Winter Comes On Warm and Mild in Solstice Concert at Cerritos Center

In the end, the Winter Solstice Concert had little per se to do with winter or the current holiday season. But there was plenty of spirit in the show featuring Tuck and Patti, the Turtle Island String Quartet and Philip Aaberg, held Sunday at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, and that was probably the point.

The cast, which is in its eighth year of doing these affairs and which has been on the road since November, offered a pastiche of light moods designed for easy listening and relaxation. Anyone expecting more would have been sorely disappointed.

Many of the items offered worked just fine. The opening “Tombo” was quite effective as, one by one, the performers took the sans-proscenium stage. First there was Turtle Island’s violinist Darol Anger, who arrived from stage left and played jaunty rhythms. He was joined by Tracy Silverman, the quartet’s other violinist, and their intertwining phrases offered a remarkably full sound as they played in an Americana style.

Next came violist Danny Seidenberg, who plucked his strings, and cellist Mark Summer, who patted his instrument like a drum. Finally there was pianist Aaberg, guitarist Tuck Andress and singer Patti Cathcart. It was a quiet clatter of sounds, as Cathcart delivered softly exclaimed syllables, the Turtle Island fellows bowed and whapped amiably, Aaberg tinkled and Andress strummed.

The closing “Love Is the Key,” another complete ensemble number, was sparked by Cathcart’s breathy vocal. She sang the pop-ish melody sweetly, then segued into “Good King Wenceslas.” The meter switched to waltz time, all the members of Turtle Island soloed briefly and solidly, and then Cathcart climaxed the number with a breathy impersonation of someone playing a hand drum set. Out of this gentle stream of oohs and aahs came just the hint of words: “I hear the earth.” Cathcart repeated this sotto voce like a chant, and its effect was remarkable.

Turtle Island’s “sets” amounted to three tunes total, which was a bit on the short side, but the numbers came off well. “Bach’s Lunch” began with the players tossing back and forth assorted phrases that came from the pen of Johann Sebastian or were in his style. Then, abruptly, the piece shifted into a swing feeling, with Summer providing the descending walking bass lines on cello and the other members soloing.

“Thin Ice,” adapted from “Winter” in Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons,” had a bit of seasonal flair, going from passages where the fellows bowed furiously to a warmer jazz context. “Jaco,” an arrangement of guitarist Pat Metheny’s tribute to bassist Jaco Pastorius, gave Summer a chance to shine, and his bowed improvisation had a smooth, supple flow.

The cellist joined Aaberg to open the show’s second half and played a haunting Yiddish number, “Can You Change My Twenty-Fiver?” Here Summer played long, fat notes that ached with emotion.

Aaberg was fairly tasteful in his accompaniments, but in his solo spots, particularly “The Complete Nutcracker Suite,” he ran roughshod. Here, he slammed the keys, then pounded out a Jerry Lee Lewis-like rock mood, generally giving Tchaikovsky a Bronx cheer.

Cathcart and Andress scored strongly with “Heaven Down Here,” a sweet song that recalled the Jefferson Airplane’s poignant “I Saw You.”

But they overstayed their welcome with a sing-along on “Learning How to Fly.”

Andress’ one feature, an unaccompanied look at Santana’s “Europa,” was busy, busy and obscured the tune’s plaintive melody.