Gala Concert: Night 1

In my rush to post something yesterday, I neglected to mention that there would be an evening concert, which I, of course, was planning on going to.

Every night of the convention has it's capper, and each night is different. It's been awhile since I've been to a convention - I think the last one I attended was in Albuquerque, New Mexico - but I assumed the gala concert tradition would stand. 

Last night's theme was "Jazz Extravaganza," and the show started with Jim Walker. Jim Walker was (of course you know this) the principle flutist for the LA Philharmonic, but he's also had many outstanding achievements in jazz. In high school, my band teacher Mr. Nazzaretta made a tape for me of various flute music and things I needed to hear, and "Free Flight" was definitely on it.

His performance last night was Latin Jazz, and he played with his new musical partner (I don't know much about this), Jose Valentino.

(As a side note, I hope Jose Valentino turns out to be a relative. I really, really hope so.)

They also performed with a percussionist (and fine flutist himself) Giovanni Perez. 

The thing I wasn't prepared for was the recorded backing track they used, and the honest truth for me, and in my own opinion, is that I was disappointed. The flute playing was superb. The three of them were great performers. But combine the amplification of the flutes with the funky Latin disco beats, and I wasn't thrilled.

After intermission, though, things got much better, because Nestor Torres and his amazing band hit the stage.

Yep: band.

He brought a bass player, keyboard player, drummer and percussionist with him, and they were great.You know me and drummers: Anderson Quintero was fun to watch and listen to. I'm not familiar enough with his music to tell you what pieces he played EXCEPT they did a beautiful, bittersweet version of "Over the Rainbow," which I loved. There is more than one version of him playing this out there, so I won't provide a link (because it's late, and I'm tired, and you can probably find it quicker than I can, including inserting the link), but I recommend you check him out. It was great.

After the concert, my friend Julie, who had worked until 6 or 7, arrived so I went down to check her in and give her a key, make a long phone call, and then she and I talked for a while, and then I went to bed, excited about the next day, and ready for more.