The third concert in the ever popular Carolina Jazz Concert Series in Charlotte had guitarist Norman Brown coming into town. His highly anticipated show featured his band as well as saxophonist Dante Lewis. The sold out crowd settled into their seats as Lewis hit the stage with lots of energy and great stage presence.
His set featured many members of his band as he started off with “Thinking About You.” The band was featured extensively on the second and third numbers as the keyboardist shined followed by a long bass solo on the next. He brought out the EWI that showed off his skills on the electronic wind instrument. “Midnight Ride” had him back on his alto, and the crowd loved the title track from his latest disc that also featured some mean guitar. He finished up the set with “Inner City Blues” that featured his bass and guitar players once more.
After a brief intermission, Grammy winning Norman Brown stormed the stage with his guitar and full band. He kicked off the set with “Take Me There” from the After The StormCD. This timeless classic showed off his guitar skills and really got the crowd going. It was a perfect beginning as he slowed things down a little and went right into the title track from West Coast Coolin’. Gail Johnson on keys for the evening was a pleasant surprise as she was featured on “Let’s Take A Ride” from Stay With Me. That was only a warm up for the title track from his newest release called “Sending My Love.” This one featured his daughter Rochella Brown on vocals, and was a nice touch to the ever popular song. He then went way back into the vault for a medley of songs from After The Stormonce again that had the crowd on their feet for a standing ovation! We were only part of the way into the show, and the performance was already off the charts.
He slowed it down a little for one of my Norman favorites “Better Days.” I’ve always thought this one showcases his skills as both a writer and a player. The crowd was very appreciative of this one as well. The fun part of the evening was hearing about some of his guitar influences as he went through some mean Jimmi Hendrix licks, followed some Wes Montgomery and then some classic George Benson. It really described where his guitar roots really were. Another “Storm” song called “Any Love” slowed things down a bit before he went into his classic “Rain.” The original had featured the late Vesta Williams on vocals. Norman’s daughter Rochella took this one to a new level. It was so good to see the two of them on stage together. Gail played one of her tunes called “Just For Kicks” as Norman left the stage for a few minutes, then reappearing in a new outfit. She kicked it up a notch before the two of them got into “Playtime” from the new disc followed by “Lydian.” He closed with the ever popular number he recorded with Brian Culbertson called “Out’a Nowhere.”
After a rousing encore, he was back out front once more to finish off with “That’s The Way Love Goes.” The energy followed through out the show and was a great showcase for this Grammy winner’s talent. The sold out crowd loved every minute of it and definitely got their money’s worth tonight. We were all glad to have both Norman and Dante in town for a really great show.
