We love being the place where Tampa Bay’s best bands and artists release their new material. One of our favorite jazz groups, La Lucha, will release their new album, “Pa’ Lante” in the Side Door on Friday, Sept. 14 at 8.
You can get tickets and information by calling our box office at 727-822-3590 or following this link for online tickets and show info.
O’Leary, Arenas and Feinman in the Palladium Green Room
The band, John O’Leary (piano), Alejandro Arenas (bass) and Mark Feinman (drums) were nice enough to do an email Q and A with PalladiumPaul in advance of the show. They explain what the hell the album title means and lots more in our interview below:
Tell us about this record. Is there a concept behind the album?
The new album is titled Pa’ Lante and on this recording we return to our roots as a trio. It features 9 original compositions and on it we explore new sounds and musical styles that fit under the modern Jazz umbrella. We want to create something that puts our musical influences on display and offers variety to the listener not only from a compositional perspective, but also from a sound/timbral perspective. In addition to the traditional piano, upright bass, and drums outfit, we also expand our sound on this album using keyboards, synthesizers, and effects in order to create different sound textures. It was a lot of fun to approach these sounds in an improvisational manner beyond the notes being played.
What does “Pa’ Lante” mean?
Pa’ Lante a slang term in Spanish that means moving forward. It is usually used in the context of getting ahead in life through hard work. We think it is a good analogy to describe our approach to this new album.
Why did you decide to record all original music?
We wanted to be able to express ourselves not only through our arrangements and improvisations, but also as composers. These compositions are all us! As a band we think and play as a unit, and regardless of who brings what composition to the table, the final product is thoroughly “La Lucha-fied.” There are fun stories behind many of the tunes like Gordita Sandwich or Jublia Is Working It!. We’ve been around for a bit now and we just want to show this side of La Lucha.
The audience at The Palladium has seen many sides of La Lucha over the years; playing jazz standards, twisting 80’s pop tunes into a modern jazz scene and even backing numerous musicians (Whitney James, James Suggs, David Amram, Jeff Rupert, and Marty Morell). This will be the first show presenting our original music at The Palladium…but who knows, maybe a twisted pop tune will sneak in there.
The album art!
What’s your process for creating music?
Usually somebody brings an idea in. Sometimes it may be a full fledged composition or just a couple of melodies without much context. Regardless, the process of putting it all together is the same. We trust each other’s musical instincts, so we each get to interpret the music our own way. This is what makes the music cohesive in the end.
Where can we find the album?
Pa’ Lante will be available everywhere music is sold online beginning Friday, September 14th. You can pre-order a physical CD and digital download through our website: www.LaLuchaMusic.com or our BandCamp page. You can also pre-order through iTunes, Google Play, Amazon and many other online markets. And yes, it will be available at our Album Release Concert on 9/14 at The Palladium, where we’ll also be offering some limited edition merch.
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