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The legendary Temptations, with original founder Otis Williams, will be in concert Sunday, June 27 at the Majestic Theatre. It will be a concert that will bring back sweet memories for those who grew up with the group and an unforgettable evening for anyone who appreciates incredible music and dance. The Temptations, touring in celebration of their first number one hit, My Girl, brings all that and more.
Otis Williams founded the forerunner to the Temptations ---The Elgins --- in Detroit in 1961 and he’s been singing and dancing every since. The Elgins changed their name to the Temptations after Signing with Motown where they had their first hit, The Way You Do the Things You Do.
The Temptations are presently on tour celebrating the 45th anniversary of their first Number One hit, My Girl. Altogether, they have had over 30 Top Ten and Number One hits, songs most people can remember off the top of their heads ---tunes like Just My Imagination, Ain’t Too Proud to Beg, Papa Was a Rolling Stone, and Get Ready.
Of the original Temptations --Otis Williams, Elbridge "Al" Bryant, Melvin Franklin, Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams -- only Otis Williams is still alive. Tragically, the others all died young.
Twelve singers have come and gone through the Temptation’s ranks over the years, including David Ruffin, also deceased, and Dennis Edwards. Ollie Woodson, who replaced Edwards in 1984 and sang lead on Treat Her Like A Lady, died earlier this month from throat cancer.
Otis Williams, who still leads the group, says the Temptations’ challenge is to “live in the present while respecting the past.”
The group is releasing its latest CD, Still Here, this month, coinciding with their June 27 concert at the Majestic. The concert is presented by Arts San Antonio. |
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by Bill Lewis
 The Lizz Wright concert at the Carver Community Cultural Center provided a charming and fitting end to its 2009-2010 Season. It was for me an unexpected opportunity to witness a discerning, truly remarkable talent.
Both as a singer/performer and as a composter Lizz Wright demonstrated the musical, interpretative and vocal abilities that have had the jazz world buzzing since her debut album: Salt, a few years ago. Her contralto voice is smooth, at times deep and textured but not rough, and her vocal range gives her a lyric, at times airy quality which in turn expands her repertoire and her expressive ability to interpret songs.
I kept waiting for the traditional jazz pyro-techniques of a Diane Reeves or Dee Dee Bridgewater, but they never came. Instead she took us on an eclectic, quiet and exciting musical journey that ranged in style from the Blues of Muddy Waters, to the sparse lyricism of Roberta Flack, from the gospel of her childhood to the rock of Eric Clapton and country of Patsy Cline.
Wright has what I would call a comfortable voice. Comfortable in that she never seemed to push a song, or to embellish it beyond what the song itself called for, or what her voice could do effortlessly. There was an unusually organic relationship between her voice and her gestures. The gestures were sparse, but expressive and her long-fingered and tapered hands were, well, beguiling. As a result, I willingly paid attention!
She spoke of her journey from a restrictive gospel childhood (her father was a minister) to slowly emerging into the wider world of music. Both were expressed in this concert.
Her interpretation of Easy Rider was as smoky as Odetta’s, and, her voice was equally evocative of the late singer. She sang a gospel song, “I ant To Walk With Me” (I think), that was so simple and direct; one could not help but be as moved as she was. Yet in the next moment, she was engaged in an earthy, blues exchange with her guitarist that seemed to want to have the steam of Muddy Waters, but instead felt a bit like it was shyly restricted.
I had seen Lizz Wright on a PBS special tribute to Ella Fitzgerald. She seemed disappointingly stiff. I attributed that to nerves and being on stage with some of the great musical artists of our day, e.g. Stevie Wonder and Quincy Jones. But live in concert she is in her element: expressive, intimate, and controlled and of course, extremely talented.
In front of me at the Carver concert was one very enthusiastic fan, whose excitement was akin to a child at Christmas. Next to me was another fan, no less excited, just more restrained. There were several of those fans throughout the house, a tribute to the growing popularity of a major talent.
Photo by Vincent Soyez
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