Pink Martini, a 12-member band from Portland, Ore., ended their summer 2006 tour at Lisner Auditorium at George Washington University this past Thursday. Founded by Harvard cum laude graduate Thomas M. Lauderdale in 1994, Pink Martini made its debut at the Cannes Film Festival and has since gone platinum in France and gold in Switzerland, Turkey and Greece.
A radical mix of international percussion, jazzy brass and classical strings, Pink Martini's music has a distinct style reminiscent of 1930's jazz and Spanish dance music. Though the crowd was generally older, and certainly grandparent and parent friendly, the average college student would not feel completely displaced so long as an interest for witty lyrics and detailed instrumentals was one's main concern.
Just under two hours, the show showcased songs from their newest album, 2004's "Hang on Little Tomato." The song "Una Notte a Napoli" proved to be one of the most rhythmic performances of the night, striking a distinctive balance between vocal blending and instrumental harmony, especially among the brass instruments. Lead singer China Forbes demonstrated exceptional talent by proving to the crowd that language was no barrier to her performance or to enjoying the music.
Forbes performed numerous songs in French, Italian, Japanese, Croatian, Spanish and even one in Arabic set to debut on the band's third album. Translations or no, the songs were pleasantly captivating, stimulating and certainly made one nostalgic for the late '20s-'30s era of swing dancing and nights out on the town.
The crowd, however, maintained a rather complacent look about them, with the exception of Oregonian fans sitting in the rear of the auditorium who got very into the music. Occasionally the crowd would join in clapping along with the songs. Swaying to the music was the most common activity and quite possibly the hardest to resist with such lively and rhythmic beats.
Forbes' crisp voice and generally entertaining dance moves certainly took the stage captive and painted it with vibrant style, making it her own and proving she was a star. Songs like "Hey Eugene," written about a rather charming yet completely intoxicated boy Forbes met at a New York City party, were witty and humorous, even for the older crowd.
However, the spotlight was not reserved just for Forbes. A nine-minute jazz improvisation session highlighted the talent of the musicians of the group. Guitarist Dan Faehnle's improvisation was completely electrifying, from the way he shook his head to the scat beats that came from his mouth. The suave natural feeling of the performance certainly beckoned the question, "Where does the jazz improv end and the actual performance pick up again?" The band was perfectly seamless in their transitions.
Despite the crowd's earlier appearance of complacency, at the end of the show they were on their feet in an uproar of applause that lasted for a good three minutes after the band exited the stage. The crowd's persistence proved worthwhile when the band re-entered and played an encore of three songs from their previous album, "Sympathique." "Brazil," the most riveting of songs, was a crowd favorite that carried the crowd away with it and forced it to dance. Swaying and singing ensued, as Forbes' voice and the heavily Spanish-style influenced music lit up the background.
Though the taste might be somewhat acquired, any fan of music from the '20s and '30s would certainly find Pink Martini an excellent match. The same can be said for anyone searching for a charismatic, non-mainstream band with exceptional jazz influence and foreign flavor. Keep an eye out and make sure to order a pink martini the next time they come to town.
