Wolf
Trap National Center for the Performing Arts
Vienna, VA
August 6, 2006
On a warm summer night outside of our nation’s Capital,
Al Jarreau and George Benson played to a packed house (and
lawn) at the beautiful Filene Center of the Wolf Trap National
Center for the Performing Arts. Of all the musical venues
we have in our metropolitan area, I can think of none more
appropriate than this lovely rustic wooded amphitheatre to
accentuate what we heard and saw on stage that night.
The talented up-and-comer, Raul Midon opened the show. Though
the printed program likened his musical style to that of Stevie
Wonder, he was more appropriately described as a “young
Jose Feliciano” by one of the musicians. Raul is
a singer and guitarist, and he played songs from his current
CD, State of Mind. He is almost
a one man band and has an interesting use of his guitar. His
guitar serves as a bass and percussion instrument as well. People
in the audience were familiar with his work, and he was received
warmly by the crowd.
The main event opened with a brief medley of Al Jarreau and
George Benson hits by Jarreau’s band (Larry Williams,
Chris Walker, Mark Simmons, Joe Turano, and Ross Bolton) before
both musical dynamos took the stage. This is the “Givin’ It
Up” tour, which supports their soon-to-be-released joint
album of the same name. Benson took the lead on his classic
tune, “Breezin.” I’ve heard him play
this many times, and it always sounds good, but what made it
special this time was hearing Al Jarreau vocalizing to this
song. He added a fresh twist to a popular song, as only
he can. Benson exited after that, and the show was all
Jarreau. He went right into “After All,” and
continued to sing most of his hits, including the hugely popular “Mornin’.” One
could hear the crowd (including me) singing along with him
as he reached the point in the song where he sings, “I
know I can, like any man, reach out my hand, and touch the
face of God.” George joined him again on stage
and played him through “Cold Duck.” The songs
kept coming, and he continued to move the crowd with his magnificent
voice and unique singing style. Al Jarreau is a singer/vocalist
and performer of the highest caliber. He left the stage
to a final standing ovation, one of several he received that
night.
George Benson opened his set with “Nature Boy” followed
by “Love X Love.” There was a lot of material
to play, so Benson’s band, (Musical Director David Witham,
Oscar Seaton, Michael O’Neil, Stanley Banks, and Thom
Hall) kept the set list moving. The audience has followed
Benson’s career for years so they love hearing these
songs, they love for Benson to perform them live, and they
love to sing along with him. I am no exception. I
was right there with them, singing with the crowd for most
of his set. Jarreau joined him onstage for their version
of “Summer Breeze” from their upcoming album. Benson
continued his set with the love trio of “Let Me Love
You,” “Nothings Gonna Change My Love for You,” and “Love
Ballad.” By the time the first bars of “Give
Me the Night” began, everyone was on their feet dancing
and singing until the end, when he played his signature song, “On
Broadway.” Al Jarreau and Raul Midon joined him
onstage for that. The audience remained on their feet,
singing, dancing, and showing their appreciation for the artists
who gave their all with a night of fantastic music.
The final song of the night, “Every Time You Go Away,” is
another one from the upcoming CD.
Seventy-five minutes each is too short a time when listening
to Al Jarreau and George Benson. They could have played
another 75 minutes each, and it still would not be enough for
me. I would still leave wanting more. These two
talented multi-Grammy-winning musicians have so many hits,
so much excellent material in their catalogs that spans many
genres, that it is impossible to cram it all into a 75-minute
set. Having said that, it was still an incredible night,
and I look forward to hearing their CD when it releases in
the fall.
- Mary Bentley |
