PALM BEACH POST
By M.M. CLOUTIER
Special To The Daily News
Reformed four years ago, one of the hottest dance bands of 1970s Philadelphia may now have a few new faces, but its singular sizzle - spicing everything from Mo-town to jazz, reggae, funk and disco - is packing the house at area clubs and restaurants in the Palm Beaches.
The five-member band, which changes attire for every set and thrives on audience participation, will be grooving tonight and Saturday at CityPlace's Blue Martini, complete with a couple of its earliest members who have performed over the years with recording artists such as Cindy Lauper and Lou Rawls.
If you suspect Gypsy Lane may be a bit too saucy for you, its fans run the gamut, right down to picky traditionalists who like their American Songbook favorites played just so. “We touch on what everyone likes and broaden that,” says band member and lead female vocal Karina Constantine, noting the band's vast repertoire of tunes that range from Prince's Purple Rain to Aretha Franklin's Respect to Summertime from Porgy & Bess. “So many conservative music lovers have seen us and left saying, 'Wow, that was really refreshing.'”
Two of the band's members formed the original Gypsy Lane, including musical director, bass player and vocalist Alfonso Carey, and arranger and keyboard player Larry Davis, who also plays trumpet and sings with the band. Years ago, both of them performed and recorded with The Village People, a group known for its plucky outfits - members dressed as everything from a Native American to a construction worker - and hits such as YMCA. Carey also played bass for Patti LaBelle, and toured with artists such as Luther Vandross. Davis, among other things, wrote and arranged for a number of artists, such as the O'Jays and Phyllis Hyman, and produced and remixed projects with James Brown and Tito Puente Jr.
Four years ago, Constantine, a former theater and opera fixture, met Davis in a studio where she was recording a dance track. “When he asked me to join (the reformed) Gypsy Lane, I was so excited. I mean, playing with guys of this caliber. I said, Count me in!'”
The other members of the band include drummer and backup singer Lionel Harrison, who has performed with Grammy winners, and Shawn Tarver, a guitarist, percussionist and vocalist who also has played with well-known musicians.
Gypsy Lane has recorded one CD so far -a live performance at New York Bar & Grill in North Palm Beach - and performed at special events for tennis star Venus Williams, football great Dan Marino and Gov. Jeb Bush. It's now incorporating its original tunes into its mix so folks at Blue Martini this weekend may hear a few songs they're not familiar with. Otherwise, expect a vast repertoire of favorites from every decade between the 1940s and now.
“We go the extra mile,” says Constantine, who plays what is known as a Midi Wind Controller, which could otherwise be described as an electronic saxophone. “If we're not up there having fun, no one else is. We take the whole show approach. If you watch us throughout the night, you'll probably get attached to us and come back again.”