Last week Musica Viva’s Adam Hall and the Velvet Players returned to MRPS to perform their classic Rhythm & Blues repertoire for students. They were consummate performers, captivating their audiences with their inimitable performance style, their patter, their on-stage collaboration and the professional music they produced!
To quote Musica Viva,
“Singer/trumpeter Adam Hall and his foot-stomping, hip-wiggling, shoulder-shaking “little big band” are the real deal.”
As an exciting extra, Year 6 student Mia D. from Room 2, was invited to perform a few numbers on-stage with the band and she certainly held her own. Mia is a true musician, playing the alto-saxophone and the flute as well as having taught herself to play the guitar. She is a member of two school bands, the Skel-e-tones and the Lollipops; she sings in the choir; she participates in IMMS and she is also a songwriter. Yet, with all this musical talent, Mia appears quietly confident and just gets on with the job. You can see her playing her alto-saxophone in the video clip below and we look forward to big things from her in the future.
Adam and the Velvet Players’ music had a richness to it, with the brassy notes of the flute and saxophones, highlighted by the seamless collaboration between the keyboard player (Adrian) and the drummer (Bradon). The performance was very interactive, giving students the opportunity to play the marimbas and to sing riffs to further their understanding of how good music is constructed. Here you can hear the ‘call and response’ riff from voice to voice.
Adam shared musical gems with the audience and managed to impart a number of music facts about the instruments in a way which was memorable and fun! Here you can clearly hear how important the drumkit is in creating the style or mood of the piece through rhythm.
All in all, Adam Hall was the lynchpin holding the entire performance together and setting the tone of fun and upbeat rhythm and blues through his fast-paced patter and his very personal style, engaging individuals in the audience and leading the band.
We all thoroughly enjoyed their visit and look forward to seeing them again in the future.
Written and posted by D. Veary; photos and video clips by D. Veary and Ms Helen
Canteen