Concert: Maze featuring Frankie Beverly

By J9 of J9's MusicLife

On April 1, 2011, I attended my first ol skool concert in a longtime, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, DC.  I went with my friend C, sister, and cousin.  It was a different concert experience for me, especially because this time I was the minority attending a concert where the majority of attendees were older than me.  So I had to take out the nice slacks and dress extra nice because older grown folks go all out!

To start the show, comedian Sherman Golden opened.  He used to be on the original Def Comedy Jam with Martin Lawrence.  Most of his material I couldn't relate to maybe because of age but the crowd seemed to love him.  After he finished, saxophonist Aaron Bing played.  He was good but it made me sleepy.  It would've been better if he played when people were arriving. 

Then for the main opening act Raheem DeVaughn came on stage, who dedicated his performance to the late Marvin Gaye who's birthday was the next day.   

Raheem definitely knew his audience and tailored his set accordingly. . . that's a true performer.  Before he went into his material, he played some ol skools songs to get the crowd warmed up like Gonna Have a Funky Good Time by James Brown and Rock With You by MJ. 

Check out the link below of his performance of Women.  Towards the end of the clip, he did a call and response with the crowd using the song's lyrics, asking the men to say "you are appreciated" and the women to respond with "thank you."  Then the women and men switched lines.  Great way to bring some love and appreciation in the house.  For Guess Who Loves You More, his band mixed in the beat of Computer Love by Roger & Zapp.  I also really liked how his backup singers complimented Raheem.

Towards the end of his set, Raheem started a DJ vs. Band battle.  His DJ started out by playing Love and Happiness by Al Green.  His band countered with Let's Get it On by Marvin Gaye as Raheem suddenly walked through the audience on the main level and into the upstairs sections singing.  After singing B.O.B., his female backup singer responded with a great remix from a woman's perspective.  For those of you unaware, B.O.B. stands for, Battery Operated Boyfriend.  Of course Raheem ended his set with a little Go-Go and was accompanied on stage by Sugar Bear from EU to sing Da Butt.  Everybody got out of their seats for that one.

Setlist

1.  Bulletproof 2.  Woman 3.  Single 4.  Freakin' You (Jodeci cover) 5.  Believe in Me

6 & 7. You/Guess Who Loves You More 8.  B.O.B. 9.  Customer 10. Da Butt

Then for the main act. . .Maze featuring Frankie Beverly who entered playing Time is on My Side.  Frankie was wearing the same white cap, shirt, and pants that I remembered as a kid.  Unfortunately, no videotaping was allowed.  So pissed about that because I would've loved to have shown you guys their amazing performance.

Everyone stood up when they performed We Are One and the guy playing the organ did his thing!  You There was so much love and unity in place.  You could feel the energy.  People were dancing in the aisles and in their seats. 

When they sang one of my favs, Can't Get Over You, the vibe was so chill, you just wanted to close your eyes and soak up every moment.  It felt as if it was summer time and we were outside.  Boy, it was hot up in there.  I don't think I've ever been to a concert where I was getting hot.  We were grooving man!

During their performance of Golden Time of Day, the lead guitar had a solo.  He created a nice groove and killed it!!  For Joy and Pain, they had the disco balls going and everybody got up. . .it was a ol skool house party.


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Concert: Janet Jackson, Number Ones, Up Close and Personal Tour

By J9 of J9's MusicLife

On March 24, 2011, I went with my girls Kelz, Pico, and Brwners to see Janet Jackson for the first time at her sold out concert at DAR Constitutional Hall in Washington, DC.  This concert was extra special because Janet was on my concert bucket list. . . CHECK!

I've been to DAR thousands of times so when the usher escorted us towards the front of the stage to our seats, we all were confused.  I just knew this lady didn't know her alphabet.  Janet wasn't playing when she called this tour intimate.  She built her stage to come out further making the first row start not at A but row I. . . making our row the 5th!!!!  For 5 mins, I sat in my seat speechless with tears forming in my eyes.  I was in shock that I was moments away from seeing the legendary Janet Jackson this close.

Around 8:00 pm, Janet's opening act, Mindless Behavior came out.  This young boy group reminded me of a B2K or Immature with Omarion, Lil Fizz, and Marques Houston look-a-likes.  I thought it was random to have them open for her but they were cute singing their songs #1 Girl, Ms. Right, Future, and their debut song My Girl.

9:00 pm the lights went off and it was Janet. . Ms. Jackson if ya nasty time!!!  For each city on the tour, she dedicated one of her #1s.  On the jumbo screen with an image of Janet, it said "Tonight, I dedicate the "I Get Lonely" video to the beautiful people of Washington, DC."  The crowd went crazy and the video began to play.  A little bit after it ends. . . Janet appeared on stage to Pleasure Principle.

I couldn't believe I was actually seeing her live!!  At 44, she looked great sporting a skin tight, black, leather bodysuit with mesh accents along with Christian Louboutin leather boats . . .FIERCE!!!

People who have seen her before said this time she even though her performance was great, she wasn't hitting the moves as hard as she did years ago.  But you know what, it didn't matter to me because she still did her thing.  She executed the choreo with so much easy and grace. 

I forgot that Janet's been performing for over 25 years and how many number one hits she has. This time she didn't do her normal routine of pulling a guy on stage or have an elaborate stage.  Instead, her set was very minimal and she was supported by a 5-piece band, 3 backup singers and 6 dancers (one being famous choreographer Gil Duldulao).

Her almost 2 hour performance was broken up by a short intermission where old clips of her from Good Times, Different Strokes, Poetic Justice, The Klumps, and Why I Got Married played.  This sequed to her sitting on a stool singing Nothing.

Janet had 4 costume changes.  Her second outfit was a causal look where Kelz turned to me and said "yo, who wears a collared black wife beater?"  Janet, that's who!  During her last song, Together Again, pictures of her and Michael appeared on the big screen. . . it was a sweet and touching moment.  There were definitely times when she reminded me of MJ with the same mannerisms.


To read more and check out video footage, click here.

Women's History Month: Ella Fitzgerald, First Lady of Song

By J9 of J9's MusicLife

To celebrate Women's History month, throughout March check out a series of features on women who have impacted history as it relates to music.

Ella Jane Fitzgerald (1917-1996) was born in Newport News, Virginia and raised in New York City.  She had a tough upbringing from losing her mom at an early age, being abused by family members and caretakers to living on the streets.  Ella stated those experiences helped her with the emotion in her performances. 

At the age of 17, Ella's name was picked in a weekly drawing at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York where competed in one of the first Amateur Nights.  Originally planning to dance, she choose to sing because she was intimidated by the previous act.  Her performance of Judy by her favorite singer Connee Boswell gave her a standing ovation the first prize of $25.00.

In 1935, she won the chance to perform with the Tiny Bradshaw band at the Harlem Opera House. It was there Ella met bandleader Chick Webb who gave her the opportunity to sing with his band.  In the band, she recorded many hits like Love and Kisses and (If You Can't Sing It) You'll Have to Swing It.  However, her 1938 version of the nursery rhyme, A-Tisket, A-Tasket, which she co-wrote made her famous.  Sidenote:  I remember singing this song in my grade school chorus.

In 1942, Ella left the band to start her solo career and this is when she began to incorporate scat singing in her performances.  She scatted to emulate the sounds of the horns in the band.  Her 1945 song Flying Home was described by the New York Times as "one of the most influential vocal jazz records of the decade....Where other singers, most notably Louis Armstrong, had tried similar improvisation, no one before Miss Fitzgerald employed the technique with such dazzling inventiveness."  Ella's 1947 recording of Oh, Lady be Good! made her one of the leading jazz vocalists.

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Women's History Month: Josephine Baker, Entertainer & Activist

By J9 of J9's MusicLife

To celebrate Women's History month, throughout March check out a series of features on women who have impacted history as it relates to music.

Josephine Baker (June 3, 1906 – April 12, 1975), American-born French dancer, singer, and actress, was the first African American female to star in a major motion picture and to integrate an American concert hall.  Born Freda Josephine McDonald from St. Louis, Missouri, she lived on the streets at the age of 12.  By 15, her street-corner dancing got her into the St. Louis Chorus vaudeville show.  She then moved to New York City and performed at the Plantation Club and in the chorus of the popular Broadway revues.  Baker was considered "the highest-paid chorus girl in vaudeville."

Later, she went to Paris and performed at the jazz revue La Revue Nègre.  Even though the show failed, the attention she received gave her the opportunity to open at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in 1925.  There, she became a success, known for her erotic dancing.  Some might be familiar with the bananas costume she wore in the Danse sauvage.   These performances gave her the nicknames "Black Venus," "Black Pearl" and "Creole Goddess." 

Soon after, Baker became the most successful American entertainer in France.  Her most successful song was J'ai deux amours (1931) and she became a muse for contemporary authors, painters, designers, and sculptors like Langston Hughes, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Pablo Picasso, and Christian Dior.
 


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Women's History Month: Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, First Woman to Win Pulitzer Prize in Music

By J9 of J9's MusicLife

To celebrate Women's History month, throughout March check out a series of features on women who have impacted history as it relates to music.

In 1983, Ellen Taafee Zwilich became the first woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize in Music for her Three Movements for Orchestra (Symphony No. 1) by the American Symphony Orchestra.  She has been called "one of America’s most frequently played and genuinely popular living composers." 

Zwilich began composing as a child and by the time she finished high school, she had studied piano, violin, and trumpet. In 1960, Zwilich earned a Bachelors of Music from Florida State University.  She then moved to New York City and from 1965 to 1973, played violin with the American Symphony Orchestra.  Zwilich then decided to compose full-time and in 1975 enrolled at Juilliard.  There she became the first woman to earn the degree of Doctor of Musicial Arts in composition. 


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Women's History Month: Martha Wash, Queen of Clubland

By J9 of J9's MusicLife

To celebrate Women's History month, throughout March check out a series of features on women who have impacted history as it relates to music.

Martha Wash is an American,  R&B, soul, house, and club singer/songwriter.  She's known for her powerful voice.  Wash started out as a backup singer for disco, soul, gay drag performer Sylvester in the 70s.  She then formed a group with fellow backup singer Izora Rhodes called The Weather Girls.  They are behind the highly successful, Grammy nominated 1982 disco song It's Raining Men.  

In the late 80s, Wash decided to go solo singing on various dance and house music tracks.  You may have heard sing on the popular 90s songs Everybody Everybody and Strike it Up by the group Black Box or Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) by the group C+C Music Factory.

Controversy erupted when Wash was labeled "unmarketable" because of her size and replaced by skinner women in music videos and marketing materials for these songs.  Look at the video for Gonna Make You Sweat below.  One would automatically assume the woman, Zelma Davis, in the video is singing but in fact she is lip syncing to Wash's vocals.


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