I’ll admit, I was suspect! Exactly how many keyboards is this chick gonna set up?? The change over between bands was taking so long, and she looked so good… I just couldn’t wait any longer! Play already! Then the glitter coated drum was unveiled, and set up next to the three tiered keyboard wedding cake. Oh yes, it’s on. Tecla Esposito, whose name I had never heard of before, couldn’t possibly disappoint with that glitter bonded floor tom-tom. Sure enough, she started the show off with a three-minute floor bumping instrument line-check before the official start of her set.
The truly electro, lip-glossed, minimalistic rhythms are played out by Tecla’s side arm a.k.a. Kassa Overall. He fires off the drum programmation and pounds the seven piece house kit, grinding out the pulse like a pepper mill. He’s hot, his sound is spicy and solid. You may even forget he’s there, because the beats are delivered so flawlessly.
Now we can focus on the salt, Tecla, her three-tiered keyboard wedding cake, and the floor tom that could and did not disappoint. Tier one: Alesis Micron – holding down the bass, Tier two: Unknown – holding down the reggae montuno with a possible kompa spice, Tier three: Micro-Korg – analog wood edge side encasement finish to deliver down the melody and astro-soundscapes as only the micro-korg can output. Under her skilled piano hands that clearly hold some proper chops, Tecla then sings her black girl songs like “Good Hair”.
That’s right, she is keeping that very best part of her for last. The vocals, not always clear through the dodgy club sound system that can’t always be trusted. But this time not even that could keep us from her cherubic pipes that harken back to a more pure vocal era of swing time grandeur. There really is no need to call names, and draw comparison to one specific artist because Tecla has the ability to just float and glide over them changes.
P.S. special note about the floor tom-tom: Just when you thought you’ve seen all there is to see and hear from Tecla; out comes the drum stick. Just one drum stick was all she needed. Quarter-note triplets that swing in on vines as wild as her tropical swim suite and Miami Vice white jacket. We should accept nothing but sky rocketing success from this original artist poised to be queen some day.
Keep up the good work Tec!