started out with Brian on trombone; his father, Jim, on trumpet; Eric Darius on tenor sax; and Jorge Evans on guitar silhouetted at the front of the stage. After a bit of horn play, Brian moved to the keyboards, but unfortunately, there were some minor technical difficulties with the keyboards, so Brian had to begin the set at the grand piano instead of at his keyboards. The glitch was quickly fixed, and Brian was front and center, wowing the crowd with his finger work on the keyboards. Brian announced that the theme for the evening was “Old School,” and the band led the audience in a sing-along to “Let’s Get It On.” The set also included “Hookin’ Up.”  Brian eventually returned to the grand piano for “Come On Up,” which featured a beautiful, extended piano solo.

Eric Darius, who’s been the featured performer with Brian for the past year, is a great addition to the band; his style and personality complement Brian’s perfectly. He has the ability to produce a beautiful, silky smooth tone one second, then a down-and-dirty growl the next. Eric got his chance to shine when the band performed “Steppin’ Up” off Eric’s new CD, Just Getting Started.

The rest of the set was all Brian. Throughout the entire set, it was mind-boggling to watch Brian’s hands fly over the keyboards. Following “Forbidden Love,” Brian returned to the grand piano to play “Our Love,” which he explained that he wrote for his first dance with his wife, Michelle, at their wedding. The set ended with a rousing jam session led by Jorge Evans. Eddie Miller on keyboards and Felix “D Kat” on drums traded mini-solos, and additional solos were supplied by Brian on trombone and Jim on trumpet.

All in all, each artist gave a fantastic performance for an appreciative DC crowd. I wish that we could get a “jazzy spring breeze” like that blowing into town more often!

- Michelle Tauton