"The weekend of Sept. 29 and 30 saw the M&M hosting The Jimi Lund Band (www.jimilund.com). And what a weekend it was! Guided by veteran guitarist/vocalist Jimi Lund, this is a big band, a really big band. With the players angling themselves into position on stage like human origami, the bandstand finally hosted 10 musicians playing tightly arranged and truly danceable R&B and blues. Regulars of the M&M may wonder how it could even be functionally possible to fit a 10-piece R&B band on a standard club stage, but Lund and his band of dedicated soul practitioners clearly have the challenge well in hand.

Stage left featured the talented man of many hats, Larry Congram on conga, sax, trombone, keyboards and vocals. Directly behind him stood bassist Keith "Silky" Collins, and "silky" could not be a more appropriate a moniker. Front center stage sat drummer and vocalist Bruce Svela, who has worked with Lund for 30+ years.

Standing on the drum riser was the "Hard Rock Horns," a solid four-piece brass powerhouse. The "Hornologists" include Brad Davis and Joel Heradia on trumpet, Cary Cook on baritone sax and Les Gray (filling in for Mike Kelly, who was reportedly abducted by aliens for a one-night performance) on tenor sax. Just to the right of the drummer stood Jimi Lund himself working his well-worn Strat and providing fine vocals.

Dominating stage right was Doug Stroberger on his classic Hammond B3, complete with a pair of beautiful Leslies. The real action came when, later in the first set stepping up to center stage to really raise the roof (and bring the house down), was Myrtle Brown on vocals.

As most music lovers and musicians will attest, to have a great performance, one needs reliable and solid sound reinforcement. The Jimi Lund Band doesn't cut corners in this respect. Front-end sound and PA were handled with aplomb by Rick Gordon of American Made Sound, at www.americanmadesound.com.

To say that the band was tight, professional, well-rehearsed and solidly in the R&B/funky-blues pocket would be akin to describing Crater Lake as a nice swimming hole. The energy and focus was immersive and when the band hit, it was on all cylinders.

Lund's guitar snarled through the meanest blues passages, yet still retained the melodic lift needed to rise above the mass of "my hooks are better than your hooks" guitar lines often played by less savvy soloists. The sweeping and enveloping rush of Stroberger's B3 filled the senses and seemed to swirl in 3D around the entire room. The unstoppable march of the backbeat, honed to a fine edge by Svela and Collins, well-supported the powerful bursts of musical punctuation provided by the Hard Rock Horns. Congram worked from all angles, filling in every musical gap and adding that extra bit of detail. Bringing it all together, under a voice as big as the Northwest, was the superlative vocal work of Myrtle Brown.

The crowd clearly loved the show, rising up to fill the dance floor early and often. The entire band demonstrated a strong sense of showmanship, with Brown and Lund smoothly leading the ensemble through provocative changes and big choruses.

A brief conversation with Lund revealed some interesting "fun facts." Lund and Congram worked together in a Vegas show. Svela has been Lund’s regular drummer for more than 30 years. Myrtle Brown worked with Lund back during the "Jimi and the Bluesmasters" days and the two have been friends for over a decade. Heradia is about to earn his Doctorate in Music; Lund is a civil engineer and Collins is a dentist!

Currently, the band is working on a new, self-produced CD of original songs entitled /Temple// of Soul/. Indeed, their live performances consist of a fair dose of original music with plans to possibly go all-original, a bold move in a city that often thrives on the blues classics.

Make no mistake, smooth and funky, refined and polished, the Jimi Lund Band is a big band for grownups. Watch listings for future performances. See M&M schedule in ad and Music on Tap."