Jazz Reviews : Wishful Thinking Quintet Runs a Musical Gamut at Loa

It’s hard to find a slot in which to drop Wishful Thinking.

During the quintet’s opening set Thursday at the Loa, one heard everything from pop-ish melodies shored up by a thumping back beat, bristling Latin rhythms and even mainstream soloing. The performance proved that the band is not only one of the tightest of the Southland contemporary ensembles, it is also one of the most broad-minded.

Besides its versatility, Wishful Thinking scored more points with its consistent use of dynamics. Tunes such as “Dueling Daves,” which opened loudly and then dropped for a Chris Boardman keyboard effort, or “La Vida Es Comida,” which danced between soft, sweet sections and charging Latin brews, were typical.

Though they are hardly a Latin band, several of WT’s tunes, some drawn from their recent “Way Down West” (Soundwings) LP, eventually found their way into that punchy rhythmic mode. “Carlos, You’re Blowing My Mind” had a Cal Tjader-ish ring to it as Dave Shank’s vibes rode smoothly above the other instruments. “Michael’s Song” ran from pretty pop to a seething Latin/rock section that had snap, and “This and That” found drummer David Garibaldi soloing with a heated Latin feel under repeated riffs from Shank and Boardman.

Excepting “Portugal,” where guitarist Tim Weston and the other frontmen wailed at length, and a single bass solo from Jerry Watts, the blowing was kept to a minimum. More stretching out would definitely complement the group’s crisp handling of ensemble passages.

Wishful Thinking closes Saturday.