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Will Downing & Others At The Pageant |
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| Between now and the end of the year The Pageant will feature a variety of performers including vocalist Will Downing. “Will Downing and Friends” will offer a “Soulful Christmas” on Sunday, Dec. 14 and include special guests Lalah Hathaway and Gerald Albright. Showtime is 7 p.m. with reserved main floor and balcony seating for $41. Other performers include Chuck Berry, Anthony Hamilton and Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings Downing has been wowing sophisticated soul fans with his soothing, sensual baritone voice for two decades now. After behind the scenes work ranging from 80s club production king Arthur Baker to vocal diva Jennifer Holiday, the Brooklyn-born singer/songwriter made his solo debut in 1988 with the self-titled album, Will Downing. It was highlighted by a dance cover of John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme” and Deniece Williams’ “Free.” These numbers set Downing up as a sensitive interpreter of classics. Covers became a staple of his CDs and eclectically include Paul Davis’ “I Go Crazy,” Angela Bofill’s “I Try,” Thom Bell & Linda Creed’s “Stop, Look, Listen (To You Heart),” Janet Jackson’s “Anything,” Ephraim Lewis’ “Drowning In Your Eyes” and Luther Vandross’ arrangement of Leon Russell and Bonnie Bramlett’s “Superstar.” Will Downing’s winning musical blend has landed him on radio stations across the R&B, smooth jazz and adult contemporary dial. His hits include “Sorry, I,” “Do You Still Love Me,” “Nothing Has Ever Felt Like This” (a duet with Rachelle Ferrell), “When You Need Me” (a duet with Chante’ Moore), “Don’t Talk To Me Like That” and “A Million Ways.” His engaging live shows have made him a familiar touring presence, performing in Europe and stateside at venues ranging from nightclubs to outdoor festivals and, particularly, all-star packages. Downing has graced stages with cross-pollinating peers such as Gerald Albright, George Duke, Regina Belle, Jonathan Butler, Art Porter, Lee Ritenour and Vesta, just to name a few. Beyond the music, Downing has proven himself to be an outstanding photographer. His lens work was showcased in a 2004 calendar featuring portraits of singer/musician friends. And in 2006, he self-published (through Will Downing Productions) a coffee table book titled Unveiled, filled with his work as well as that of several other African American graphic artists from Philadelphia’s ArtJaz Gallery scene. The night before Will performs, on Dec. 13, guitarist Chuck Berry will perform an 8 p.m. show at The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., in the East Loop area. Chuck Berry’s music has transcended generations. He earns respect to this day because he is truly an entertainer. Berry, also known as “The Father of Rock & Roll”, gained success by watching the audience’s reaction and playing accordingly, putting his listeners’ amusement above all else. For this reason, tunes like “Johnny B. Goode,” “Maybellene” and “Memphis” have become anthems to an integrated American youth and popular culture. Berry is a musical icon who established rock and roll as a musical form and brought the worlds of black and white together in song. Born in St. Louis on October 18, 1926 Berry had many influences on his life that shaped his musical style. He emulated the smooth vocal clarity of his idol, Nat King Cole, while playing blues songs from bands like Muddy Waters. For his first stage performance, Berry chose to sing a Jay McShann song called “Confessin’ the Blues.” It was at his high school’s student musical performance, when the blues was well-liked but not considered appropriate for such an event. He got a thunderous applause for his daring choice, and from then on, Berry had to be onstage. In the 1960s and 1970s, Berry’s music was the inspiration for such groups as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Berry had a number of comeback recordings and in 1972 had the first and only #1 Pop Chart hit of his career with “My Ding-A-Ling. 1986 fittingly saw him inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as the very first inductee in history. As a tribute to his pervasiveness in the realm of rock, a clip of “Johnny B. Goode” was chosen played in the Voyager I spacecraft, proving Chuck Berry and his rock legacy are truly out of this world. On Sunday, Nov. 9, Anthony Hamilton returns to St. Louis with a performance at 8 p.m. Reserved tickets are $40.50. Hamilton first discovered his talent while singing in his church’s choir at age ten. In 1993, he left Charlotte and headed to New York City, where he signed with Andre Harrell’s Uptown Records. He was first introduced to mainstream audiences with his singing of the chorus on Nappy Roots’ 2002 “Po’ Folks”, which earned a Grammy Award nomination for “Best Rap/Sung Collaboration” in 2003. He is also featured on Jadakiss’ 2004 hit “Why” (which was also nominated for “Best Rap/Sung Collaboration”, in 2005) and two of 2Pac’s remixed songs, 2002’s “Thugz Mansion” (7 Remix) and 2006’s “Dear Mama” (Frank Nitty Remix). Hamilton’s first compilation album, Soulife, is composed of songs recorded during the early part of Hamilton’s career and was released in June 2005. Ain’t Nobody Worryin’, his gold-selling third studio album, was released on December 13, 2005. Hamilton is featured on a track from The RH Factor’s 2003 album Hard Groove called “Kwah/Home”. He also makes a guest appearance on blues singer-guitarist Buddy Guy’s 2005 album Bring ‘Em In, contributing vocals to a cover of Bob Dylan’s 1969 “Lay Lady Lay”, which also features Robert Randolph. At the 2006 BET Awards, Hamilton won the BET J “Cool Like That” Award. Hamilton makes a cameo in the film, American Gangster as a soul singer, to which he also contributes music to the film’s soundtrack. During the 2008 BET Awards, Hamilton covered/performed Al Green’s “Tired of Being Alone” during a tribute to Green’s career. Hamilton is currently working on his sixth studio album, The Point Of It All[1], which will be released December 2, 2008. On Friday, Dec. 5, KDHX 88.1 FM welcomes Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings to the Pageant. General admission is $20-$23. Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings are a funk/soul band. They are signed to Daptone Records, where the Dap-Kings are the house band. They are widely thought to be spearheads of a revivalist movement that aims to capture the essence of funk/soul music as it was at its height in the mid-1960s to mid-1970s. Part of the way this is achieved is to shun modern digital recording methods in favor of using traditional analogue recording equipment. The type of instruments used by the band may also be considered limited to those that would have been available up until the mid-seventies |
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