Mark Doyle
On Saturday night in the Palm Beaches, jazz was breaking out all O-o-Verrrrr! Swing into spring was the unsung, but musical, theme as two excellent bands performed in disparate locations. At the Wine Scene near downtown West Palm Beach, the Mark Doyle Trio was cookin’, with Mark’s piano inventions and abundant technique setting a swinging pace augmented by drummer Ric Pattison and an estimable bass player who substituted for Dave Tomasello, one of South Florida’s finest.
Back at the Hideout
Afinka Funk Latin jazz band
Meanwhile, at the Havana Hideout in downtown Lake Worth, the Afinka Funk Latin jazz band was wowing a packed patio with blood-stirring rhythms that got couples on their feet to writhe with abandon. Led by keyboardist Tom Regis, this band has been playing in a number of local venues, including the Arts Garage in Delray Beach, but not enough major ones, in my opinion. The quintet is replete with talent, every member shining: drummer Emilio Valenzuela and conga player Nelson Colon, both hailing from Latin American countries, guitarist Tom Benson, Regis and Freddie Jacobs, a trumpeter who has performed with top names in New York and elsewhere, as has Regis.
The frenetic rhythms pouring from this outfit keep audiences at rapt attention. Standard Latin fare such as Besame Mucho, interspersed with lesser known pieces, are rendered with flair and passion by the well-oiled ensemble, with solos highlighting the individual prowess of each member. There is not a weak link in this band.
Boardwalk
One wishes that Havana Hideout would extend the boards on the edges of the patio all the way across and do away with the sand, which gets into shoes.
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