Live! Santa Fe and The Fat City Horns (2005)
This two-disk, twenty-song CD was recorded live at the Palace Station in Las Vegas in 2005, and comprises a fiery mix of original songs and covers performed in the band's unrivaled signature style that effortlessly spans and blends the best in the funk, soul, salsa, and jazz genres with dazzling individual musicianship, soaring vocals, and an all-of-one-mind exuberant seamlessness. Bandleader Jerry Lopez assembled a 14-man crew of Vegas's finest show musicians for this latest iteration of his venerable group "Santa Fe" that arrived on the Vegas scene from New Mexico in the 1970's. Howling standing-room-only crowds have crammed into the new band's Monday night gigs ever since -- most of Vegas's other A-List performers and many visiting musical celebrities routinely among them.
Covers include unique, blistering renditions of tunes by the esteemed likes of Stevie Wonder, Earth, Wind & Fire, Michael Ruff, Bill Champlin, Joel Rosenblatt, Lennon & McCartney, Michel Camillo, Chuckii Booker, Pages, Skylark, and Wayne Wallace. The original songs range in style from the band's singular take on thundering, snappy funk liberally spiced with salsa, to Jerry's beautiful, countryfied ballad "Let Me Come Back Home."
This band is rightfully considered the Crown Jewels of Las Vegas music. Enjoy.