Notes bounced off the shimmering concrete floor at Zodiac Aerospace in Santa Maria on March 10 as violinist Brynn Albanese and accordionist Duane Inglish waltzed and tangoed their way through the cubicles in the large, warehouse-style office space. Packs of employees flooded the doors at either side of the room as the duo made its way to the center, finishing a traditional Mexican revolution song with a flourish of clear tones.
The Santa Maria Philharmonic Society made a short visit to the aeronautical technology company, in addition to an earlier visit to Hardy Diagnostics, to share a sneak peak of the upcoming pops concert slated for March 22. The concert will feature the full Santa Maria Philharmonic Orchestra for the first time since the society’s near dissolution last year, as well as guest ensemble Café Musique, a local four-piece fusion group that includes Albanese and Inglish.
“We are honored to be asked to perform here,” Inglish told Zodiac staffers. “It’s a noble pursuit, what your company does.”
Added Albanese, “We hope you will join us at the philharmonic’s pops concert. It’s a chance to come and support your community orchestra.”
Albanese continued by introducing another selection, a swinging gypsy-jazz piece featured on Café Musique’s new album, which is set to release on March 21 and will be available for purchase at the philharmonic concert. The song included aerobic passages that flew from Albanese’s violin fast enough to make Stephan Grappelli tear up, and Inglish never missed a beat, providing chopping chords and melodic counterpoint just as swiftly as his colleague.
“Brynn comes from a classical background, I come from a folk background, but the combination of the two is found all over the world,” Inglish explained after the song and applause came to an end.
The Santa Maria Philharmonic Society’s upcoming concert is a perfect example of the fusion that can happen between the old and new worlds of music. An orchestra has long been the vestige of western art and music, but many artists from the 20th century pushed the orchestra’s boundaries. The philharmonic will be highlighting a few of those composers, including Aaron Copeland, Leonard Bernstein, and Antonin Dvorak at the March 22 concert.
“That will be the first half of the show, and also some music from Broadway,” philharmonic society board member Larry Hill explained. “The second half is the full orchestra performing arrangements with Café Musique.”
Café Musique performed a similar concert with the San Luis Obispo Symphony with the same orchestral arrangements. The band was able to make some connections with Hollywood screen arrangers and composers through SLO Symphony Director Michael Nowak. The result was a full set of orchestral accompaniment to their songs by Brad Dechter and Tim Simonec, who have composed for films like The Incredibles, King Kong, and Mission Impossible, Albanese explained.
“It gives us a huge backup band,” Inglish added. “I expected it to be challenging, but it fits in with the music and the way we play it seamlessly.”
The impromptu event at Zodiac Aerospace was just a small hint at the sophistication of the music to be featured at the upcoming concert. Board members Hill and Lynne Garrett were on hand, passing out raffle tickets to the audience for free tickets to the show, all while Albanese and English ripped through a rousing rendition of Brahm’s Hungarian Dance No. 5, with some fun alterations.
“To go out and reach people in the workplace is something unique and rare,” Hill said after the event. “It’s a break from the day and some fun entertainment for the people who work here.”
The Zodiac employees cheered the present half of Café Musique and their co-workers who won free tickets, and lined up to buy discounted tickets to the show. Everyone left with smiles on their faces as they returned to their respective desks and departments.
“News of our demise may have been greatly exaggerated,” Hill said. “What we did this year, instead of a full season, is we brought music to the people of Santa Maria in many different ways.”
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A musical equation
Equalsequals performs a live concert on March 15 at 9 p.m. at Shaw’s Steakhouse, 714 S. Broadway, Santa Maria. Cost is $5. More info: 925-5862 or joe@equalsequalsmusic.com.
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Living legend
The Chumash Casino Resort presents live music in its Samala Showroom, including country legend Kenny Rogers on March 20 at 8 p.m. at the Chumash Casino Resort, 2400 E. Highway 246, Santa Ynez. Cost is $25, $35, and $45. More info: 1-800-CHUMASH or chumashcasino.com.
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For a good cause
The Allan Hancock College Concert Band presents the annual benefit concert for the San Luis Obispo County Education Foundation on March 16 at 3 p.m. the Clark Center for the Performing Arts, 487 Fair Oaks Ave., Arroyo Grande. More info: 489-9444 or clarkcenter.org.
Live from the Radisson
The Radisson Hotel offers live music Fridays and Saturdays, including Juan Marquez performing March 14 and 15 from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel, 3455 Skyway Drive, Santa Maria. More info: 928-8000.
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Pairing wine and music
The D’Vine Wine Bar and Bistro features Dead Zed’s Chopper on March 15, “Audition Night” on March 18, and Dan Mally on March 19, with shows starting at 7:30 p.m. Karaoke nights are Thursdays from 7 to 9 p.m. at the D’Vine Wine Bar and Bistro, 107 W. Ocean Ave., Lompoc. More info: 430-8356 or facebook.com.
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In the flow
Creative Juices Lounge presents live music, including Ted Waterhouse on March 14 and Percado on March 15 performing from 7 to 10 p.m. at the lounge, 874 Guadalupe St., Guadalupe. More info: 219-0518 or creativejuiceslounge.com.
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The Wednesday tradition
Ca’ Del Grevino Café and Wine Bar features live music in the tasting room and café on Wednesdays, including Jacob Cole on March 19 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Ca’ Del GreVino Café and Wine Bar is located at 400 E. Clark Ave., Suite A, Orcutt. More info: 937-6400, dcp@grevino.com, or grevino.com.
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Maverick music
The Maverick Saloon offers live entertainment, including the DJ Totem Rock Party live on March 14 at 8 p.m. “Concert on the Deck” featuring Rebel Heart Unplugged is March 15 at 3 p.m. Rebel Heart performs on March 15 at 8 p.m., followed by “Late Night with guest DJs” at 11:30 p.m. “Tales from the Tavern” includes a concert by Carrie Elkin and Steve Young on March 19 from 6:30 to 10 p.m. at the saloon, 3687 Sagunto St., Santa Ynez. More info: 686-4785 or mavericksyv@aol.com. m
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Contact Arts Editor Joe Payne at jpayne@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Mar 13-20, 2014.
