Wise Monkey's Old-School Funky Brew

If you were around the local music scene during the mid to late '90s (think B-Side Players, Greyboy Allstars, Price of Dope), then I'm sure you caught the funkified rhythms of Wise Monkey Orchestra. Shifting venues from the old days, the band played to a sparse but enthusiastic crowd at Longboard's Grille in P.B.

Wise Monkey has rotated sax and guitar players but has held on to the core group of Ali on vocals, Chad on bass, and Andy on trombone. The mixture of Ali's sultry vocals and the propulsive rhythm section, with the horns riffing over the top, makes for an intoxicating aural experience.

The Wise Monkeys played a heavy dose of old favorites, such as "Make Believe" and "Waitress Song" but couldn't be coerced into Sabbath's "Fairies Wear Boots" for an old-school encore.

Coming down off of the buzz from the funky brew that was served, I wistfully recalled the days when on any given weekend one could sample an original set of acid jazz, funk, and Latin-tinged tunes at a variety of coastal venues.

• Concert: Wise Monkey Orchestra
• Date: March 18
• Venue: RT's Longboard Grille
• Seats: GA