Their first gig about five years ago was just supposed to be a one-night jam at a party.
But the party got so good that this ensemble of professional Los Angeles musicians decided to keep it going.
And now, as they prepare to release a new album, the Afro-Latin funk outfit Jungle Fire is set to perform at another party, and this one with more than 50,000 expected to attend.
The 10-piece band made up of musicians whose individual resumes include gigs with Steve Wonder, U2, Celia Cruz and LCD Soundsystem, will play their biggest show as Jungle Fire when they headline the Grand Park + The Music Center’s N.Y.E.L.A. celebration Saturday.
“The music that we play is a lot of fun,” percussionist Alberto Lopez said. “This is definitely going to be our biggest show to date, and we’re really excited. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
The band is headlining the free all-ages New Year’s Eve downtown Los Angeles celebration, now in its fourth year and encompassing 90 acres from the Music Center Plaza on Hope Street down to City Hall on Spring Street.
It will feature three stages with several Los Angeles-based acts raging from hip-hop to disco, funk and Latin sounds. Jungle Fire will be performing throughout most of the night as they headline the Countdown Stage through midnight.
“They’re going to add an explosive level of energy (to the night),” said Julia Diamond, director of programming for Grand Park. “They’re going to elevate the experience. The other thing I love about them being such a large band and having such a big beautiful vibrant sound is that they make it special, they really make an experience feel unique.”
The band of percussionists, guitarists, a trombonist, a bass player and sax and trumpet players was originally brought together by bassist Joey Rena to perform at a party put on by a promoter.
With a sound that mixes deep funk with West African dance music, Latin influences and a bit of Afro-beats to create a “Tropi-Funk” vibe, the band was a hit and the gig evolved into a series of shows at dance halls, warehouses, clubs and eventually at international music festivals.
“There was never any intention of really building a working band or recording any music, making records,” said percussionists Steve Haney, who joined the band on the group’s second show.
But a couple of years after the first show, the band released its first album, “Tropicoso,” and the follow-up release, “Jambu,” is set to come out in February on Nacional Records.
It’ll be a busy night for the band members since they’ll be onstage from 9 p.m until about 1 a.m., with just a couple of breaks.
And while the band usually performs instrumental gigs, for the New Year’s show it will be joined on stage by hip-hop artist Lyric Jones and Latin soul singer Quetzal Guerrero.
“For the live show we’re going to do both albums, mix in with some other music from the singers and then we’re going to do a tribute to music legends that have passed away this year,” Haney said.
If you go
When: 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday.
Where: Grand Park, 200 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles.
Tickets: Free.
Informaion: www.grandpark.org.
