Ray Charles tribute concert rocks the house
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Leon Anderson Group with vocalist Avis Berry |
For more Concert photos
It was a ‘friends of Ray” occasion, hundreds of music lovers crowding into Van H. Priest Auditorium at North Florida Community College to hear jazz artists pound out music in the spirit of Ray. The FAMU jazz ensemble directed by Lindsey Sarjeant - recently from the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles - joined the Leon Anderson Jazz Group out of Tallahassee and the Valdosta State University Jazz Band directed by David Springfield to present a musical tribute that had people standing in the aisles, clapping their hands and shouting for more. The performance offered a mix of stories from RC’s childhood and music that he wrote, performed and loved.
North Florida Community College presented the concert as part of its annual Artist Series. Ray Charles’ children who attended the concert – Sheila Raye Charles, Corey Robinson den Bok and Raenee Robinson McClellan – heaped praise on organizers and said they appreciated being included in the celebration of their father’s musical genius. “The concert rocked,” Sheila Raye Charles said.
The sold out performance showcased the various styles of the three groups. FAMU’s Sarjeant directed from the piano, while Anderson beat out the lead for his group on drums. VSU, one of the oldest university sponsored jazz ensembles in Georgia, brought down the house with Charles’ version of “America the Beautiful.” There were numbers like “I’ve Got a Woman” and “What’d I Say” written by Charles, and songs made famous by Charles' special style such as Hoagy Carmichael’s “Georgia on My Mind” and “America the Beautiful” as well as music by others whom Charles loved and appreciated.
NFCC student Delvin Boatman offered up stories from those who actually grew up with and knew Ray Charles in the rural community of Greenville in North Florida. The NFCC Office of College Advancement began collecting stories from locals last year for the tribute event. Students of the African American Student Union were hosts and the NFCC music students provided backstage support.
Photos of the concert and more program information are available online at http://www.nfcc.edu/RayCharles/home.html.
For more information, contact NFCC by calling 850/973-1653 or email news@nfcc.edu. |
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