Post #168729 by ikitnrev on Wed, Jun 29, 2005 12:40 PM

I had the pleasure of finally seeing Pink Martini perform this past Monday, at D.C.'s 9:30 club. It was an early show - doors opened at 6:30, and Pink Martini played from 7:00 until 8:30. I was surprised at the large turnout - the floor and the balcony areas were all full - and the audience, comprised of people from their 20's to their 70's, was definitely appreciative of their music.

This was the first time I saw Pink Martini perform, and I was definitely impressed with both their musicianship and the quality of their arrangements. A friend of mine, who saw both this show and their previous DC performance, says they have become even better, and tighter, than when he first saw them. For an 11 piece ensemble, they play very well together.

It was nice to be in a large crowd that was surprisingly quiet during the songs, as if they wanted to be aware of every piano trill, every subtle bass run, and every little tap or riff from whatever percussion item was being played. I've been to the 9:30 club many times, mostly to see rock bands, but this was the first time where I was both enraptured and thrilled by the rhythm of a triangle being played - the sound carried all the way to the back balcony, where I was standing. It is as if my ears were yearning to lean forward, to capture that next quiet note.

The audience may have been extremely quiet as each song was played, but the applause after each song was long and appreciative - one friend who was up at the stage said that many band members seemed stunned at both the large Monday turnout and the sustained applause at the end of each song. The band started with their version of 'Bolero', and ended up with the standard 'Brazil.' The vocals of China Forbes are amazing - one of the smoothest singers around today, and the Flight of the Bumblebee-like runs by Gavin Bondy, as he soloed on the Harry Jame's composition 'Concerto for Trumpet,' amazed the whole house.

Even though it was a full house, and the band plays many latin-tinged rhythtms, you did not see much dancing in the audience - even during the Brazil encore. Some music is meant to be heard loud, where everything meshes together into one energetic wall of sound that gets everyone dancing. The music of Pink Martini is much more subtle. The individual instruments and voices all meld together nicely, yet one tends to want to focus on some of the individual elements that emerge during each song. That type of listening experience is quite rare, especially when listening to a 11 piece band. I enjoyed being a part of the audience - it seemed to be a universal feeling that night, just wanting to absorb and appreciate every note of the evening.

Vern