New Latin dance band debuts

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

By Aaron Davis

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-Driven by hot Cuban rhythms like salsa, mambo, rumba and various Afro-Cuban claves, a new dance band in town is bringing Latin culture to the forefront of Jackson’s music scene. Your chance to see Calle Mambo’s debut public performance is Tuesday for the festive Cinco de Mayo celebration at the Silver Dollar Bar.

Connoisseurs of the local music scene will recognize several members of the nine-piece ensemble — Rachel Gray on trumpet/vocals, Don Gronberg on percussion, Leroy Plock on piano, Jenny Kennedy on trumpet, Ron Mason on trombone, Jason Fritts on flute/saxophones, Dave Bundy on bass, John Kidwell on trombone/vocals and founder/bandleader Christopher Smith on drums. 

Smith moved to Teton Valley just over a year ago from Las Vegas, where his band, Backstreet, worked 300 nights a year—first at Mandalay Bay, then at The Venetian Hotel and Casino. He had formed Backstreet in Denver, prepping for three years before making the lucrative transition to Vegas. Eventually, politics from hotel management began affecting the way he ran his band, and it was time to return to the foothills of the Tetons, where he had taught skiing at Grand Targhee in the 80s.

“One day, I was talking to my agent that I worked with for many years in Vegas, telling her that I was getting frustrated by not playing music full time anymore,” Smith explained. “The very next day, I got a call from Chanman Roots Band to play drums. Reggae’s not really my thing, but I liked the girls and the horns, and it reminded me a little bit of Backstreet, so I took the job.”

As Smith began meeting more quality musicians, he realized that Jackson is a community where different bands can come together with ease. In Vegas, he explained, this wouldn’t have been possible unless the gigs were lined up in advance. So he began assembling members for Calle Mambo.

“The biggest obstacle was having good charts for this music,” Smith said. “I hunted down a friend of mine in New York City who’s studying for his Ph.D. in performance at NYU. The cool thing is that he’s doing it for $125 a chart for a 10-piece band. That’s incredible, and the music is complex.”

Smith’s inspiration for Calle Mambo came while seeing Pete Escovedo’s band in L.A., and most recently meeting him at a show in Boise. The 73-year-old Escovedo, who was one of the original percussionists in Santana, is the father of Sheila E. (Prince’s drummer) and brother to Austin, Texas, singer-songwriter Alejandro Escovedo and San Diego rocker Mario Escovedo of the Dragons. The charts for Calle Mambo were transcribed directly from Escovedo’s material, covering a span of composers.

Calle Mambo has been rehearsing once a week for the past three months, and they’re inaugural performance was a potluck-style gathering at the Elk’s Lodge two weeks ago, which drew 200 people. And while they will be playing public dates around town, Smith’s vision for the large ensemble is beyond the local scene.
“I’ve got some connections in Vegas and some pretty serious connections in the corporate world. I used to fly from Denver to Phoenix for the night and come home with $1,000 in hand,” Smith said. “I don’t know if we’ll get there, but that’s where I’d like to see this band go. I would really like to see this go international.”

A brief glimpse of Calle Mambo at the Elk’s Lodge was a testament to the energy that a deep-grooving ensemble with five-piece horn section can project. While Calle Mambo will predominantly be an instrumental Latin-jazz outfit, some vocal tunes ala the pop-Latin styling of Mark Anthony will help keep those short attention spans in check. The positive impact on the community is another added bonus.

“We hope to bridge the Anglo and Latino communities, bring these folks together,” Smith said. “Don also gives Salsa lessons, so that’s one thing we are going to incorporate into our shows.” PJH

Calle Mambo will perform 7:30 to 11 p.m. on Tuesday at the Silver Dollar for Cinco de Mayo. Jeff Bratz, a member of the Jazz Foundation of Jackson Hole Big Band will sit-in for a couple of vocal numbers. No cover.
PERMALINK:
New Latin dance band debuts | Planet JH News Article: Music Box

Leave a Comment