Friday, August 6, 2010
Eric Darius Event
Spaghettini, Seal Beach, CA

Saxophone: Eric Darius

Guitar: Steph Lexner

Keyboard, Music Director: Richard L. Turner, Jr.

Keyboard: Michael Wilson

Bass: Ron Roseboro

Drums: Raymond Johnson

Percussion: Ronnie Kaufman (Gap Band)

You knew I wasn’t going to miss sound check on a night like tonight, now didn’t you?

Saxophonist Eric Darius~

“Check, check one, two, one, two. Can we have more on the keys, a little more on the bottom? A little more on the keys over there also and a little more on the sax up here?”

Eric thwacked it with his incredibly-unique sound.

Darius~

“A little more sax in the bass mic and a little more snare in the drummer’s wedge.”

Announcing~

“Here we go! Good evening, everybody! How ya doin’? Everybody put your hands together for the world-renowned, Eric Darius!”

Eric made his grand entrance while working the crowd. Cool shades, Privacy jeans, rhinestone-studded sax strap, right down to the white suede shoes; everything said he’d arrived! He cracked the place wide open! Darius must have stayed on the battery charger a little extra tonight. An uncorked missile of saxy jet fuel exploded through the sold-out venue wailing some of the craziest jazz I’ve ever heard. The Darius vibe was more than electric when he sizzled with his crowd until the fire was burning out of control. The tune, Let’s Stay Together, will never be the same! After making every woman in the place swoon, he hit the stage, handed it off to guitarist Steph Lexner for a front stage, center performance that nestled his riffs into every ear in the place. This guy can play! Double keys with vocals and a singing percussionist rolled out a melody that was just, plain fun! Eric snagged a duet with Lexner that flowed like molten lava from a volcano. Their stage-worthy chemistry led into Eric’s sax screaming HELLO WORLD. The crowd went crazy!

Eric~

“Wooh, Spaghettini is in the house! I’m so glad all of you guys are in the house tonight! We’re gonna do some old school tonight. This song is called, Love TKO. Darius growled the sax across the stage and blew it out again! Richard Turner and Michael Wilson on double keyboards with some rockin’ percussion a la vocals stepped it up several notches while Eric growled a throaty lick. Darius worked the arch of the stage with a left-foot stompin’ vibe that that carried the entire band deep in the zone. Bassist Ron Roseboro slipped in an undeniable thump that took every one of us to the outer limits. The audience vibrated the house with a well-earned confirmation of their stellar performance.

Eric~

“Thank you, thank you, very much! You got me workin’ already! I wrote this next song when I was thirteen years old. I was dreamin’ I was riding in a Ferrari. We’re gonna do this song for you. It’s called Joy Ride.”

Watching this one unfold was a sight to behold. The concentration of drummer Raymond Johnson coupled with percussionist Rodney Kaufman gifted the thick, controlled beat of true genius. Eric’s off-the-chain energy surfaced again. An audience full clap brought bassist Ron Roseboro front stage center with a sultry bass solo that reinvented funky. Roseboro took the ‘it’ factor and twisted it into perfection. What a vibe! A handoff to percussionist Rodney Kaufman spiced with just the right dash of drum whipped up a salsa-inspired percussion frenzy that had every shoe in the place clicking in rhythm. After a few whacks at the keys our piano men had half the room was dancing! Let me remind you, Spaghettini doesn’t have a dance floor! Eric grabbed the song took the audience somewhere far beyond the rainbows in our mind’s eye. He crouched down, then up, down, then up as if he were battery operated. The crowd roared.

Eric~

“Rodney Kaufman, on percussion is from the Gap Band and you heard Ron Roseboro on bass making it funky for you.” He introduced the rest of the band, then said, “We’re gonna do a song called Chillin’ Out.”

Eric’s sound was crisp as a ripe pippin apple on this tune, yet had more growl than a rabid dog. What a mix! Keyboardist Richard Turner, Jr. turned out a triple wow here, then volleyed to the undeniable Darius vibe. A little trillin’ anyone? He sure knows how! Every song seamlessly meshed into the next, leaving me wondering, does this guy even take a breath?!

Band member~

“One, two, three! Goin’ all out!”

Safely tucked in the corner pocket, bassist Ron Roseboro showed us what he’s made of again. Eric fired up his trillin’ machine again and rolled out his unstoppable twitter. He led an overhead clap. Guitarist Stephan surfaced front stage, center with the perfect twang. The crowd bellowed for more. Eric dusted himself off with a black towel and joined Lexner while the band tipped the venue on its ear, blowing the side doors off the place.

Darius~

“You guys enjoying yourselves?” He introduced keyboardist Michael Wilson, percussionist Rodney Kaufman and the rest of the band. “I think it’s time for me to slow down and sexy. If you have a special person with you, I want you to tell them you have a special song for you. Tell that special person Eric has a special song for you. We’re gonna play a special song for you by Alicia Keys, If I Ain’t Got You.”

Keyboardist Richard Turner revealed his unplugged chops paired with some mindboggling scattin’. In a matter of seconds the chill crept across the fine hairs on my arms when keyboardist Richard Turner revealed his unplugged chops paired with some mindboggling scattin. Eric gave him the too-hot black towel fanning while the audience went nuts again!

Eric~

“I don’t think there’s anything left for me to play! What do I do now?”

Darius took to the audience again, growling his sax in more lap than one while he blanketed his swanky strut like slow melting butter. He was hot, hot and smokin’ hot! His endless-serenade style, arched back and set of lungs left us in awe of his ability. His echoing sax laugh drenched every corner. He was hugging, moving and high fiving all while playing his alto. Really, who else do you know that can high five while playing a raging sax?! Breathless women waving white napkins peppered his path while a screaming audience chanted, “We love you Eric!” Apparently, he wasn’t done just yet. He worked the bar, and what a sight it was. He even played for the girls in the doorway on the way back up stage. Now, that’s jazz! He crept to center stage and lowered his head.

Bassist Ron Roseboro~

“Let me see if he made it! Give me more! Give me more!”

Ron encouraged a full clap and started the audience’s burning inferno once again. Eric popped up a single ‘I surrender’ finger.

Anonymous audience member~

“Work it out, boy!”

Howling, rolling r’s and an eager jazzy crowd tried to fire up the Darius growl. He jokingly squeaked with all the juice he could muster, then caught us off guard with a sax race to the finish.

Music Director Richard~

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!”

The slow grind brought it back up while they clowned around. Every band member was laughing so hard they couldn’t play.

A male audience voice~

“You started it, Eric!”

Female audience member~

“Alright now!”

Eric~

“One more?”

Some guy~

“She’s ready now! What a crowd!”

Eric’s finale yielded a standing ovation.

Darius~

“Wooh, you guys feelin’ good out there? Somebody say, yeah!”

Eric hit it again. Bassist Roseboro struck gold this time! Guitarist Steph grabbed a shiny nugget while Eric was still going and the drummer was layin’ it out. Lexner on guitar earned stars, striped and a triple wow when he slipped to center stage to team up with Darius. The buzz was everywhere! Bass to guitar, this round robin of jazz left me reeling.

Eric~

“Thank you, thank you, very much. A big round of applause for this band up here! I have a new CD and we’ll be singing them in the lobby. We’ve saved the best for last and I’m Eric Darius. God Bless!”

Second set, mixed up My Prayer for Haiti, Jean Marie’s Groove with a Slick finale. One last musical frenzy had Music Director Richard L. Turner paddling the keyboard like a beaver tail on a lake, all while he danced like a maniac! Old school met new school and it was a huge wow! The jam was incredible.

Darius wasn’t kidding when he said they’d saved the best for last! This was a longer narrative than most, but I couldn’t help myself! This was some fine music, guys. Thanks, for letting me live this in person, then relive it via pen and every time I did another edit. Wow, what fun! Hope you’ll be back soon. Thank you so much for your incredible presence!

© August 2010 Lynn M. Olson ALL RIGHTS RESERVED