Revisiting the Iguanas at Cafe Nine

This is my second trip to Cafe Nine in a week, having come down last Wednesday night to see Holly Golightly (however, Ms. Golightly was reportedly stuck in I95 traffic en route from NYC and I was too tired to wait for her). Johnny Gumbo and I stroll into the familiar little corner tavern and spot Mark wolfing down a piping bowl of chili at the bar. It is the first time I've seen Mark since NOLA, where Gumbo and I kicked his ass in pool, but Mark seems not to hold a grudge.

We are now adept at spotting celebrities (having spotted Teri Hatcher and Susan Sarandon at JazzFest) and we quickly find Bianca Jagger and a young Joan Crawford amongst the crowd. Mariano Rivera is blowing a game on one tv and the SOX are winning on another as we watch some Iguanas file in and begin the sound check.

The Iguanas (Rene Coman, bass; Derek Huston, tenor sax; Rod Hodges, vocals/guitar/accordian; Doug Garrison, drums; Joe Cabral, vocals/sax/guitar) are joined tonight by a Zappa-esque young trumpet player. Spokesman Hodges thanks us'all for coming out tonight and Cafe Nine for keeping the faith with live music and then they launch into an extended version of "Oye Isabel" from NUEVO BOOGALOO (1994):

Oye, Isabel, don't listen to the things your papa say
Oye, Isabel, don't listen to the things your papa say

Your daddy don't like me
I could tell from the very first day
Yeah but Isabel I want you
Gonna love you anyway
That's why I'm singing

Oye, Isabel, don't listen to the things your papa say
Oye, Isabel, don't listen to the things your papa say

Tu dices que es muy terco y tiene su
Opinion yo soy terco tambien
Y te compuse esta cancion
Para ti vidita mia

Oye, Isabel, don't listen to the things your papa say
Oye, Isabel, don't listen to the things your papa say

As you can see, some of the Iguanas' lyrics are in Spanish, who, like the French, have a different word for EVERYTHING! But not to worry, we all sing the Spanish verses like we know what we're doing, sort of like "...there's a bathroom on the right". And we're dynamite on the chorus. OYE, ISABEL! The trumpet player's solos are tasty, the crowd is singing and swaying, and Johnny Gumbo has worked his was up to the front of the stage and is dancing next to (against?) Bianca. Now, if they only play "My Girlfriend Is a Waitress" (also from Nuevo Boogaloo) this time. The set is packed with a nice mix of old favorites and material from their most recent Plastic Silver 9 Volt Heart.

I glance at Jack Kerouac up on the wall, guessing he's wondering how he's going to get residuals from the screen version of "On the Road" and I notice that it's almost midnight. The band has been coaxed up to do an encore (no, it's not 'Waitress"). We applaud our appreciation for a job well done, say our goodbyes and drift into the New Haven night. If you have not been there, please do check out Cafe Nine.....and The Iguanas.