Tank and The Bangas
Blue Note Los Angeles1492 Ivar Avenue, Los Angeles 90028
Tank and The Bangas bring their New Orleans-rooted band to Blue Note Los Angeles for an evening led by vocalist and poet Tarriona “Tank” Ball. The listing bills the group alone, with no guests, opening act, special program or release event announced. Expect the meeting point of Ball’s spoken-word poetry and singing with a live ensemble, rather than a narrowly defined single-style set.
The group came to wider attention by winning NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest in 2017 and is now centered on Ball and multi-instrumentalist Norman Spence II, with accompanying musicians. Their work draws together R&B, soul, hip-hop, funk, jazz, gospel and pop, and they have collaborated with Jill Scott, Robert Glasper, Iman Omari and James Poyser; their Friend Goals EP included CHIKA, Duckwrth and PJ Morton. In 2025, they won the Grammy for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album for The Heart, The Mind, The Soul. Atwood Magazine called the work “joyous, funny, confident,” while the Library of Congress described the live shows as “exuberant.” An OffBeat review singled out the “extended jazz/funk grooves” alongside Ball’s vocals and spoken-word writing.
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.