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For the last several years, I have been extremely fortunate to have seen some of the true iconic artists of Contemporary Jazz at one of the best venues in Southern California. But as the Fall of 2019 began, I still hadn’t been able to get to Temecula for one of the Champagne Jazz Series shows at Thornton Winery. Luck and timing changed that last weekend, and “West Coast Jam” treated us to one of the most entertaining concerts I have seen at ANY venue in quite a while!
“West Coast Jam” stars two of the biggest and veteran stars of Contemporary Jazz, saxophonist Richard Elliott and guitarist Peter White, also featuring vocal trio DW3. They are backed by a 4-piece rhythm section, and a young 3-piece horn section. From the moment they took the stage, they were at the top of their game and had the audience in the palms of their very talented hands.
The resumes of both artists definitely deserve mention. Richard Elliott has played with Tower of Power and The Yellowjackets, and has over 20 solo albums to his credit. Peter White came to prominence with British folk & pop star Al Stewart, then made his name in Contemporary Jazz with Basia, before embarking on a solo career which has produced over 15 solo albums.
The ensemble opened the show with Earth, Wind, & Fire’s “Getaway”, which is one of EWF’s most difficult songs to perform live. The band just crushed it. That was followed by one of Peter White’s biggest, most-loved hits “Promenade.” After just two songs, the audience knew this would be a special night. “West Coast Jam” continued, going deep into the R&B and Soul classic of the ‘60s and ‘70s, and DW3 contributing a knockout medley of Luther Vandross hits. Richard Elliott closed the first set with a new song “Harry the Hipster” that brought the crowd to their feet.
After a short break, the second set opened with something very special, Peter White performing The Beatles classic “Here, There, and Everywhere.” Peter commented that even though he grew up in England listening to The Beatles and Rolling Stones, this was the first time that he had covered a Beatles song. Peter then segued into one of his modern hits “Buena Funk”, followed by the “James Bond theme” from the 007 films, and Bob Marley’s “Get Up, Stand Up.” Not to be outdone, Richard Elliott jumped in with his EWI (electronic wind instrument), and told the story of radio in the ‘70s when instrumental artists like Chuck Mangione, Herb Alpert, and more were being played by America’s most popular stations. He then performed an amazing, dreamy version of “Summer Madness”, a ‘70s gem from Kool & The Gang. But the audience really went crazy when Richard played the first few notes of the Santana classic “Europa”, and his emotional delivery was nothing short of stunning. Finally the encore of “What’s Goin’ On” put the cap on a truly extraordinary night.
A special thanks and shout out goes to the Thornton staff for always treating us so nicely! And I discovered another unique wine, a lovely white called Vermentino that paired especially well with their cheese plate.
The Champagne Jazz Series wraps up this Sunday October 20th with Jeffrey Osbourne. So if you can’t make it this year, be sure to subscribe to their news letter at https://www.thorntonwine.com/champagne-jazz-series/West%20Coast%20Jam%20%231.jpgWest%20Coast%20Jam%20%232.jpg