m-pact-ed

m-pact

Lewis Family Playhouse

Rancho Cucamonga, CA

March 25, 2011

A Cappella has returned to Rrrrrancho Cucamonga!  No, it wasn't Rockapella, but a vocal jazz group that is local to L.A.: m-pact.  I haven't seen the group since, I think, Harmony Sweepstakes.  Or something else.  I just know that it's been a very long time since I saw them.  I had told Jeff and Wendy at dinner that I met one of them at Kevin's last Rockapella show in CA, but couldn't remember which one it was.  I looked at the pictures and still couldn't really figure it out until they got on stage.  The group has been through a few personnel changes since I last saw them, and they didn't have the updated pictures in the program.  It was like going to a Rockapella show.  ;)

The set list below is thanks to m-pact's Jeff, whom provided it to Aura when she asked for me.  Thanks, Jeff!  BTW, Jeff is the drummer.  It's like a law or something that the VP guy in an a/c group must be called "Jeff".  

Come Together:  m-pact is much more about the voice than it is about choreography, so if you're new to them, don't expect a lot of flash.  Instead, the flash is in their vocal prowess.   Their arrangement of this Beatles tune is much like a lot of their arrangements, wherein you're not sure what the song is at first, then you figure it out as it goes along.  That's jazz for you!  

Signed, Sealed, Delivered:  Yay, Stevie Wonder!  This was the first of Stevie's songs tonight.  The PellaPusher is happy.  I wish that Liz had been there.  Oh, perhaps I should say who was there:  Wendy, Jeff, Karla, and her friend Cindy.  At least at the beginning.  :)  

I Do:  m-pact performed this song at a festival in Germany.  Boyz II Men was there, too.  It sounded B2M-ish with this arrangement, and I whispered, "WHERE IS AURA?!"  Yes, it was a whisper-kind-of-yell.  I really like this song.

This Masquerade:  Mmm...George Benson.  Jazzy.  Yay, Aura's here!  

My Favorite Things:  Finally, someone treats this as not-a-Christmas song.  :)  I like the syncopation.

Baby I Need Your Lovin':  I also like the rhythms in this one.  

My Funny Valentine:  The soloists sat on stools and stood up for their solo portions.  This arrangement is gorgeous.  The song has good memories for me, and I drifted off into memory land with the Valentine's concerts that I've been in/watched.

All Blues:  I mean, come on!  This is jazz improv at its best.  I was amazed by Fletcher's crazy-high notes and scat, as well as Marco's smooth Miles Davis-esque trumpet, and Trist's awesome jazz bass.  Incredible.  BTW, Trist is the one that showed me how to take a picture on Aura's i-phone at the Pella meet and greet.

I Wish:  Yay, more Stevie!  I decided that Jarrett's voice was my favorite, because of all the Stevie.

Intermission

Fantasy/Let's Groove/Shining Star:  Groovy.  I think I saw some choreography in there!

This next song was sung by m-pactfor a friend's wedding, and it was the worst they'd ever done because they were all crying by the end of it.  It won an Academy Award for Best Song back in the day for a movie that nobody knew.  When the title was announced, the audience sighed a collective "Awww...."

What Are You Doing The Rest of Your Life:  NICE.

Trist said that former member Britt wanted to arrange every song known to man, and before he left, he wanted to mash all of the best songs ever into one medley.

TV Medley  This included The Flintstones, The Jetsons, and The Jeffersons.  That was fun.

Higher and Higher:  I love this song too much, especially when it's sung a cappella, so naturally, I had a big smile on my face.

Have A Talk With God:  That's THREE Stevie songs, people.  Three.  YAY!!!

Drum Solo:  Wow, Jeff!  That was fun.  His style is more beatbox than classic drumming.  After showing off his VP skills, he included the audience. Our section was supposed to clap.  I will have you know that our row was not the row that was off in the clapping.  I told Jeff that afterward, too, as if he actually cared.

29 Ways:  OK, I've heard Tonic Sol-Fa do this song, and now I wonder who did it first.  I like both versions, just want to know.  

Encore

Northwest Passage:  WOW, wow, WOW.  They killed this one.  It was originally done by the Woody Herman Orchestra, and it's just craziness.  It's also crazy difficult.  How do they do this at the END of a show?!  My goodness gracious.

Meet and Greet

I'm so used to having people watch me during MnG that I was excited to actually watch Aura talk to people for a change.  Of course, she introduced me to everyone, so I ended up talking to them anyway.

Mort:  I asked him if it was cold enough in CA for him.  He said that his fellow Danes would love the weather in L.A.  

Jarrett:  I told him that he was my favorite.  He asked if I said that to everyone.  Aura vouched for me that I did not.  So he agreed to take a picture with me.  He was excited because he would get to say to his wife when he got home that he's someone's favorite.  :)

Jeff:  He said that they're working on a new CD with all of the current group members, which got me excited, so I hope that they include "I Do".  He said that he was at one of the Rockapella shows in Rancho, but hadn't seen Steve with Pella yet.  So he hasn't seen them in quite awhile.

Trist:  I told him that I remembered nothing about what he taught me on how to use Aura's i-phone camera.  I'm a dork.  I also told him that he made my butt vibrate.  Well, he did!

Marco:  Aura caught him for once before he left, and then proceeded to accidentally delete the picture that I took of them.  Oops.

I took a picture with Shakespeare outside, but it came out too dark.  Here's a picture, though, of me and my favorite m-pact guy of the night.

Sher and Jarrett

Thanks for a great show, guys!  I hope that the gap between my viewing your shows is not as long as the last one.