Jazz Reviews : Baja ’88 Set Pleases the Brunch Bunch

Following on the heels of the Tijuana Brass in 1964, the Baja Marimba Band enjoyed several years of pop success with its jazz-tinged Latin music, its soft and mellow sounds of two marimbas contrasted by a chorus of crisp-sounding brass instruments. Sunday morning, at the weekly jazz brunch at Windows on Hollywood atop the Holiday Inn Hollywood, Baja ‘88, minus the brass, made its debut courtesy of the Los Angeles Jazz Society.

“Except for a couple of nights in San Francisco in January, we’ve been a garage band,” said leader-marimbist Julius Wechter, adding that a schedule of rehearsals has been maintained for “fun.”

That spirit of fun was pervasive during a pair of short sets Baja ‘88, now a quintet, offered to the midday diners. Quality music matched the fun.

The marimba, a once-popular mallet-percussion instrument whose stature was usurped by its metallic cousin, the vibraphone, was given its due by Wechter and cohort Julie Greenberg, introduced by Wechter as the world’s “second-best marimba player.” Fine players both, Wechter and Greenberg each soloed expertly, their similar styles blending to lushly sonorous effect in a series of delightful tunes.

For melodic contrast was the handsome guitar sound of Jim Fox, his cleanly picked lines providing balance and interest. His solo rendition of “There Is No Greater Love” was a delight. Bassist Richard Maloof capably anchored the group’s harmonic structure (he soloed neatly on “Free Fall”) while the deft, tasteful drumming of Mike Stephans provided the compelling rhythm.

Without programmatic intent, Baja ’88 created perfect morning music. Though “Stale Air” was a highly energetic inclusion in the second set, most of the music was offered in a more mellow context. “Baja Noces” and “Free Fall,” while both up-tempo, maintained that flavor with their gently wafting melodies presented by the dark-sounding marimbas. “Lazy Day,” a beautiful ballad by Greenberg, had the group at its best.