We had the honor of seeing Phil Perry and Dianne Reeves Live at Knight Concert Hall, part of the Arsht Center in Miami on February 20, 2015. The word Amazing gives no justice to the experience. These incredibly talented artists were there for Jazz Roots, a concert series by Larry Rosen. The venue was gorgeous, comparable to New Yorks Lincoln Center, if not more glorious in its own right. You walk into this grandiose building, with bright lights and windows from floor to ceiling. As you enter the auditorium that is Knight Concert hall, you feel encased in a safe cocoon. There are no bad seats since they are laid out in a manner that descend towards the stage. My husband and I picked up our VIP tickets at will call as special guests of Lillian and Phil Perry, can you say mind blowing!?!
We had an amazing view in the third row from the front. Phil Perry’s band came out and set up. As the announcer introduced grammy winner Phil Perry, he came out dapper in a tuxedo. As soon as he reached the mic and opened his mouth, I could hear gasps in the crowd, guests were blown away as anyone would when you hear this man’s unique instrument like voice, smooth yet strong. He belted out some of my favorites like, Love Don’t Love Nobody, Call Me and If Only You Knew. He sang new songs from his recently released album, A Better Man but his performance wasn’t just a singer singing songs.
This is a lyrical genius, a moving performer who makes you sway in your seat, makes you want to scream and holler. My husband yelled, “You GO BOY” as Phil Perry belted out long riffs. Phil Perry interacts with his audience, talking to them and telling stories. He takes you to a moment in time, a memory and strikes a chord in the audiences hearts. It feels like a journey, and I recommend that every true R&B and Jazz lover put seeing Mr. Phil Perry perform Live on their bucket list. You will not be disappointed. At one point, Phil started whistling and you would have thought there was a magical bird chirping perfectly or maybe it was a flute but no, it was him whistling, hitting every note. His voice, his whistle, instruments in their own right. The band was on point, they kept their eyes on the Maestro as he’s been called, like a hawk and followed all of his cues. They were magical together, the band and Phil flowed together as one, like a long time married couple.
To my surprise there were people in the audience who said they had never seen Phil Perry before but commented on how wonderful a singer he is. I wish I could blast Phil’s music from a 50 foot speaker and drive around the world to let people experience his smooth falsetto. Just as I discovered Phil Perry 20 years ago, there were people discovering him that night. There were students from a local school that Phil had talked to earlier that day. Part of the Jazz Roots educational outreach programs, he gave them a special shout out from the stage and gave them encouragement. Possibly some of our future musicians sitting right in the audience that evening.
Phil Perry shared with the audience, “I’m often asked where the next Miles Davis is and I begrudgingly answer, he’s here now, he just hasn’t been discovered yet because there aren’t enough places for him to play.” What a sad yet beautiful thing. Sad because of the lack of venues for the uniqueness that Dianne Reeves and Phil Perry offer. Beautiful because there are artists out there waiting to be discovered by us, already creating magic. I’m hopeful that young people, new generations will discover the beauty of this genre. Hopeful that more venues in the United States will be open to allow these storytellers to touch more lives through their music. I saw one father with his very young daughter in the audience, and that’s what I’m talking about. People should share this genre with the young ones, introduce them to the beauty of R&B Jazz. I vow to take my children to these types of concerts and expose them to the music I love.
After a short intermission, Dianne Reeves came out and it was clear she too is a musical storyteller, a spiritual soul who I truly believe invoked the spirit of Celia Cruz that evening. Dianne has a voice that strikes you to the bone, makes you shiver and tingle as she belts out powerful sounds that aren’t always English or any other language. She told us she made up her own language because when she would hear songs of people she couldn’t understand, but admired, like that of Celia Cruz, she could still feel it in her body, feel the rhythm taking over and she did that for us. She took us somewhere, sent us good vibes and lifted our energies up.
The beauty of this genre of music, this R&B jazz, is that it moves you in a way that can feel spiritual. I won’t talkdown the hip hop or R&B music of today as it’s gone down a different path and while songs are still creative, the language, the lyrics are not as moving. Let’s never forget the beauty of the Phils and the Diannes who move us, spark something inside of us that feed our souls. They make you feel the lyrics, bring tears to your eyes, make your heart smile, they enlighten us with positivism.
These performances were astonishing and breathtaking!!!!!
If either of these artists are performing near you, GET YOUR TICKETS and don’t let this opportunity pass you by.
Go to iTunes and download their new albums. You can also gift it to a friend or a young loved one. Share the music, touch someone with lyrical melodies that take you on a journey.
For those wondering how I landed the honor of being the Perry’s special guest, see below.
A few weeks ago I wrote about how I discovered the voice of an Angel, that being the voice of the one and only Phil Perry. This musical obsession I have with R&B Jazz began twenty years ago when I saw both Phil Perry and Dianne Reeves at a George Duke and Friends Concert. The Perry’s read my blog post and then as luck would have it, I was able to speak to them both while they were on WJBR Internet radio, Brunch in the Basement with JaVonne. It came up that Mr. Perry was coming to Florida and I shared with them that I really wanted to go but couldn’t find tickets I could afford. They blessed me and my husband with the opportunity to attend this concert as their special guest and I will be forever grateful. It’s etched in my heart like a tattoo and in my memory like a picture.
