'Twixt Heaven & Hell

Gospel Fest II, plus Pot Luck Philharmonic

by Michael Caito

It was sight enough to make even the crustiest taxi driver blanch,as the two armies, simultaneously exiting their respective Gospel Fest and Metallica concerts, engaged in a cab-hailing melée of Biblical proportions. If Don King was hyping the spectacle he would doubtless have billed it Fire &Brimstone: promising a clash somewhat akin to a Mad Max battle scene with all the Armageddon imagery of the Book of Revelation.

Of course, Providence being a sporadically civil place, there were no incidents other than massive traffic gridlock. And who cared about that?The next evening promised an extra hour of sunlight, Drew Bledsoe was taking in Metallica (so how scary could they really be?) and the Gospel Fest crowd was, expectedly, full of the Spirit.

In other words, nobody was hurt. Not exactly a newsworthy item, but considering what passes for newsworthy these days, it's welcome.

The Second Annual Greater Providence Gospel Fest, held Saturday at PPAC, was epic -- well over four hours long. Organizers had doubled from five to 10 the number of acts in an attempt to provide a wider community representation to the paying public. Partial proceeds benefited PPAC's Community Outreach Committee's Scholarship Fund, whose 10 recipients were acknowledged just after intermission by reigning Miss Rhode Island (and Brown alum) Elana Chomiszak. Of course "Vincent A." Buddy "Cianci" was there with the encouraging news that in less than two years the Arts District downtown will feature 31 theatres, a number not witnessed since the Vaudeville era.

So it was fitting that the entering crowd was regaled by the Mighty Wurlitzer, itself a throwback to that era, manned by Ernest Carr. Instrumentally, that may have been the high point of the evening, as several groups later opted for pre-recorded backing tapes. Perhaps necessary but a decided downer. Unlike last year's inaugural, which found the asthmatic organ used too infrequently with spotty results, I actually didn't want the show to begin, as Carr (with pianist Barbara Bryant) lent several dramatic flourishes and rolls too rarely heard from those storied keys.

Very roughly partitioned, the evening's fare was comprised of three musical spins on gospel: the multi-faith warhorses ("Amazing Grace"), "Christian music," featuring spare, unobtrusive arrangements culled from a hybrid of country and folk, and the more-uptempo inspirationals which form the keystone of Southern Baptist services. There are elements of all three in all three, but Saturday mostly Christian music was found.

Opening performer Isabell McClorin (Mighty Clouds of Joy, the Sensational Gospel-leers, the Counselors) was expectedly profound, showcasing subtle key changes and heart-felt bursts of tricky phrasing in "My Lamb of God," and the show was off to a rollicking start. Cranston's Praise Unlimited Choir was the first of the Christian music groups, and the problems of that particular sub-genre became apparent soon. Those arrangements lean heavily on the ability of soloists with charisma -- not necessarily Charismatic soloists -- and when they fail to ignite the entire song goes poof. Bookending their up-and-down set with a boisterous soprano helped, but the following Assembly of God Sanctuary Choirfrom South Attleboro had no such luck. Though they attempted some of the most involved, detailed choral arrangements of the evening, their soloists were ineffective, and the four-song set was too long by half mostly because we couldn't hear enough from the adventurous choir. The village of Hope gave the night its first major rebound by opening with a male barbershop-quartet a cappella number that was unexpected. The ensuing female trio from the same Shepherd of the Valley Choir fell just short of the quartet's vocal dexterity, though it was still a gas to hear gospel as it might have been performed by the Andrews Sisters. But they could have pared two of the last tunes in the interest of emotional impact. Providence's Angelic Voices, one of the smallest ensembles of the night, made the most of their numbers with an impassioned display which effectively mixed in a little choreography.

After intermission, Warwick's For Heaven's Sake put on a fiery display, with a full six-piece band (including a roll-happy drummer) almost overpowering the voices. But again, underinvolving soloists and too long at almost 30 minutes. The ensuing golden-agers in the combined Senior Choirs of the Olney Street and St. James Baptist Churches (from Providence &Woonsocket) gave the evening its true focus. Sure, there were odd flat notes, but hearing them was like demolishing a dozen of your grandma's chocolate chip cookies. The songs, flat notes or not, like the cookies, burned or not, were made almost entirely of life-long love relationships. It was at this point that the spirit arrived, for real. If that sounds too corny, then file this choir, led by energetic conductor/pianist Carr, under "you-had-to-be-there." (Also, in the interest of living to see my next birthday, neither of my grandmothers, now in the 80s, burn their cookies. They helped bring me in and they'll gladly help take me out.)

Block Island's Ecumenical Choir, led by Bob Fraleigh, took a huge chance with an arrangement of "Amazing Grace" which was probably intended for about 200 voices. They managed well with about two dozen. The Praise Choir (from East Putnam, CT) proved the most-accomplished vocal group of the evening, carrying off multiple harmonies with precision and grace. A very, very strong choir, led by director Pamela Joy Lawson. Returning from last year was Providence's exuberant Cathedral Choir, who by then had waited almost four hours to go on. When they did it was plain to see why they were invited to perform in D.C. for the President after he heard them during a local campaign stop. "Do you wanna have church right here?" exhorted leader Sonny Isom, and the crowd still had ample energy in reserve to shout back "Yes, we do!" Reverend Patricia Smith from Providence closed the show proper before the choirs assembled for a 300-strong finale.

Yes, it was too long from an audience member's perspective, because most choirs went well past their 15 minute allotment. In several cases it seemed like the choirs were of secondary importance to the soloists, whose talent range was too unsteady to carry the day. This is obviously a festival still defining its identity. With two shows under its belt and the second an improvement, they've experienced the limitations.

The beauty of it remains the spirit of it. There are many churches but few performance halls where so many offer their talents to celebrate someone other than themselves --someone else not visible in the room, beside benefits for victims of mishaps. As any of the performers would tell you, just because you can't see doesn't mean you can't hear. And, in this case, feel, the one you're praising. With that emotional booster of a trump card, there is potential for the Gospel Fest to become a respected showcase, a la Newport Folk and Jazz, as long as organizers continue to learn from past miscues.

STARS &BARS. Or, in this case, write a few bars and hand it over to the stars. The Philharmonic welcomes acclaimed pianist Robert Levin Saturday, and this is your chance to get that brilliant melody incorporated into free fantasies in the style of Mozart. What gives?Levin is asking attendees to bring a melody they've written (on musical manuscript paper) to the performance, and after Levin's featured Mozart Concerto No. 21 in C Major, he will spontaneously create a "Fantasia" from submitted melodies. Now that's audience participation. MaestroLarry Rachleff also leads the orchestra in Shostakovich's Symphony No 11. Students are reminded that after 7:30 tickets (with ID) are $5. That is an unbeatable deal. The concerto and symphony are both Philharmonic premieres, and have been dedicated by Rachleff to the Rhode Island Music Educator's Association (RIMEA). Rachleff will also discuss/preview the evening's program on WLKW on Saturday morning.

Quickly: WRIU's Radiothon netted $31,000 in pledges -- $6000 more than their goal. Why? Because their DJs work hard and Rhode Islanders have taste.