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Classy Flack Closes 'Garden'. Trenyce, Gambles Add Local Flair from The Commercial Appeal, September 20, 2003 By Bill Ellis The weather was gorgeous and so was the music Friday at the Memphis Botanic Garden's final Live at the Garden concert. Singing legend Roberta Flack ended the summer series before some 3,300 people, and a classier closer couldn't have been had. Performing a mix of hits, covers and newer tunes, Flack was no prisoner to her past (though the soundman made her diaphanous voice at times a prisoner to the microphone - she has such a delicate delivery that one had to strain at times to hear her nuanced way with a tune). That aside, Flack, now in her mid-60s, was fabulous... Two local talents lent a Memphis flavor to the night. American Idol finalist Trenyce - back from her own summer tour - hosted the show. Though she didn't sing, she proved just as comfortable with stage banter as she introduced each artist. Those Bluff City jammers to beat, the Gamble Brothers Band, opened, serving up their distinctly tuneful jazz-funk. The guitar-less quartet - keyboardist/lead singer Al Gamble, Art Edmaiston on saxophones, bassist Will Lowrimore and drummer Chad Gamble - have all the bases covered, from improvising to songwriting. Best of all, they can pull it off both on record and live, no easy feat given the subtle complexities of their material. Playing selections from their new album "Back to the Bottom,'' the group showed a commercial promise that an act like Medeski, Martin & Wood never quite found. With well-crafted songs such as Rec ord Store - simply the catchiest thing this critic has heard all year - the Gambles seem poised for some serious national exposure. - Bill Ellis: 529-2517 |
