3 posts tagged “singing”
...THIS IS CALLED "THE SHOW"
Boston Pops Gospel Night was fantastic! The audience was full to the brim. The music was beautiful. Pastor Marvin Winans was a stone nut! Down-to-Earth and really personable. He and/or the Winans family wrote four of the eight songs we sang, so when he came to dress rehearsal, he gave direction to the Maestro Charles Floyd and to us choir members. This was also Pastor's first time hearing his songs arranged with a full orchestra. His face lit up several times during the dress and the concert.
Josiah is Pastor's son who stole my rap solo. Youth singers from Detroit, DeShonda Rideout and Diamond Tigney sang two solos. Our Boston soloists were Jerome Kyles; first time soloist, Sayida Rivers Farmer; and youth soloist, Oladunni Oladipo. Oladunni is about six years old and she was not afraid of the audience one bit. She sang beautifully and almost looked surprised when we all clapped and cried for her. I tell you their names now, so when you see them in concert somewhere, you'll recognize them, LOL.
AMAZING GRACE
I already told you how I feel about performing, the soaring happy feeling I get. Add music about God and raise that to 300%. Im no Bible Thumper, but Ive had miracle after miracle over the past few weeks, where it only could have been God, because my own personal resources were completely depleted.
((moment of silence))
ENCORE! DO YOU WANT MORE?
After the concert proper, we have an Encore. This year our Encore was "Go Tell It On the Mountain," sang first in Spiritual style, with Oladunni on the solo; then Gospel style with two choir members singing the solo. After the Encore, as the Maestro and the Pops Orchestra leave the stage, our regular choir director, Dennis Slaughter, usually leads the choir and rhythm section (Gospel Artists from Berklee School of Music), in a Post Encore. Well, three of the Pops Orchestra (who'd never played Gospel Night before) didnt know there was a Post Encore. Two from the wind section stayed behind, cleaned their instruments, and had a little chat. By the time they realized we were singing again, it was too late to leave the stage! They looked back as us singers in awe and then just started clapping.
Our Post Encore was "Ill Take You There" by the Staples. We had three youth singers from Boston singing the lead, and in addition to our rhythm section we had an additional tamborine section. All from the Alto section, thank you very much (Altos Stand Up!!!) the tamborine rhythm section included our first male Alto, Maru Colbert. He broke it down like its never been broke, with turns, high kicks, tamborine under the leg and other acrobatics. The other rhythm section members all had a solo: Jerome Kyles - Piano, Dennis Montgomery, III - Organ, Sean Skeete - Drums, and Lenny Stallworth - Bass Guitar.
We "ended" the song proper. Then did a reprise and took it up-tempo to that ol' Gospel, Holy Ghost style. For those who dont know, it sounds like the beginning of the Wonder Woman TV Show Theme Song, or the Church Lady (Dana Carvey) character's dance music on Saturday Night Live. The crowd LOST it! One white dude from the cello section of the Pops, who also got caught on stage, couldnt help himself. He found the chord and started playing with us! It was so much fun! Stage door left opened, and we danced on out!
YOUVE/ GOT TO BE SEEN/ IN GREEN!
The reception in Higgenson Hall was good, as always. We got to bask in the glow (or the sweat) and feel the love from the audience. Maestro, Pastor and Brother Dennis Slaughter said a few words and we went back to taking pictures and rubbing elbows. My old boss, Senator Wilkerson was there... at a Gospel Concert?!?!! Surprised a lighting bolt didnt come in between the French Horns and strike her down! It was fun to meet all the friends, family, co-workers, church members and fans.
I saw Maestro Floyd who hugged me and told me something like, "We almost had to bring you in to do that rap solo. We werent sure who would do it until the very end." I told him, "Well Im from the Bronx, so I can rap!" To which he replied, " Look, I dont want to get in between the Bronx people and the Detroit people!" :-P
But the best part of the reception, was when I met my cousin. Her father and my grandfather are first cousins. She and her branch of the family were born and raised in Boston and we've never laid eyes on eachother until last night! She brought her sister with her, so I actually met two "new" cousins. I took pics all night, drank, ate and made merry. Then, after a drunken call to my half-sleep mother, at eleven thirty, I left back to my neighborhood to Boston Beer Works for sweet potato fries and a tumbling blueberry beer. My feet are still recovering.
HOLD ON! A CHANGE IS COMING!
My pictures will be on My Space as soon as I pay the ransom for the Photo CD at Brooks Pharmacy. It was a wonderful glorious night! Im gonna go rest my feet. Singing a Gospel concert is like taking a ninety minute aerobics class in heels, panty hose and a girdle! You know you did good work, but you need to take a stretch afterwards!!! Ill let yall know when the pictures come out!
AuRevoir!
...WARNING! This wont be coherent
Grocery shopping on Monday (because EBT hit me up for the last time on Sunday) Light bill on Tuesday (because of disconnect notice for Wednesday) which is my Supervisors last day of work before her vacation starts on Thursday when I go to Housing Court just in time for the Friday Baby Shower for the pregnant Russian Scientist at work, but I have to remember to bring the other blanket in for my choir member who is eight months along now. Saturday's the last day I can buy my plane ticket to Virginia Beach for our first family reunion which is the following Saturday... but this Saturday is my concert with the Boston Pops which I am in practice for all this week from 6:30pm to 9:30pm every night.
I have to do my hair because I dont want to look that natural... I mean I work in Cambridge and all that but Im just saying. My whole body is itching including my feet and scalp. I just want to take my eyeballs out, scratch them real good and put em back in. The right side of my neck has a "crick" in it and when I first wake up I cant turn my head to the right. I have muscle spasms in my lower belly area, hemorrhoids and tiny hives on my left knee and eyelids. I caught a migraine last Friday, but I got rid of that MFer. I cant miss work yet, Im not covered.
GiantsFanGurl called me to complain that she had to decline her jump-off because he wanted to give her a facial and/or a milkshake like his white girlfriends do... and was dumb enough to tell GiantsFanGurl so before he got to her house ((there goes my bellyshake again)) My ex wanted that sh*t all the time. New rule in 2007: Im not having any sex with a guy that he can do with another guy or by himself with a magazine GETTHEFUKOUTTAHEAH!
Im blessed and really exhausted ((stomach spasm)) Met the young Associate Preacher at my "new" church, Im not a member over there, I just go sometimes. He is foine, ran the last Boston Marathon and just finished his DocDiv about a month ago and on Sunday morning, I woke up to a familiar voice on CBS and he was reporting on a prayer vigil in Lawrence/ Lowell. I was thinking, why cant I have a good, successful accomplished man like that? Somebody with two jobs, all his teeth and really good cologne... I bet he wouldnt ask for no f*cking facial... unless it involved moisturizer and a spa treatment...
Have no idea if anybody reads this sh*t... there's no site meter and no one can comment unless they sign in. I was thinking about reviving Phat Lady Sings and make a come back ((dont call it a comeback/ I been here for years!)) like Venom and Slish, but I hate Blogger/ Google for shutting me down and pretending like they didnt... so I think Ill stay over here in Vox... for now.
Bon Nuit, Mes Enfants!
