The jazz was hot, but the breeze off the lake was cool at the free Keller Williams concert last Friday night at Kings Harbor in Kingwood. The Barry Sea Paradox Band played to an appreciative crowd which got larger and more animated as the summer sun went down. By the end of the evening, the audience was chanting “Go Barry, go Barry” as the band’s namesake jammed one number after another on his saxophone.
The opening set showcased the individual, vocal talents of each of the four band members. Barry Sea, wearing his trademark captain’s cap, performed a tribute to Louis Armstrong, singing “A Wonderful World” with a dead-on imitation of Satchmo’s raspy voice. Barry’s wife Bobbie held the beat on drums while she sang “Fever,” sounding just like Peggy Lee who made the tune famous.
Barry introduced bass guitarist “Kool Hand” Luke Richards saying: “He’s so cool; he doesn’t look like he belongs with us!” Luke let loose singing “Knock on Wood,” the ‘60s hit by Eddie Floyd. Keyboardist Dennis Cotton got the crowd into the swing of things by singing: “Jump and Jive” and causing Barry to remark to the crowd: “So you like swing?”
The band then transitioned to some “New Orleans funk,” which Barry described as “swing in half time.” They played some Neville Brothers tunes, bringing out the rhythmic groove of Luke’s bass and Bobbie’s drums. Perched on a platform with the wind at her back, Bobbie whipped up a storm on the drums causing her husband to call her the “tornado queen” and the crowd to yell: “Go Bobbie, go Bobbie.”
The band took a break and Keller Williams’ Master of Ceremonies Roland Duhon introduced the evening’s charity. He welcomed back to the concert series Rick Hartley, executive director of The 100 Club. Rick spoke about the non-profit organization based in Houston which financially supports the families of law enforcement officers and firefighters killed in the line of duty. He then proceeded to draw the winning tickets for the first half of the raffle of prizes donated by the Kings Harbor merchants, which benefitted The 100 Club.
By the time the band returned for its second set, the sun had set and just like when they dim the lights on the dance floor, the crowd knew it was time to dance. The tunes “Dance to the Music” and “Get Down Tonight” brought them out to the Plaza stage which remained packed the rest of the night. Two other songs that had the audience movin’ and groovin’ were: Ray Charles’ “I Got a Woman” and Bill Wither’s “Use Me.”
At the next break, Roland thanked the concert’s band sponsor Shank Wealth Management. He introduced the company’s Marketing Director Tammy Nigro to talk about the business. She invited the crowd to their free “Health and Wealth” seminars and “Stump the Broker” luncheons. Faces in the crowd working the Shank tent were: Bill and Christian Shank, Charlie Garland, Megan Gaskamp, and Alice Hanovich.
Many folks from Keller Williams Realty Northeast were also seen enjoying the music including: Star and Mark Heinrich, Michael Clapp, Donna Duhon, Bob and Terri Blewett, Anne Vickery, Lorri Brines, Karen Fitzgerald, Linda Coburn, Skip Evans and Jan Jackson.
The band was determined to get the audience singing along in the third and final set. They kicked off with “The Blues is Alright” in which the crowd picked up the chant of “Hey, Hey.” Barry pleaded with them to put their hands up in the air, which was his transition to the song: “Shout.” After releasing some energy with the “Animal House” tune, Bobbie slowed down the pace by singing a soulful: “Temptation.”
The band closed out the night on an upbeat note, playing “Yakety Sax” with Barry’s sax doing the talking and “Bare Footing” with Dennis’ fingers flying across the keyboard. The momentum continued to the very end of the concert when the crowd could be heard signing “Na Na Na” until the band said “goodnight.”
The next concert in the free Keller Williams Concert Series will be Gary Kyle and The No Standards Band on Fri., July 15 from 7-10 p.m.