Musical director Rickey Minor (American Idol, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno), Stevie Wonder and friends take the Hollywood Bowl on a tour of soul sounds across cultures, genres and generations, Sunday, July 24, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. as part of the KCRW World Festival series. Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA) and "The Screaming Eagle of Soul," Charles Bradley, are newly added to the stellar line-up which includes Sharon Jones, Janelle Monáe, Grace Potter, Rocky Dawuni, Ceci Bastida, Bombino and The Soul Seekers. Rickey Minor, YOLA and select artists from Global Soul are also scheduled to perform on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on July 21.
In the words of Emmy-nominated music director, Rickey Minor, "Music saved my life," and such is the sentiment of the upbeat, feel-good vibe of soul music and its impact on the human spirit. This concert embraces that mood, presenting music drawn from the global repertoire of the special guests followed by a tribute to the 40th anniversary of
Marvin Gaye's 1971, conscience-driven What's Going On. Hosted by KCRW's Garth Trinidad, guest artists will perform songs from the album culminating in a performance with YOLA of the album's title song, the ever-relevant "What's Going On."
The Global Soul roster ranges from the ultimate singer/songwriter
Stevie Wonder, to American soul/funk singer Sharon Jones, high funkstress Janelle Monáe, multi-instrumentalist and singer
Grace Potter, singer-songwriter Mia Doi Todd, Ghana's international reggae star Rocky Dawuni, Tijuana's politically-charged songstress Ceci Bastida, Tuareg guitarist and songwriter Omara "Bombino" Moctar, funk and R&B singer
Charles Bradley and modern gospel quartet The Soul Seekers.
The addition of YOLA is a perfect fit and testament to the power of soul music to inspire and affect change. The YOLA program embodies the strength of music education with the vision that YOLA neighborhoods become vibrant centers of musical culture with a deepened sense of community. This is the first time YOLA will perform on a Los Angeles Philharmonic subscription concert and is their second performance at the Hollywood Bowl. YOLA students were first at the Hollywood Bowl in 2009, led by Gustavo Dudamel, for Beethoven's "Ode to Joy," during his inaugural celebration, Bienvenido Gustavo!
Music producer and composer RICKEY MINOR is the current musical director on NBC's "The Tonight Show with
Jay Leno." During his career, Minor has built a resume of well-known projects and artists who have depended on his oversight including
Christina Aguilera,
Carrie Underwood,
Jennifer Hudson, Usher, Beyonce,
Whitney Houston, Sting,
Miley Cyrus,
Natalie Cole,
Faith Hill,
Mary J. Blige,
Aretha Franklin,
Stevie Wonder,
Herbie Hancock, Earth Wind and Fire,
Alicia Keys, Aerosmith,
Quincy Jones and
Jamie Foxx. Minor has been the music director for the "Super Bowl," many of "The Grammy Awards" telecasts and "American Idol" from 2004 - 2010. He is a three-time Emmy nominee for outstanding music direction, most recently drawing recognition for the "51st Annual Grammy Awards" show as well as "Genius: A Night For
Ray Charles," the television special that brought together such diverse figures as
Elton John, Kenny Chesney and
Norah Jones. In addition to his musical accolades, Minor authored his first book, "There's No Traffic On the Extra Mile: Lessons on the Road from Dreams to Destiny." Published in January 2009 by Gotham Books, the book is Minor's own personal account of his incredible journey thus far and his insights into the future.
Youth Orchestra LA (YOLA) is the Los Angeles Philharmonic's initiative to provide access to free, high quality instrumental and orchestral education in order to promote youth development. Central to YOLA is the LA Phil's plan to build, with community partners, youth orchestras in underserved communities throughout Los Angeles. YOLA families are engaged in making music themselves while supporting their children's development, with the vision that YOLA neighborhoods become vibrant centers of musical culture with a deepened sense of community. YOLA is inspired by El Sistema, the Venezuelan music education system that nurtured the Los Angeles Philharmonic's Music Director, Gustavo Dudamel. The YOLA EXPO Center Youth Orchestra, the first project of YOLA, is a partnership among the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, The Harmony Project, the EXPO Center and the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks. The YOLA EXPO Center Youth Orchestra has empowered hundreds of students in South LA since its inception in 2007, and serves students ages 2-17 from more than 60 schools in its five-mile radius. In September 2010, the LA Phil launched the second YOLA site at Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA), an after-school community center in LA's Rampart District. For more information on LA Phil's YOLA initiative and its two sites, go to www.laphil.com/yola.
One of the largest natural amphitheaters in the world, with a seating capacity of nearly 18,000, the HOLLYWOOD BOWL has been the summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic since its official opening in 1922, and is home to the best and brightest in all genres of music. It remains one of the best deals in Los Angeles; to this day, $1 buys a seat at the top of the Bowl for many of the Los Angeles Philharmonic's concerts. The venue offers something for everyone, from its sizzling summer evening concerts to the daytime summer arts festival for children, "SummerSounds: Music for Kids at the Hollywood Bowl," now in its 43rd season. In January 2011, the Hollywood Bowl was named Best Major Outdoor Concert Venue for the seventh year in a row at the 21stAnnual Pollstar Concert Industry Awards. The Hollywood Bowl has become synonymous with summer in Southern California.
www.HollywoodBowl.com
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