Ryan Keberle & Catharsis at Arcata Playhouse

Since trombonist Ryan Keberle and his band Catharsis were last here three years ago, the sound and the substance of their music has broadened and deepened. Camila Mezas vocals, once mostly wordless, now increasingly incorporate lyrics in both English and Spanish (busy with a gig for Pat Metheny, she's replaced on this tour by Sarah Elizabeth Charles). Ryan now includes keyboards in his instrumental arsenal, and the addition of multi-instrumentalist Scott Robinson to the band adds saxophone to the mix. (The steady rhythms of bassist Jorge Roeder and drummer Eric Doob are a constant.) The band has released two albums since their last appearance: 2016s Azul Infinito, which channels a stylistic variety of South American music, and their most recent, the post-election protest album Find The Common, Shine A Light....

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Since trombonist Ryan Keberle and his band Catharsis were last here three years ago, the sound and the substance of their music has broadened and deepened. Camila Mezas vocals, once mostly wordless, now increasingly incorporate lyrics in both English and Spanish (busy with a gig for Pat Metheny, she's replaced on this tour by Sarah Elizabeth Charles). Ryan now includes keyboards in his instrumental arsenal, and the addition of multi-instrumentalist Scott Robinson to the band adds saxophone to the mix. (The steady rhythms of bassist Jorge Roeder and drummer Eric Doob are a constant.) The band has released two albums since their last appearance: 2016s Azul Infinito, which channels a stylistic variety of South American music, and their most recent, the post-election protest album Find The Common, Shine A Light.

Suite-like in its scope and unity of purpose...a mix of barbed yet beauteous originals and covers of enduring protest songs.
Andrew Zimmerman, DownBeat

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