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Once again the jazz simmered at the fifth annual
Starlight Jazz Serenade Benefit for the Hands
for Hope organization. Held at the plush and
luxurious Leonard H. Goldenson Theatre at the
Academy of Arts & Sciences in NoHo on Lankershim
Blvd., as it was last year (http://www.emmys.com/events/lhgtheatre.php),
the annual event drew jazz fans from all over
creation to support this worthwhile cause and to
witness the delivery of yet another landmark
jazz event in Noho.
Igniting the show was diva of music and stage,
Larita Shelby, of Radioscope, who hit the stage
with a performance of “Lemonade” (a composition
co-written with Willie Daniels), a smoldering
shuffle that set the tone for the audience for
the entire evening. She has been the host of
the Hands For Hope Starlight Jazz Serenade for
the past five years. As talented vocally as she
is gorgeous, Larita is also a clever songwriter
and jazz performer, displaying an incredible
scat-singing ability. She was on fire. Her
new CD entitled “A Date With A Song,” produced
by multiple Grammy Award Winner Mr. Andre’
Fisher should not be missed.
The house band, which not only backed up Ms.
Shelby, but would back up all of the artists for
the show, was once again directed by bassist
Dwayne “Smitty” Smith and was comprised of Land
Richards on drums, Brian Simpson on keyboards,
Dwight Sills on guitar, Gail Johnson on
keyboards and Tim Gant, also on keyboards. This
was the same heaven-sent all-star line up of
jazz monsters as last year. Nice.
After a warm round of applause from the
audience, Larita invited co-host for the
evening, Pat Prescott to join her on the stage.
Prescott is the well-known morning radio host on
Los Angeles’ own smooth jazz radio station, 94.7
The Wave. She is known all over the country for
her knowledge of jazz and her sultry, sexy,
soothing voice. She has been the recipient of
Radio and Record’s Smooth Jazz Personality of
the Year Award for 2001, 2002 and 2003. She and
Shelby made a dynamic combination that helped to
make the evening an enjoyable, brilliant and
memorable jazz experience.
Accomplished and prolific composer, arranger and
music book author Gail Jhonson then came to the
front of the stage to perform “Just For Kicks,”
which is from her brand new release entitled
“Keep The Music Playin.” A driving, funky
strut, in the grand tradition of classic Jeff
Lorber, “Just For Kicks” places Ms. Jhonson on
the map with the best jazz pianists of our day.
She exhibited strong command of the keyboard and
the vamp at the end of the selection stopped and
unloaded a groove that spilled across the stage
and into the bones of the tapping feet of the
audience. Her solo was set against a glistening
backdrop of strings that was magnificent. (This
smooth jazz CD can be obtained at
www.gailjhonson.com.)
Pianist/composer Kevin Toney was next to take
the piano at center stage. He is forever known
as a member of the ground-breaking jazz-fusion
group, The Blackbyrds, as well as for performing
or producing over 20 discs over the past several
decades. The three selections he performed,
“Kings” (dedicated to his father), “Midori”
(dedicated to his wife) and “So Much Fun” (from
his new CD entitled “Sweet Spot”), were all
display pieces for his gift of showmanship,
melody and keyboard virtuosity. His slamming,
dissonant five-finger chords during “Sweet Spot”
were reminiscent of the playing of jazz piano
legend Richie Beirach. For CD’s and more
information about Mr. Toney, log onto
www.kevintoney.com.
Powerhouse southern California vocalist
Christine Day took the stage next and was helped
out by Pat Prescott (Pat has SKILLS) as she
joined Jay Chambers and Leslie Smith on
background vocals. She performed selections
from her new CD entitled “Cover My Soul” and she
took the audience by storm. Christine has a
rich and powerful vocal style that is riveting
and magnetic. Her voice is BIG. Mucho energy.
If you have ever seen Judy Garland perform live
on stage (there are videos available for you
young musical pilgrims) you will understand the
way that Ms. Day performs: she sings, thrusting
the force of her entire body, from her toes to
her head, into every note. With Christine Day,
you get not only her voice, but you also get her
entire heart and soul. Log onto
www.christineday.org for her debut CD and
more information about Ms. Day.
Guitarist Peter White (www.peterwhite.com)
then came up to work his jazz magic on the
classical guitar. A veteran performer with a
multitude of musical headliners, including,
among others, Basia and Al Stewart, Peter
brought his unique brand of guitar work to Noho
for the evening. Joined by Anthony Long on alto
sax, the pair performed several smooth jazz
selections from his discography (he has 9 CDs
listed on his website) that brought smiles to
the audience. He also digressed for a bit and
blasted his way through the Isley Brother’s
“Who’s That Lady” and even sang a rendition of
The Temptations’, “Papa Was A Rollin Stone”,
complete with nasty Jimi Hendrix style
distortion. His performance brought the
audience to their feet in a rousing standing
ovation.
Master saxophonist Everette Harp was next. He
blew the audience away (literally) as he saxed
his way through his set. Highlights of his set
included an incredible instrumental
interpretation of Baby Face’s, “When Will I See
You Again,” which began with an into that
explored the very lowest register of the
instrument, and “I Just Can’t Let Go”, from his
CD, entitled, “For The Love.” Everett’s style
is warm and melodic and he is performer with
presence and command of the stage. He plays
with a passion and a charm that brings the
audience to the windowsill of his heart. Go to
www.everetteharp.com now.
Warner Brothers’ Grammy Award-Winning guitar
player, Mr. Norman Brown (www.normanbrown.com)
was next to grace the stage. Norman’s
assassinational, take-no-prisoner style was
unleashed upon Noho at least year’s event, but
evidently he was not done with NoHo. He had
plenty more to say and he said it on this
night. His style continues to mature and
evolve as he plays with fierce intensity and
melodically clever phrasing. His unison singing
with his lead guitar riffs, in the majestic
fashion of Mr. George Benson, gets better and
better every year. Highlights from his set
included a love medley of Earth, Wind and Fire
love songs, as well as a roasting rendition of
his Grammy Award-Winning piece, “Just Chillin.”
His new CD is entitled “West Coast Coolin.”
Check out
www.normanbrown.com.
Included among the many sponsors and supporters
in attendance at this event were representatives
from CRA/LA, bb Jazz, 94.7 The Wave, Pitfire
Pizza, Anheuser Busch, Warner Brothers, NuPrint,
Center Staging, and NoHoartsdistrict.com.
Hands for Hope, founded in 2000 by Lydia Floyd,
in response to her own sister’s need for
child-care, is a non-profit organization that
helps underprivileged children and single
parents receive the kind of loving support that
it takes to raise and nurture the hopes, dreams
and abilities of a child. For more
information, log on to
www.hands4hope.org, or call 818-763-4673. ,
©2005 Scott Detweiler. All Rights Reserved.
Scott Detweiler is an accomplished composer in
his own rite and has just released his sixth
CD. For more details, log on to
www.detweilermusic.com, or write to scott@detweilermusic.com.
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