SHAMANZ
A melting pot of music
Opening the Cafe de Paris stage on Sunday afternoon were the Shamanz. This group is an eclectic mix of cultures and musical stylings. Let’s start with the makeup of the band. They hail from New Zealand and include members of Japanese and mixed decent. Similarly when addressing the crowd and each other they speak in a mix of English and broken Japanese. Their music, in turn, is also a mixed bag. The group is led by guitarist/singer Tama Tsuboi, who plays a Spanish guitar. The rest of the band is made up of a drummer, a trumpet, a sax, a bass guitar, keys and a percussionist, who plays hand drums and shakers. As for their sound, well that’s not so simply either. It ranges from Latin, to ska, reggae, jazz, funk and more.
This melting pot of individuals and musical influences comes with a laid back Kiwi attitude and s trust between the members that holds tight. They played a majority of reggae influenced, original tunes which ranged in intensity throughout the set. Band leader Tsuboi got on the mic a bit to address the sparse, but appreciative Cafe crowd. For the bulk of the set however, they let the music do the talking.
There is no set way to approach music or rules for how to play a given genre. The band’s delivery in any given genre may not have sounded completely authentic, but their overall sound was confident and energizing as Shamanz played through different genres. Although the 45 minute set time was a bit short to really get into individual solos, the band still made sure to give each member a bit of time to break free. Tsuboi is particularly talented on Spanish guitar so it was a treat to see him face off against fellow guitarist and Japanese ex-pat, Kai Petite.
Shamanz were a fun way to open the Cafe de Paris on Sunday and by the end of their set the crowd had swelled. Most in the vicinity were dancing and grooving to the sweet sounds of reggae and two tone ska. I don’t think anyone within ear’s reach, myself included, would have minded if Shamanz continued well into the afternoon.
