L.A. salsa band grooves campus
By Wes Woods II
Daily Forty-Niner
"Johnny Palanco and
Amistad," a nine piece salsa band, performed a well organized and polished
set at the University Student Union South Plaza.
Its unique brand
of salsa music seemed to win over the crowd of about 100 people who filed
in and out of the Union on Wednesday. Ovations were seemingly being given
after every song.
The small, black
stage used to hold "Johnny Palanco and Amistadî was packed with horn, congo,
bongo, flute and keyboard players.
Singer and bandleader
Johnny Palanco led (as he was in front of the band on stage) his rhythmic
band with his ear-pleasing acoustic guitar manipulation and nonverbal cues
to his peers.
Art Webb, who played
flute, nearly stole the show with his furious flute playing, going solo
on many of the bandís songs and getting numerous cheers during his performances.
And despite
verbally encouraging the crowd to dance to their sound of slightly lazy
yet up-tempo brand of horns and drums, no one took up the bandís offer.
The band, who saxophonist
Gerard Nolan said is currently based out of Los Angeles, has an album titled
"L.A. Amistad" and is working on another that is untitled to be released
in September.
"They sound a little
like Santana,î said Freddie Barrientos, a junior majoring in aerospace
engineering. "They played good. There was a nice tone to the music," he
said. |
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