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Monsieur Periné at Santa Monica Pier's Twilight Concert 8/4/16. Photo by Derrick K. Lee, Esq. (@Methodman13) for www.BlurredCulture.com.

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Opening for Natalia Lafourcade was a fabulous band from Bogotá, Columbia named Monsieur Periné. This award winning band (having won the 2015 Latin Grammy for “Best New Artist”) put on a high spirited and adventurous show that made me fall in love with them in a heartbeat.

Monsieur Periné’s music- a fusion of big-band era swing with modern Latin music influences- is fresh and exciting. As they play with various musical genres, their music acts as the palette from which they create a new and reinvigorated sound. It was a musical journey that had me feeling like I traveled the globe. Closing my eyes, I was transported to the streets of New Orleans. Another moment, I was in a rustic club in France. But regardless of where I imagined I was being transported, it all circled back to Latin America.; to Bogotá, Columbia.

Impressed as I was by how each player in the band demonstrated remarkable skill on their instrument, I was even more impressed with the camaraderie that the players on the stage shared. Their interactions onstage … moments of choreography, moments of musical solidarity, smiles shared across the stage … was a joy to witness.

Monsieur Periné at Santa Monica Pier's Twilight Concert 8/4/16. SetlistThere were a couple of specific things that caught my eye/ear. First, the horn section … Man, I love a great sounding horn section. It was probably some smart mixing at the soundboard (or the fact that I was basically standing right in front of the horn players in the photo pit), but I absolutely took notice whenever the saxophone and trombone players played their instruments. This surprised me a bit because when I listened to their music prior to seeing them perform, I noticed that their recordings featured the string instruments more, with the horns mixed down a bit. I loved being able to hear the horns  play loud. When the band played  “Mi Libertad”, with the horns in my face, it almost left like I was listening to an incarnation of Los Faulosos Cadicallacs playing “Matador”, and I loved it.

The second, and perhaps the most important observation, was the charisma, and voice, of their lead singer,  Catalina García. She was breath of fresh air. She only spoke a few sentences in English, but her warm demeanor embraced everyone in the crowd and perform, creating an inviting and inclusive setting. For me, her voice had shades of Fiona Apple with the eclectic musical stylings of Bjork. Electric on stage and pleasurable in my ears.

Towards the end of the band’s set, addressing the audience in Spanish prior to the performance of “Mi Libertad”, she spoke up about the idea that despite some of the hateful political rhetoric in American today, all Latin Americans deserved to be treated equally; a sentiment that earned rousing cheers of approval from those in the audience.

Follow Monsieur Periné on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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