Heidi Nye:
Culture Writer
Matt Catingub guest-conducted the March 28 performance of the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra’s Pops! concert.
This was Grammy Award-winner Catingub’s third LBSO performance, and his comfort level was apparent. He had no need for puns and groaners to build rapport with his audience. His talent at slipping gracefully from leader to fellow musician and singer and back again sufficed. He could have done a better job of introducing the pieces, however, especially since there was no playlist printed in the program, Catingub having finalized his selections that afternoon.
Joining him was his favorite drummer, two-time Grammy Award nominee and winner of two Telly Awards, Steve Moretti. Never a fan of drum solos, believing them to be self-indulgent amusement for the drummer alone, I immediately trashed my prejudices upon hearing Moretti. He was a powerhouse, who, unlike any other man on stage, wore no suit jacket. Little wonder: his performance was an athletic event disguised as entertainment. Adding to his sex appeal— palpable from 50 yards away— were his shaved head, intellectual glasses and vest from a three-piece suit (the jacket must be somewhere). Even folks who would never attend a symphony concert may have seen Moretti playing live in the 2014 film Jersey Boys.
Granted, the concert’s enchanting title— Rhythms of the Night— was deceiving, unless it simply meant that the audience was listening to these numbers after sunset. The pieces had little to nothing to do with the night, with the exception of Toto’s “Africa,” “That’s Amore” (When the moon hits your eye/Like a big pizza pie) and “Toad Song,” inspired by Hawaiian amphibians that croak in the dark. “Hawaii Five-O,” “Jamaica Farewell” and “The Girl from Ipanema” are bursting with sunshine, as they clearly were last Saturday.
The concert began with “One Mint Julep,” an R&B number by Rudy Toombs that was a hit for The Clovers but was given a cha cha-salsa twist by the LBSO. Moretti, not pushed to the back where drummers are usually placed but center stage where he belonged, was grinning ear to ear from the get-go and continued to have a great time the entire evening. This, too, made him worth watching. Why is it, after all, that symphony musicians must remain stoic? Of course, the brass section would have trouble cracking a smile, but what about everyone else? The Rhythms of the Night selections were fun, the kind of music you’d have to work at not showing some emotion.
Catingub also enjoyed himself, especially when he performed. The gal who sat next to me claimed she would be set over the edge (in much more colorful terms) if Catingub would only start singing “Ipanema” in Portuguese. Her moment came two numbers later when he inadvertently serenaded this woman he had never met with a salsa tune made popular by Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’66. “’Mas Que Nada!'” she moaned. “Oh, and he’s singing in Portuguese!”
If you missed Rhythms of the Night, you still have one more chance to see an LBSO POPS! concert this season. On Saturday, May 9, 8pm, Steven Reineke will conduct A Classic Pops Hit Parade, lighter fare from Ravel, Respighi, Shostakovich and others.
The 2015-2016 five-concert Pops! series begins Oct. 17 with Halloween Symphony Spooktacular. For all Pops! concerts, audience members are encouraged to arrive early (doors open at 6:30pm) and bring a picnic dinner— alcohol permitted. Concerts begin at 8pm at the Long Beach Arena, 300 E. Ocean Blvd. To purchase tickets, call (562) 436-3203, ext. 232, or visit lbso.org.
