The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, in cooperation with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, presents The Black Movie Soundtrack at the Hollywood Bowl tonight, September 3, 2014, at 8 PM, hosted by actor and comedian Craig Robinson. Just added to the line-up are all-female R&B group En Vogue and soul and R&B singer Lalah Hathaway. Also joining the line-up to perform Pharell's "Happy" are sixty elementary-aged choir students from YOLA at HOLA and YOLA at LACHSA.
The program, with musical direction by Grammy-winning musician Marcus Miller with award-winning producer/director Reginald Hudlin, features a soulful celebration of music and movies, with clips on the Hollywood Bowl's big screen. Special guests, including the previously announced Grammy-winner Anthony Hamilton; soul singer Bilal; Prince cover-band Princess, featuring SNL alum Maya Rudolph and singer-songwriter Gretchen Lieberum; and hip-hop group Public Enemy, will perform with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra conducted by Vince Mendoza. Featured movies include Stormy Weather, Super Fly, Purple Rain, and others. The house band will include John Beasley, Kris Bowers, Louis Cato, Paul Jackson, Jr., Wah Wah Watson, and Ramon Yslas.
En Vogue: The name rings more than a bell. It invokes memories of a long line of red-hot R&B and pop smashes recorded in the 1990s. Songs like "Hold On," "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)," "Giving Him Something He Can Feel," "Free Your Mind," and "Whatta Man" featuring Salt-N-Pepa, are just a sampling of the mega hits made famous by the pop/R&B super group.
Fusing style, sophistication, sass, and sex appeal, the
En Vogue formula was magical and the group went on to sell over eight million albums. In total,
En Vogue recorded five albums: 1990's Born To Sing; 1992's Funky Divas; 1997's EV3; 2000's Masterpiece Theatre; and 2002's
The Gift of Christmas. There have also been several compilations released including 1999's Best of
En Vogue and 2001's The Very Best of En Vogue.
The trio (Cindy Herron-Braggs, Terry Ellis, Rhona Bennett) are touring worldwide as well as embarking on film and television projects. Having grown musically, emotionally, professionally, and creatively, the ladies believe each day is a living affirmation, "...Hold On to your Love" and these ladies love to sing - they have no plans to ever let go.
Ask her to describe her voice and Grammy-winning singer
Lalah Hathaway might say it feels like, sounds like, soul. But when it comes to defining the essence of music itself she can go on and on. "Music is so textured and layered," she says, "and it is an absolute entity in my life. It's three-dimensional, it's tangible, and when I die, I'll say goodbye to it, just as I will to everyone standing around my bed."
With her new upcoming album
Lalah Hathaway Live (Hathaway Entertainment), her first live album, Hathaway is poised to express who she is, where she is, today, at this very moment. For starters, she is an artist, of course, but she's also a devoted daughter, culture junkie and a good friend, even. But not necessarily in that order.
Born to Donny Hathaway, one of the most influential soul artists of the eighties, and Eulaulah Hathaway, an accomplished musician in her own right, the
Chicago native first put pen to paper, "with the music," as a 10th grader. Later, as a student at Berklee
College of Music, she recorded her self-titled debut in 1990, which spawned the hits "Baby Don't Cry," "Heaven Only Knows" and "I'm Coming Back." She returned four years later with A Moment, followed by the much-lauded The Song Lives On, her duet album with
Joe Sample in 1999, the same year she began growing her now-signature, cinnamon-hued 'locs. By 2004, she'd deliver her fourth album, Outrun the Sky, garnering Hathaway her first number one single, the Rex Rideout-produced cover of
Luther Vandross' Forever, For Always, For Love, which was also featured on the critically-acclaimed Vandross tribute album of the same name.
In the meantime and between album projects, Hathaway - who's recorded collaborations with Marcus Miller, Meshell Ndegéocello and
Mary J. Blige, among others - keeps her creativity nourished by taking to the global stage and contributing her voice to
Daughters of Soul, a musical mélange founded by comrade, Sandra St. Victor, featuring
Nona Hendryx and Joyce Kennedy, as well as Indira and Simone, daughters of
Chaka Khan and
Nina Simone, respectively. Hathaway's 2013 collaboration with the band
Snarky Puppy -- on a cover of
Brenda Russell's "Something" -- won a 2014 Grammy in the category of Best R&B Performance.
About YOLA at HOLA and YOLA at LACHSA - Since Fall of 2007, Youth Orchestra L.A. (YOLA) has grown to serve nearly 700 students, ages 6-18, in South L.A., the Rampart
District and East L.A. YOLA partners share costs and program management responsibilities. The YOLA initiative currently consists of three programs: YOLA at EXPO, YOLA at HOLA, and YOLA at LACHSA.
YOLA at Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA), located in the Rampart District, serves hundreds of students with intensive after-school orchestral instruction five days a week. Classes include music creativity, singing and solfège, ensemble rehearsals, and academic tutoring daily. This holistic approach fosters a sense of community and provides the students with the opportunity to take advantage of HOLA's exceptional programs and resources. YOLA at HOLA is a partnership between the LA Phil and Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA).
YOLA at LACHSA engages 90 students, ages 8-11. High school students at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts act as mentors to their younger YOLA counterparts. YOLA at LACHSA is a partnership between the LA Phil and the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts.
The concert will take place on Wednesday, September 3, 2014, at 8 PM with Vince Mendoza, conductor, Craig Robinson, host, and featuring Bilal, En Vogue, Anthony Hamilton, Lalah Hathaway, Princess (Maya Rudolph and Gretchen Lieberum), Public Enemy, and special guests, with the house band - Marcus Miller, musical director/bass, John Beasley, Kris Bowers, Louis Cato, Paul Jackson, Jr., Wah Wah Watson, and Ramon Yslas.
All performances play The Hollywood Bowl, 2301 N Highland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90068. Tickets for the Hollywood Bowl 2014 summer season are available now at HollywoodBowl.com or via credit card phone order at 323.850.2000. For more information about this event, visit www.hollywoodbowl.com/blackmovie.
Comments
To post a comment, you must
register and
login.
