My family and I enjoyed an evening of genre-defying music provided by Los Hombres Perdidos and Las Guitarras de España at City Winery in the West Loop restaurant district of Chicago. I initially classified these groups as world music fusion ensembles, but I dislike the phrase 'world music', and fusion music has unfavorable connotations to it. Genre-defying and cross-cultural collaboration are better descriptions of what we enjoyed that night.
City Winery opened about 6-8 months ago, and hails originally from New York City. They make their own wine, which is stored in enormous vats at the front of the restaurant, and are housed in a beautiful industrial-styled loft restaurant, with high ceilings, rustic but elegant decor, and dim golden lighting. Despite the lovely setting, I felt as though the place lacked heart. It seemed too corporate, presenting itself as more of a cash cow than an intimate and soulful wine bar.
We were forewarned to not order food at City Winery because the kitchen is apparently struggling. Entrees are often unavailable, service is friendly but not efficient (perhaps due to the closeness proximity of the tables to one another - navigating such a maze without tripping or making a mess can't be easy for a server), and the food is supposedly sub-par. Nevertheless, we ordered a dessert plate of macaroons, and were, in fact, quite disappointed. So, don't order the food. Stick to their good wine list.
Los Hombres Perdidos consisted of talented musicians (drum set, bass, sax, trumpet, guitar, vocals), but frontman Colin Bunn's somewhat awkward stage presence unfortunately distracted from his solid guitar playing and generally tight ensemble. Las Guitarras de España blended flamenco, Indian, Cuban, and Spanish music together through a traditional flamenco combo (guitar, voice, and flamenco dancer) joined by tabla and veena, a difficult instrument that isn't commonly played. Saraswathi Ranganathan masterfully blended as well as virtuosically soloed on the veena, joining and interweaving with Carlo Basile's beautiful flamenco guitar playing. Wendy Clinard, flamenco dancer, added a physical and fiery dimension to the evening, with her energetic dance performances, and two special guests from Senegal performed on the kora, a 21-string West African instrument, as well as the talking drum, a percussive instrument that's played on one's shoulder, where pitch is manipulated by pulling on a cord that raises and lowers the timbre. The sonority was thrilling, with a rawness of emotion and a deep understanding on the part of the musicians of the musical styles they were sharing with one another. At one point, the group of musicians on stage was so diverse, one could not help but smile and be proud of the musical and cultural melting pot that is Chicago.
