Tank and The Bangas
Blue Note Los Angeles1492 Ivar Avenue, Los Angeles 90028
Tank and The Bangas bring their full band to Blue Note Los Angeles for a late-night set. The New Orleans collective is led by singer Tarriona “Tank” Ball and multi-instrumentalist Norman Spence II; its touring lineup also includes drummer Deven Trusclair, bassist Kenaniah Turner, keyboardist Rob Kellner and saxophonist Etienne Stoufflet. Expect a performance built around Ball’s poetry and the group’s interactive live approach, with crowd participation, gang vocals and handclaps.
New Orleans-bred Tank and The Bangas rose to wider attention with their unanimous 2017 NPR Music Tiny Desk Contest victory, and NPR has called them “one of the best live bands in America.” Their music moves from “incendiary poetry” into a “euphoric collision of soul and hip-hop and forward-thinking R&B.” The group has collaborated with Big Freedia, Questlove and Jill Scott, while its album The Last Balloon involved Austin Brown, Iman Omari, Tane Runo, Ledisi and Jelly Joseph. NPR called the band “indescribable”; Atwood Magazine heard “immense thought and intricacies” in “astonishing” performances and a “quirky collection of poetry, funk, jazz, soul, rock, gospel and pop.”
A small, dimly lit basement club tucked into a Hollywood corner, Blue Note Los Angeles is a dedicated jazz and live music space with a long-standing reputation for intimate, high-quality performances. The room is modest, with a few rows of seats facing a stage where the music is the focus. It's a place to listen, not to socialize, with the audience often quiet, absorbed in the musicians. Drinks are available, but the atmosphere is centered on the music. Shows are ticketed, with multiple sets each night, and the evening unfolds with a steady rhythm of live music, not casual conversation.