(Royal Albert Hall – The Sound Of Philadelphia concert – photo courtesy Andy Paradise)
THE SOUND OF PHILADELPHIA: THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL (October 19)
What an incredible opportunity on a pleasant Saturday evening to bask in the glory of ‘The Sound Of Philadelphia,’ oft times referred with reverence to ‘Philly Soul’ at the majestic Royal Albert Hall, a venue that holds approximately 5,000 eager concert-goers. The common link: the love for the groove’n’soul that is at the heart of the universally-known anthems that created in Philadelphia have been integral to contemporary music for over 50 years.
Under the baton of renowned conductor, producer and music director Chris Cameron (who created all the arrangements for the two-plus-hours of classics tunes), The BBC Concert Orchestra treated the packed auditorium to a tour-de-force dazzling evening of some of the finest compostitions primarily created by hitmakers Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff and maestro Thom Bell. With Sir Lenny Henry as the master of ceremonies, the choice of material performed from the dozens of well-known Philly Soul-related repertoire wisely focused on some of the best-loved and most popular hits (in particular with UK audiences) from the vast catalogue. Seeing a full orchestra perform Philly classics was akin to what watching MFSB (the incredible musicians who were featured on so many of the original recordings) might have been like in live performance!
“T.S.O.P.” and “Love Is The Message” kicked the evening off followed by”Love Train” and “Backstabbers” which were among the first hits for the then-fledgling Philadelphia International Records back in 1972, originally recorded by The O’Jays. A phenomenal rundown of songs produced and co-written by the late Thom Bell provided an incredible tribute to the masterful genius: such gems as “La-La (Means I Love You),” “Ready Or Not (Here I Come)” and “Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time)” all popularized by The Delfonics, led into four soul standards by The Stylistics (“Betcha By Golly Wow,” “Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart),” “You Are Everything” and “You Make Me Feel Brand New”).
The enthused audience responded to The Spinners’ “I’ll Be Around” (with lead vocals by Tony Momrelle), dancing and singing along, followed by further chestnuts from Thom Bell’s sterling work with The Spinners via “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love” and “Ghetto Child.” Major highlights from the first half of the evening included a rousing version of “I’m Doin’ Fine Now” (originally recorded by the group, New York City), a cameo vocal from Gina Foster (one of the primary background vocalists for the show) on “People Make The World Go Round” and another Stylistics’ favourite “I’m Stone In Love With You.”
The second half of this spectacular event included “I Love Music,” the enduring “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” (featuring Ashton Jones) and one of the night’s most memorable performances, UK soul queen Beverley Knight’s reading of “When Will I See You Again,” prefaced by an introduction from one of original members of The Three Degrees, Sheila Ferguson who referenced that the was first embraced by British music buyers in 1974 when it became a No. 1 hit.
Beverley Knight, photo courtesy Andy Paradise
Beverley’s rendition of “Show You The Way To Go” (written and produced by Gamble & Huff for The Jacksons in 1976) was followed by a showstopping “Don’t Leave Me This Way” (originally recorded by Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes and turned into a global anthem by Thelma Houston in 1976) . Andrew Roachford brought smooth vocals to Billy Paul’s “Me & Mrs. Jones” before Omar gave a headswayin’ feel to “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine,” Lou Rawls’ 1976 smash before Beverley Knight returned to the stage for Jean Carn’s “Don’t Let It Go To Your Head,” which, while a major UK soul community classic, never had the same response from mainstream audiences. Closing the proceedings: the inevitable and ever-timely “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now” with all the featured and background vocalists on hand to complete a phenomenal evening, with a brief reprise of The O’Jays’ “Love Train.”
Special shout out to Dexter Wansel, who watched the show with much delight along with Caliph Gamble, Ralph Tee and yours truly. Kudos to Chuck Gamble & Warner-Chappell Music team and Royal Albert Hall staff Shereen Perera and Paul Bernstein.
DEXTER WANSEL: LIVE AT RONNIE SCOTT’S (October 16, 2024)
What a soulful few days in London! On October 16th, three days before ‘The Sound Of Philadelphia’ concert at The Royal Albert Hall, an opportunity to see live performance by one of the key creators of more than a few of the productions, songs and arrangements that propelled ‘The Philly Sound’ to prominence in the late ’70s and through the ’80s: as the Discogs entry states, “Dexter Wansel is a musician, keyboardist, songwriter, arranger, conductor, synthesist, producer and recording artist, whose talents have left an indelible mark on the world of contemporary music.”
A cursory ‘glance’ at his extensive discography reveals now-classics by Teddy Pendergrass (“Love T.K.O”), The Jones Girls (“Nights Over Egypt”), The Stylistics (“Hurry Up This Way Again”), Patti LaBelle (“If Only You Knew”), Phyllis Hyman (“Living All Alone”), contributions to recordings by Lou Rawls, MFSB., Billy Paul, Dee Dee Sharp Gamble, The Jacksons, The O’Jays, Jerry Butler and Shirley Jones. His four albums for Philadelphia International Records as a recording artist in his own right include tracks such as “The Sweetest Pain,” “Together Once Again” and the title cuts of his 1976 debut set, “Life On Mars” and 1979 LP, “Time Is Slipping Away.”
Among the UK soul fraternity, Dexter is legendary, much like fellow Philly favourites, Jean Carn and Shirley Jones. All three have performed extensively over the years; and seeing Dexter live up-close-and-personal at the hallowed Ronnie Scott’s jazz club in London is a real treat. To a packed audience at the intimate niterie, Dexter brought his stellar musicianship, peppered with Wansel wit – “We have some special guests this evening in the audience. A writer and journalist who has been doing interviews with me for years…Nathan Lane!” My response naturally was to yell out to correct him: “Oh, sorry, I mean Nathan David,”” eliciting an even louder response, “No, it’s David Nathan!” All done in jest and even funnier when Dexter referenced a Brit soul pioneer with whom he worked in 1985: “And also, welcome ‘Senior’! Oh, sorry, I mean, ‘Junior’!”
Junior, Dexter Wansel, David Nathan and Fitzoy of The Soul Survivors
Dexter Wansel and David Nathan, Ronnie Scott’s, October 16th, 2024
(Photos courtesy, Fitzroy Facey)
Dexter’s set included some of his own much-loved recordings such as the afore-mentioned “The Sweetest Pain” and the instrumental “Solutions” (from the “Voyager” LP); and it was his reprise of hits for others such as “Love T.K.O.,” “If Only You Knew” and “Nights Over Egypt,” with three great vocalists, Gina Foster, Angelo Starr and Susan Allotey along with a brilliant band, led by Ernie McKone on bass, with Pat Clahar on saxophone; Tim Jones on guitar; Toby Baker and Dimitrius Dimopoulos on keyboards; and Crispin Taylor on drums. Finishing the set with a Philly anthem, “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now,” it was indeed a triumpant show.
David Nathan
October 31, 2024
(c) 2024, David Nathan/Blue Butterfly Entertainment Ltd.; all rights reserved.
AMAZON.COM LINKS
SATISFACTION GUARANTEED: THE SOUND OF PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL RECORDS VOL 2
LOVE IS THE MESSAGE: SOUND OF PHILADELPHIA VOL 3
DIDN’T I BLOW YOUR MIND? THOM BELL – THE SOUND OF PHILADELPHIA SOUL 1969-1983 CD
DEXTER WANSEL: LIFE ON MARS / WHAT THE WORLD IS COMING TO / VOYAGER / TIME IS SLIPPING AWAY 2CD SET
