Post by Diamond Girl on Sept 3, 2006 19:06:50 GMT -5
Temptations Revue electrifies jazz fest audience
Crowd is largest for opening night
Susan Whitall / The Detroit News
The Detroit International Jazz Festival continued Friday night with a Motown Throwdown. As cool breezes wafted up from the river, the rhythmic, soulful music that made "Motown" international shorthand for Detroit echoed around the looming skyscrapers lining Campus Martius Park.
First the Funk Brothers, the group of Motown-backing musicians lauded in the "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" documentary, chugged through a set including the Temptations' "Get Ready" and "(I Know) I'm Losing You," Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered," and the Supremes' "You Can't Hurry Love," among other West GrandBoulevard hits.
The 2006 Funks are now pared down to three of the Funk Brothers from the film, but Delbert Nelson's gritty vocals warmed up the growing crowd in Campus Martius for Dennis Edwards & The Temptations Revue to take it home --literally.
From the minute Edwards and the Revue hit the stage in sequined purple suits, after the gruff exhortation "It's SHOWTIME!" the crowd was theirs.
Edwards was originally in Motown's Contours, but he was tapped to join the Temptations in the late '60s.
The Temptations were already legends with their earlier, "classic five" lineup. But it was Edwards' gruff baritone that led the Temptations on many of their hit songs in the late '60s/early '70s period. Back then songwriter/producer Norman Whitfield was on fire, producing hit after hit for the group with a distinctly psychedelic flair,withsongs like "Cloud Nine," with its wah-wah guitar opening and stark, gritty lyrics.
Taking advantage of that history, the Revue came out swinging with the upbeat "Psychedelic Shack," part of Edwards' catalog with the group, and segued into "Cloud Nine," then "I Can't Get Next to You."
A new addition to the Revue is Ali-Ollie Woodson, who was lead singer of the Temptations for most of the '80s and part of the '90s.
Woodson has kicked the energy of Edwards' already tight group up a notch, and he broadens the group's scope since he brings more than a few Temptations hits of his own to sing, including the 1984 hit "Treat Her Like a Lady," and his 1995 rendition of "Some Enchanted Evening," from the album "For Lovers Only."
There were more than a few Motown faces in the crowd, including Martha Reeves, but a particularly special guest was "Mama" Rose Franklin, the mother of the late Melvin Franklin, the Temptations' great bass singer. Much of Edwards' between-song patter was directed at Mama Rose.
Franklin related how even when they were broke, and $5 had to cover both getting a suit cleaned and a White Castle hamburger, they were always able to eat at Mama Rose's house on Clairmont.
"Mama, I looked all over the world for someone to replace Melvin Franklin," Edwards said. "There's nobody like Melvin Franklin! But after I'd looked all around the world, then I went out on Gratiot (screams from the crowd) and found this guy."
At that, bass Mike Patillo launched into one of Franklin's signature songs, "I Truly Truly Believe."
"Mama, that's for you!" Edwards shouted as the song ended.
Edwards mentioned the 1998 movie "The Temptations" several times. "It was a good movie," he said. But he added, "It wasn't made in Detroit," knowing that would prompt some hooting and hissing.
The singer hastened to correct what he felt were inaccuracies in the film, including "the biggest lie they told," that he didn't get along with David Ruffin. "I idolized that man," Edwards said.
Edwards was born in Birmingham, Ala., but grew up in Detroit and proclaimed his cross streets, "Gratiot and Chene!" proudly.
Whenever the crowd did something right, like sing an intricate riff back after David Sea sang it out to them, Edwards would say, "It's Detroit."
There were shout-outs to the Temptations who have passed on, including Franklin, Paul Williams, David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks.
A fascinating cultural snapshot came when Edwards asked the crowd to do the Temptation Walk, and almost everyone obeyed. To see blacks and whites, men and women, children and old people and even jazz fest staffers all doing their best rendition of the Temptation Walk in unison was at once hilarious and yes, beautiful.
Perhaps the most excited person in the park Friday night was jazz fest creative director Frank Malfitano, who announced that the Detroit police told him it was the biggest opening night crowd jazz fest ever had.
The Detroit International Jazz Festival continues today, Sunday and Monday from Hart Plaza up to Campus Martius Park.
Detroit News
Crowd is largest for opening night
Susan Whitall / The Detroit News
The Detroit International Jazz Festival continued Friday night with a Motown Throwdown. As cool breezes wafted up from the river, the rhythmic, soulful music that made "Motown" international shorthand for Detroit echoed around the looming skyscrapers lining Campus Martius Park.
First the Funk Brothers, the group of Motown-backing musicians lauded in the "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" documentary, chugged through a set including the Temptations' "Get Ready" and "(I Know) I'm Losing You," Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered," and the Supremes' "You Can't Hurry Love," among other West GrandBoulevard hits.
The 2006 Funks are now pared down to three of the Funk Brothers from the film, but Delbert Nelson's gritty vocals warmed up the growing crowd in Campus Martius for Dennis Edwards & The Temptations Revue to take it home --literally.
From the minute Edwards and the Revue hit the stage in sequined purple suits, after the gruff exhortation "It's SHOWTIME!" the crowd was theirs.
Edwards was originally in Motown's Contours, but he was tapped to join the Temptations in the late '60s.
The Temptations were already legends with their earlier, "classic five" lineup. But it was Edwards' gruff baritone that led the Temptations on many of their hit songs in the late '60s/early '70s period. Back then songwriter/producer Norman Whitfield was on fire, producing hit after hit for the group with a distinctly psychedelic flair,withsongs like "Cloud Nine," with its wah-wah guitar opening and stark, gritty lyrics.
Taking advantage of that history, the Revue came out swinging with the upbeat "Psychedelic Shack," part of Edwards' catalog with the group, and segued into "Cloud Nine," then "I Can't Get Next to You."
A new addition to the Revue is Ali-Ollie Woodson, who was lead singer of the Temptations for most of the '80s and part of the '90s.
Woodson has kicked the energy of Edwards' already tight group up a notch, and he broadens the group's scope since he brings more than a few Temptations hits of his own to sing, including the 1984 hit "Treat Her Like a Lady," and his 1995 rendition of "Some Enchanted Evening," from the album "For Lovers Only."
There were more than a few Motown faces in the crowd, including Martha Reeves, but a particularly special guest was "Mama" Rose Franklin, the mother of the late Melvin Franklin, the Temptations' great bass singer. Much of Edwards' between-song patter was directed at Mama Rose.
Franklin related how even when they were broke, and $5 had to cover both getting a suit cleaned and a White Castle hamburger, they were always able to eat at Mama Rose's house on Clairmont.
"Mama, I looked all over the world for someone to replace Melvin Franklin," Edwards said. "There's nobody like Melvin Franklin! But after I'd looked all around the world, then I went out on Gratiot (screams from the crowd) and found this guy."
At that, bass Mike Patillo launched into one of Franklin's signature songs, "I Truly Truly Believe."
"Mama, that's for you!" Edwards shouted as the song ended.
Edwards mentioned the 1998 movie "The Temptations" several times. "It was a good movie," he said. But he added, "It wasn't made in Detroit," knowing that would prompt some hooting and hissing.
The singer hastened to correct what he felt were inaccuracies in the film, including "the biggest lie they told," that he didn't get along with David Ruffin. "I idolized that man," Edwards said.
Edwards was born in Birmingham, Ala., but grew up in Detroit and proclaimed his cross streets, "Gratiot and Chene!" proudly.
Whenever the crowd did something right, like sing an intricate riff back after David Sea sang it out to them, Edwards would say, "It's Detroit."
There were shout-outs to the Temptations who have passed on, including Franklin, Paul Williams, David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks.
A fascinating cultural snapshot came when Edwards asked the crowd to do the Temptation Walk, and almost everyone obeyed. To see blacks and whites, men and women, children and old people and even jazz fest staffers all doing their best rendition of the Temptation Walk in unison was at once hilarious and yes, beautiful.
Perhaps the most excited person in the park Friday night was jazz fest creative director Frank Malfitano, who announced that the Detroit police told him it was the biggest opening night crowd jazz fest ever had.
The Detroit International Jazz Festival continues today, Sunday and Monday from Hart Plaza up to Campus Martius Park.
Detroit News
