The Kimmel Center's opening weekend was no less than amazing - Tony Bennett, The Roots & Friends, and then MFSB with Solomon Burke! Yowza. This place may never be the same - and it's all for the good.
The weekend also kicked off the series of Free performances in the Commonwealth Plaza - or what most of us call the lobby. Some seriously good local musicians kickin it up on that stage. Denise King, who has been singing beautiful jazz renditions of the great American songbook locally for years, was deservedly given the annual Mellon Bank Community Jazz Award on Thursday after singing like crazy for nearly 90 minutes. And then Monnette Sudler and her trio got things warmed up for the corwd on Saturday night. Nicely done - both of them.
The next few Free offerings coming up have the potential of being very cool events. The Philly Songwriters Project is bringing 4 excellent voices to the stage on 10/2 (Phyllis Chappelle, Tribal Scream, John Conahan, and Stephen DiJoseph), Anne Simoni will be sounding as smooth and sultry as usual in her native Portuguese on 10/9, and then the continuation of the amazing comeback of vibraphonist extraordinaire Khan Jamal on 10/14.
Be Free in the Plaza!