From: Bob Davis (earthjuice_at_prodigy.net)
Date: 2004-12-12 23:27:32
12/11/2004
Michael Henderson, Jean Carne, Marion Meadows
Atlantic City/Tropicana/TSOP Club
----------------------------------
Occasionally I am at a loss for words. Doesn't happen very often. But sometimes it does and
when it does, it always causes me to reflect.
Now I am supposed to be writing a concert review of a show that I attended last night in
Atlantic City. I took about 3 pages worth of written notes, took tons of pictures, conducted
many interviews and gathered up a lotta "inside stuff" and a lotta "outside stuff". So I think
that I did what I was supposed to do? Yet right now I am unable to truly organize and compose
everything that I took in last night into something coherent to share with the rest of you...
It was an evening so filled with joy and wonder that all I can do is list some words right now
to give you an idea of what I experienced. In short I guess these words will simply have to
serve as an outline, until I can get my act together to actually compose a review.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Music, Culture, History, Artistry, Youth, Age, Family, Legacy, Mainstream, Out Of The Box,
Jazz, Funk, Soul, Old Stuff, New Stuff, Vocaleese, Victory, Adversity, Miles Davis, Sly Stone,
James Brown, Rick James, Jimi Hendrix, Chaka Khan, Gamble/Huff, Phylis Hyman, etc
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
I suppose that if I were a "real reporter", I would just give you the facts & nothing else...
Art Sherard Jr: Opened the show with a tribute to Earth, Wind and Fire
Marion Meadows: Did a few "smooth jazz" cuts from his new album
Jean Carne Did: "This Christmas", "Love Don't Love Nobody", "Don't Let It Go To Your Head",
"Then Came You", "What You Won't Do For Love", "Sweet Thing", "Ain't No Stopping Us Now",
"Closer Than Close".
Michael Henderson Did: "At The Concert", "Be My Girl", "Valentine Love", "You Are My
Starship", "Hot Dog", "Wide Receiver", "You and I", (along with a whole bunch of
Miles/Jimi/Sly/Sun Ra/JB/P-Funk style "brotha from another planet type stuff")
and that would be my review...
However this show was a WHOLE LOT MORE THAN THAT
It was actually a...
:::MIND
BLOWING
EXCURSION
INTO THE
PAST PRESENT & FUTURE
OF FUNK MUSIC:::
You see, it would be really easy for me to describe this concert was as a "once in a lifetime"
kinda thing. But it really wasn't, it was on many levels simply a manifestation of what OUR
culture used to really be all about. On another level, it was a manifestation of what OUR
culture can never be again.
It was the past, present and future all rolled together at the same time.
**To say that the music was unbelievable/mind blowing, would be an understatement
**To say that the atmosphere was mind/mind blowing, would be an understatement
**To say that the effect on me as a fan was mind/mind blowing, would be an understatement
Just to make sure that I wasn't dreaming, I went back stage after the second show just for a
reality check. All of the musicians were drenched in sweat, jumping up and down in exuberance.
They knew that they had accomplished something of greatness together onstage.
It was one of those rare moments in time when ALL of the elements of what we refer to as:
"great black music from the ancient to the future"
were on display, front and center, right in front of my eyes.
A few weeks ago, Michael Henderson left me a voice mail saying that he was "coming my way" and
bringing Jean Carne with him to do "the R&B thang" ...
When we spoke later, he told me that the show would be Dec 10/11 in Atlantic City at the
Tropicana and that I could attend the show as his guest. I said cool, that works out perfect
for me, since it was just a few days after the birthday of "mrs. earthjuice" and therefore I
would be a "hero" in this house for at least a few days...:)
**You see, when you tell your spouse that you are gonna take her to see "Children On The
Corner" at a small, cramped jazz club in NYC for her birthday, you get one type of reaction.
**However when you tell your spouse that you are going to take her to see Michael Henderson
and Jean Carne at the Tropicana in Atlantic City, you get a completely different type of
reaction.
During the timeframe between the concert and that first telephone conversation, Michael
Henderson and I spoke on the phone many times. During those conversations, he told me the
following...
**Hey Bob, It's gonna be at a new club inside of the Tropicana, owned by Gamble/Huff and it's
their opening night
**Hey Bob, Jean Carne is gonna be tha bomb
**Hey Bob, I'm putting together a STANK band
**Hey Bob, I'm bringing Billy "Spaceman" Patterson with me (remember I just saw them with
Children on The Corner)
**Hey Bob, I'm bringing some young background singers from Maryland with me
**Hey Bob, I just added Marion Meadows to the band and he's gonna do a "solo tip"
**Hey Bob, ............
So now I'm primed, right???
lol
Once I got there and went backstage I learned that...
**Spaceman and Marion Meadows were roommates at the Berklee School of Music back in the 70's
**Jean Carne discovered Phyllis Hyman
**Art Sherard Jr has a new CD coming out soon
**The two young background singers (Therron Rowler and Shaquan Eubanks) are from Baltimore and
are 17 & 15 respectively
Also while backstage, I handed Jean Carne a copy of the CD D-Erania - "Offerings Of Love". She
said thanks, and I started telling her "The CD is from a young lady out of Chicago who plays
sax and together with her husband...."
Jean intterupted me and said...
"THEY REMIND YOU OF ME & DOUG DON'T THEY..."?
I said yes
Jean said...
"Thank you so much Bob"
I said...
"They are one of our current sponsors on Soul-Patrol and yes, to me both the sound of the
album and their collaboration together remind me of a modern day version of what you and Doug
Carn did back in the 1970's on the old Black Jazz label".
(remember Jean Carne has been "lurking" on Soul-Patrol since 2001)
During the course of the evening I also got to meet Chuck Gamble (yup brother of Kenny
Gamble). For me that is of special note, coming on the heels of the review I recently wrote of
the new book "A House Burning" - Philadelphia Soul. The TSOP club is owned by Kenny
Gamble/Leon Huff. This club is one of the most luxurious nightclubs that I have ever seen that
caters to Soul music (more on that later)
The show itself was AWESOME.
It unraveled itself before my eyes in a manner that reminded me of an old James Brown revue
Each artist would come out and do their thing and then either stay on the stage and join the
rest of the festivities or leave and then come back later onstage.
While they were performing, Michael Henderson, Marion Meadows & Art Sherard Jr, roamed around
the club with their instruments, playing/singing to folks.
Jean Carne had her daughter sing for a bit. She also TORE UP the cover songs that she did,
with a fury that damn near makes the originals "obsolete".
Young Therron Rowler joined Michael Henderson as "co lead" on the song "Be My Girl". Michael
introduced the song, by saying that it was in tribute to the Late Lenny Mayes of the
Dramatics. He explained that he had written the song for the Dramatics when he was around the
same age as Therron Rowler. Jean Carne had young Shaquan Eubanks from Baltimore assist as "co
lead" on "Don't Let It Go To Your Head".
These two young people were off the hook!
Then to end the show EVERYBODY was onstage for "HOT DOG", "WIDE RECEIVER" and "YOU & I" (in
tribute to Rick James) and for about 15 min we were treated to an exhibition of RAW FUNK
(featuring a bass/guitar/sax duel between Michael Henderson, Marion Meadows & "Spaceman") that
was truly of another world.
Sure they did the songs, but they took off into "Miles/Jimi/Sly/Sun Ra/JB/P-Funk" style brotha
from another planet territory and I just lost it. For a "funkateer" (like me) this was truly
just like being in heaven! This was a performance that would certainly deserve consideration
for the...
:::FUNK HALL OF FAME:::
So it was a historical event, it was a killer show, and right now I am probably too close to
it.
After all, it just happened less than 12 hours ago :)
NP: "Gonna Make You Wet, Gonna Make You Sweat, Just To See How Funky You Can Get...."
AT THE CONCERT INDEED...
_________
Bob Davis
earthjuice_at_prodigy.net
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