Bobby Rodriguez Spices Up Holiday Season

Trumpeter Bobby Rodriguez on Saturday night made his fifth annual excursion into the music of Christmas. Leading a big jazz band at the Luckman Fine Arts Complex at Cal State L.A., he once again added a liberal sprinkling of salsa, cha-cha and merengue rhythms to a program of familiar Christmas pop standards and carols.

Rodriguez’s versatile musicianship--fiery trumpet soloing, lyrical flugelhorn playing--was almost always in the spotlight. And his visibility was enhanced by the sparkling red, white and blue colors of his American flag-emblazoned vest. Add to that Rodriguez’s charismatic stage presence. Bounding across the stage, leaping to the top of risers, raising his instruments in dramatic poses, he was a consummate leader of the band. Fortunately, he seasoned what might have otherwise been an overly theatrical presentation with frequent dashes of his offbeat sense of humor.

Despite Rodriguez’s obvious abilities, equally attention-grabbing moments were provided by his musical associates. For example, a segment in which the entire trombone section of Jock Ellis, Danny Balancio, Otto Granillo and David Ryan took center stage, playing a series of solos while tripping through some enthusiastic dance steps, was sheer musical fun. And tenor saxophonist Ricky Woodard, the most consistently engaging improviser of the evening, dispensed a series of gorgeous solos--especially impressive in a bolero version of “The Christmas Song.”

Best of all, there were the Latin Sounds Initiative Student All-Stars, directed by Jose Arellano, galvanizing the performance in a too-brief opening to the program’s second half. A longer set from this talented young group of high schoolers would have been a welcome addition. The program also would have benefited from one of the segments--a feature of past programs--in which Rodriguez interacts with elementary school children. Why the omission?

Nor was it particularly apparent why Willie Garcia--lead singer Willie G in the ‘60s East L.A. pop group Thee Midniters, and a Christian minister since the early ‘80s--was allocated such a prominent spot in the program. His iconic reputation in Chicano rock, combined with his still-sweet vocalizing, thoroughly justified a guest-star appearance. But by featuring Garcia in virtually every segment of the production, Rodriguez drastically diminished the jazz content of an evening in which the music had been given top billing.