Big Tasty – Wine Cellar, 27 July 2024: Review

Big Tasty describes the Soul Jazz ensemble from Auckland perfectly. Plenty of licks, and the music cooks too!

Tasty formed as an ensemble in 2020, when they won the Battle of the Bands in that year Zero of the pandemic.

A well-drilled Soul Revue band with a three-piece horn and saxophone section. Within a couple of years, they recruited Manuela Herrera Ovalle as their lead singer.

Manuela I first encountered at the Wine Cellar, in that pandemic first Lockdown year. She was a part of a showcase of three young female musicians to watch. Quite impressive as a pint-sized Colombian woman with a powerful voice and presence, enough to label her a Spanish Joplin.

I did see Big Tasty a year later at the Pumphouse outdoor theatre, on a double bill with RVMES. Manuela was on board then, and the ensemble ran hot and funky.

The band as they stand tonight. Joseph Chase guitar and songwriter, Michael Ligani Turaganisoqo keyboards, Lucas West 5-string electric bass, Hayden Keach drums, Jerome Drumm trumpet, Martin McGaw trombone, Mark Houghton saxophone.

The horn trio get to play front and centre to begin the show with Shifu Funk. Always a thrill to hear a good horn section on a Revue band.

They get down properly with Business Suite. The guitar and bass intro coda sounds like Led Zep’s Trampled Underfoot. (I have just seen the Come Together Led Zeppelin IV the night before).

The song is laden with Soul Funk riffs as per Seventies Stevie Wonder. All that I need honey and Manuela can sing on that Plant-Joplin axis with a little Latino spice thrown in.

Diamond-Eyed has the sound of classic Seventies big Soul Jazz band, like an Earth, Wind and Fire. Or an Average White Band.

Sometimes Manuela’s phrasing can sound a little like Nasty Gal Betty Davis, who was married to Miles Davis for a while.

She gives a tribute to the venue. The Wine Cellar is soon to undergo a transformation and come back as the Double Whammy in a few weeks. This is one of the last shows prior to that.

If You Leave Me Now and How I Miss You are slower in tempo. Mellow and melodic, and sensual vocals.

Karma is a new song given a public run. The horn section gives it some great Skatalite blasts.

Fathe and the Sweetos are also a good time Soul Revue band, with the accent on African Dance and Pop running the gamut of melodic Soweto style (Paul Simon and Gracelands), through to Nigerian Ju-Ju and Highlife.

Fathe Tesfamariam leads the band as singer.

With him are a dynamic rhythm machine of Seb Soto bass, John Murray drums and Eli Dobbyn percussion. Where the unbreakable dance groove is generated.

Jazzy fllls from Niki Te Whaiti saxophone, and Jamal Hassan-Hussein electric guitar.

Rounded out by backing vocalists Zaverr and Ellen Moana.

They are quick to cook up a storm with polyrhythmic groove lines. One song which may be titled Trouble Life sounds like it is done in Harmolodic style, as pioneered by Ornette Coleman in the Sixties.

Rhythm, melody and dance movement given equal status, and it all melds together seamlessly rather than dissonantly. On reflection, a lot of their style is harmolodic.

Fathe was born in the Sudan, but raised in Ethiopia, where the deeper roots of Reggae came from.

There is plenty of sunshine-soaked melodic singing often matched with shamanistic trance dance.

This band is building a good word-of-mouth reputation.

Their closing song is basically a Shake. As in Sam Cooke’s classic floor-filler expanded with African Jazz elements. Still driven by the great engine room.

Big Tasty continue to wind it up over the last few numbers. Manuela lets go on her great vocal range, but it’s disciplined and controlled in Jazz style.

The horns keep charging off, there is a melodica break at one point.

Hot and Tasty to the end.

Rev. Orange Peel

Click an icon to view a gallery of each band.

Big Tasty

Fathe and the Sweetos