Review | 30th Year is Still the Charm

If it can be said that Christmas culture has a heavy reliance on kitsch, it makes perfect sense that Portland’s proudly kitsch-fueled Pink Martini is a suitable holiday-themed party favor supplier. That much was clear when the band returned to the Arlington Theatre, one of many visits hosted by UCSB Arts & Lectures, amidst its 30^th anniversary year.

The “little big band” that could, founded and led into an unexpectedly fabulous globe-trotting career by pianist-leader Thomas Lauderdale and vocalist China Forbes, has by now established its unique game plan. The plan, which has lured a cross-generational fan base, is to take ear-friendly journeys through songs from quirky nooks of musical culture around the world and tapping an original songbook going back to the early career-launching hits “Hey Eugene!” and “Sympathique,” which became a sensation and a semblance of an anthem in France  

One strong impulse in the Pink catalogue is an affinity for Latin-themed material. This show, for instance, opened with a pocket-sized take on Ravel’s “Boléro” and closed with the standard extended “Brazil,” replete with crowd conga line slithering through the Arlington’s aisles. From the holiday song menu on this night, they served up “We Three Kings” and “Little Drummer Boy,” also with a strong Latin tinge.

At times, we might wish for more complex arrangements from such a fine band of players: The trickiest song of the night was the deliciously crazed, triplet-drunk version of “Jingle Bells” originally performed by Barbra Streisand.

Lauderdale himself is an agreeably florid pianist with flailing arms à la Liberace and the inflatable tubular “Tall Man” figures advertising car lots. His musical instincts are more about pop of varying eras in the past, with little jazz content, leaving the impressive jazz factor to band members including trumpeter Thomas Barber, trombonist Antonis Andreou, and especially subtle master guitarist Dan Faehnle.

Over the wandering course of the concert and setlist, Forbes was afforded ample opportunity to show off her impressive and versatile skills, including a sweet original dedicated to her son — which she dedicated to the soon-to-retire UCSB Arts & Lecture head Celesta Billecci and her son. Late in the set, Pink Martini embarked on a long and multi-lingual medley showcasing the band’s celebrated ability to embrace many languages — as sung by Forbes and Timothy Nishimoto. Lauderdale announced there would be 18 song fragments on the medley trip. The nerds among us keep tabs, but I only noticed 15. But who’s counting?

Thirty years into its successful adventure in the fickle cosmos of music, the Martini continues to deliver, its winking, well-oiled machine intact. Even though the concept itself was built on eclectic sources, the band hasn’t evolved much over the decades. But why fix it if it ain’t broke? We know what to expect, and got a special holiday dose of the good stuff in time for Christmas.