POP AND JAZZ REVIEWS : ‘Taste of O.C.’ Offers Eclectic Musical Menu

IRVINE —  Does the music make the party? Or is it the other way around, with the music serving as backdrop to the festivities?

Both answers seemed correct at this year’s edition of Taste of Orange County, held over the weekend on the streets of the Irvine Spectrum. At times during this sixth annual food-and-tunes schmooze, the music was the thing. Other times, it was more about a get-down-and-party attitude, with the music serving only as accouterment.

Friday’s headliners, Los Lobos, didn’t draw the entire crowd to one place. Of the 15,000 that festival organizers estimated came through the turnstiles that evening, roughly only half were in front of the main stage for David Hidalgo, Cesar Rosas and company. The rest circulated among the food stands or watched bands finish up their sets on two other stages.

Still, Los Lobos’ performance was the most heavily attended during Friday and Saturday’s editions. The group was the only top-billed act to appear until Sunday when Jimmie Dale Gilmore played a smaller stage. The remaining 23 acts spread over the TOC’s first two days were a party-pleasing mixture of country, reggae, Motown and contemporary jazz acts.

Los Lobos, which appeared at TOC last year, varied little from recent performances. Tunes from the “Kiko” recording are still at the center of their show, and the band appeared to be a bit bored in presenting them.

“Dream in Blue” contained a rousing, dual-percussion break that livened up the tune considerably, but, for the most part, business as usual was the order of the day. That is, until Hidalgo strapped on the accordion and Cesar Rosas stepped to the microphone for a series of traditional Mexican songs sung in Spanish. Then the party was on.

Vocalist Derek Bordeaux’s band got the same effect earlier in the day with their covers of soul and R&B; favorites. Like Los Lobos, Bordeaux’s band had also appeared here the previous year, and the mostly nine-piece ensemble--the numbers changed as guests jumped in and departed--also stuck with predictable crowd-pleasers from Marvin Gaye, James Brown and Earth Wind and Fire. A standout horn section, buttressed by saxophonist Brandon Fields, gave depth to the performance, which was more notable for its enthusiasm than its musical quality.

While the diversity of the music was impressive--everything from a jazz chamber group with electric violin to an Afro-beat ensemble and a southern rock band--the similarities in form and substance were often more revealing. No matter what type the music, strong beats prevailed, as they have since the emergence of rock ‘n’ roll. And the basic form of the blues, whether performed by the George Griffin Blues Band, Los Lobos or funky electric keyboardist Jeff Lorber, could be found in every set. Even country bands--especially country bands--get the blues.

Apart from the appearance of Los Lobos, Friday’s most anticipated show was that of Kansas City-born guitarist Norman Brown. Playing with a sound slimmed down from his popular “After the Storm” recording, Brown early on proved his legitimacy with strong, Wes Montgomery-styled electric work played to hearty, if not predictable, backbeat and ballad tempos.

Those who say Brown is copping the sound of Montgomery and George Benson (who was often accused of copying Montgomery), have a point. All the usual tricks are there: melodies played at octaves and at thirds, thumb-plucked single lines and, most shameless of all, scatting along to his own playing in Benson-like tones. In his favor, Brown does them all very well.

Strongest on funk beats, Brown played with confidence and allure, mixing up the harmonic levels of his playing while building his improvisations to well-determined climaxes. And his writing shows a sense of humor. The rhythmically inventive “East Meets West” opened with the theme from “The Munsters” before dissolving into its moody beat.

Brown was at his best covering Luther Vandross “‘Any Love,” stamping the tune with his signature (or is it Montgomery’s signature?) sound while constructing a moving solo on the tune’s lush frame.

Keyboardist Jeff Lorber followed Brown to ill-effect, his funk-minded tunes each following familiar paths. Meant to be impressionistic, pieces such as “Yellowstone” and “Wizard Island” pursued bland themes before allowing the musicians to break away into solos.

Lorber took advantage of his improvisational space, playing enthusiastically while showing some technique and melodic sense along the way. Saxophonist Gary Meek took the mountain-climber’s approach, ascending through each improv to higher and higher plateaus until some type of squealing summit was reached. Both were crowd pleasers.

Freeway Philharmonic, with its blend of violin, Chapman Stick (a kind of stubby bass that controls a number of sounds) and guitar provided pleasant contrast as the jazz closer. But like Lorber, the group’s music, while pleasing enough, tends to sound alike after a handful of tunes. Even Leonard Bernstein’s “America” from “Westside Story” followed the usual dynamic.

Saturday’s edition seemed without a headliner.

If there was a focus, it was on revivalism and covers, with one of the three stages dedicated to oldies and Top-40 bands. There, one could hear singer Liz Rogers give heartfelt renditions of “Unchained Melody” and “Runaway” backed by keyboardist Greg Topper’s band.

Roadhouse band Missles of October brought their Dan Hicks-styled attack to less familiar material including Van Morrison’s “Real Gone.” Singer-guitarist Poul Pedersen worked some of “You Send Me” into Morrison’s rocker to great effect. Pedersen also turned in a driving arrangement of Bob Dylan’s “Maggie’s Farm.” His gruffiest, most sincere work was on his own “Look at Daddy Run,” a tune that suggested obvious, biographical references.

But originality began to disappear after the Missles’ early afternoon set. Adult contemporary singer-songwriter Bobby Caldwell turned in a set of his own compositions, but his tunes, such as “What You Won’t Do for Love,” have been copied so much that he sounds like he’s covering himself.

Caldwell, a cool Joe Jackson type used his voice well to get across his songs of love and white-collar Angst . He has written a number of tunes for the likes of Al Jarreau, Brenda Russell and Neil Diamond, and is responsible as anyone for the low state of today’s pop ballads. But live and coming from the composer, Caldwell’s music carried more weight, helped by keyboardist Tollak Ollestad whose harmonica work became a second, telling voice next to Caldwell’s singing.

Reggae band Sapadilla, despite a heavy reliance on covers (“Electric Avenue,” “Hot! Hot! Hot!”) also offered lead vocalist Einstein Brown’s “Drive By Shooting,” with synthesizer-produced gunfire and sirens. This band, with its emphasis on aerobic dance (Brown used innumerable choruses to get people to wave their hands and jump) was the perfect party outfit and received a rousing ovation for its run-of-the-mill presentation.

Much of Saturday’s other music seemed too familiar. Saxophonist Boney James, playing to a jammed-packed audience, relied on the Dave Koz, Everette Harp school of saxophone playing, working up excitement with predictable climbs into the high end. The Jeff Pearson Band covered “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” and even “The Ballad of New Orleans.” And just when the party seemed ready to take off, who should return to the main stage but Derek Bordeaux. “Get On Up!,” one more time.

Taste Of Orange County continued Sunday with Gilmore, Boy Howdy, Grant Geissman and others.