A Legend in D.C.
PAYING TRIBUTE, SUMMONING THE SPIRIT
“Look at me, Marvin.”
That’s what Louvain Demps kept telling the singer. It was late on Monday, May 1, 1972, and Gaye was nervous, playing his first concert in several years. Demps was on-site as a member of the Andantes, singing background for the Prince of Motown’s performance at the newly-opened John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. She was trying to distract him from the nervousness, from the pressure of that night.
Did Demps and others around Gaye succeed? How well did he “deliver” at the climax of a remarkable day, during which the star was hailed in his hometown, awarded the keys to the city, celebrated for his talent, influence and stature?
The evidence is available today (18) when the recording of that historic ’72 concert is newly released in vinyl, CD and digital form as What’s Going On Live. Some of you have heard it before: this live performance was part of an “expanded edition” of the original What’s Going On album, issued on compact disc in 2001, although the latest version is newly mixed and superior.
Two can have a party: John Legend, Sharon Jones
In 2012, another musician celebrated Marvin’s D.C. milestone, and it’s that occasion which is under the microscope here. John Legend recreated What’s Going On in concert in early May that year at the same Kennedy Center – and it was one (two, actually) of the finest concerts I’ve ever seen. If you’re no fan of Legend, feel free to tune out, but if you’re curious…
The shows were part of the Center’s first digital youth arts and media campaign, What’s Going On…Now. Supported by Legend, its goal was to encourage young artists to address social issues through their art, and to upload videos, photographs, poems, music or any recordings of creative expression to the project’s website. The singer took part in the launch in January 2012, joining students at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington as they rehearsed for the springtime concert.
The Kennedy Center is an impressive, intimidating venue at the best of times, but on that May 3, Legend showed no sign of nervousness as he strode onto the concert hall stage in a sharp black suit, launching right into, uh…“I Heard It Through The Grapevine.” For the evening’s first half was devoted to “The Duets of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell,” with Legend’s vocal partner being the late Sharon Jones. As Legend moved the mood of “Grapevine” from Gaye’s voodoo to Gladys Knight & the Pips’ gospel workout, Jones joined him on stage.
UNDER THAT SPELL AGAIN
The combination was compelling, just as it was for the next seven duets from the Marvin & Tammi songbook: “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” “Little Ole Boy, Little Ole Girl,” “If This World Were Mine,” “Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing,” “Your Precious Love,” “If I Could Build My Whole World Around You” and “You’re All I Need To Get By.” The arrangements mirrored the originals, played by a band which featured members of Jones’ own combo, the Dap-Kings. The two singers challenged each other vocally throughout the set: it wasn’t a duel – but close.
After an intermission, the stage began filling up with members of the National Symphony Orchestra, followed by their conductor and the Dap-Kings’ rhythm section. Legend walked on again, the percussion percolated (behold, the spirit of Eddie “Bongo” Brown) and What’s Going On asked its questions anew, weaving its way into hearts and minds, casting that spell once more.
Wisely, the 33-year-old singer was faithful to the original and its aura, as were the musicians in back. For the entire performance, he was seated at a Yamaha grand, turning the pages of the score, leafing through history while projecting his voice into the hall. It was a remarkable performance, courageous even, and captivating. And yet…
The first night seemed more like an “event,” with a substantial crowd of invited guests and D.C. dignitaries, as well as those involved with the What’s Going On…Now project. Perhaps this resembled the vibe of 40 years earlier, when the concert was as much about honour as about music. If so, it was no wonder Marvin was nervous.
On the second night, May 4, Legend appeared more in the moment. In fact, throughout his performance, it seemed as if I had climbed inside a record player while the original vinyl was spinning. Legend’s fidelity and devotion to What’s Going On made the night feel as if we were absorbing Marvin himself, in spirit if not in physical form.
Even a small snafu didn’t disturb the mood. When what looked like a teleprompter to the singer’s left, by the piano stool, appeared to fail, a stage hand promptly brought the sheet music to the grand, placing it above the keyboard. Legend did not falter. In addition to the orchestra and the Dap-Kings, there was a four-piece vocal group at stage right, reflecting the layers of Gaye’s recorded voice. The National Symphony added drama to “God Is Love,” while the saxman on “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)” summoned the soul of ’71.
To lend the concert a more contemporary flavour, in sync with the project’s emphasis on young artists, several “slam poets” came on stage at break points. A recitation by Tre’veon “Tray” Bain, for example, followed “Save The Children,” with Legend seated and silent at the piano while the poetry commanded the stage. For the most part, this worked. “Sometimes it feels like common sense is a language, and only a few are fluent,” declared one young wordsmith – a sentiment even more in tune with today than yesterday.
SIR DUKE AND THE FIRST LADY
For the close, Legend brought out the Duke Ellington School of the Arts Show Choir, youngsters all, amplifying the continuity of black music. Sharon Jones came back on stage, too, for the reprise of the album’s title song. (My only complaint: the lack of recognition for individual musicians in the band.) The star of the show thoroughly deserved his standing ovation; later, I learned that those applauding included First Lady Michelle Obama, with daughters Malia and Sasha.
At Marvin, from left: David Ritz, Jan Gaye, Harry Weinger
Clearly, this was a triumph for John Legend, so much so that he reprised What’s Going On at the Hollywood Bowl, two years later. What gave the Los Angeles version even greater resonance was that it took place soon after the fatal police shooting of black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and the public protests which followed.
“Picket lines and picket signs/Don’t punish me with brutality/Come on talk to me/So you can see/What’s going on.”
By way of a footnote, it was during the first of those 2012 Kennedy Center nights that Louvain Demps shared her recollection of Marvin’s nervousness 40 years earlier. In her company when we met was Gaye’s biographer, David Ritz, and Universal Music’s Harry Weinger, whose labours on behalf of the Motown catalogue continue to deserve praise. (Weinger produced and annotated the 2001 What’s Going On package which included the recording of the 1972 concert; this month’s reissue includes fresh liner notes by Ritz.)
That same Washington trip provided one more highlight: socialising with Ritz, Weinger and Jan Gaye, sharing impressions of Legend’s tribute to her late husband. Where did we dine? At Marvin, of course, the eclectic restaurant on the city’s 14th Street, NW, where a “Marvin Burger” comes with cheddar, lettuce, tomato, bacon, red onion and pickles, all for $16. Here’s hoping John Legend tried one when he was in town.
Music notes: John Legend aside, What’s Going On continues to inspire in the 21st century. Just a couple of months ago, bandleader Felicia Collins corralled a host of her musician friends, including Siedah Garrett and Toshi Reagon, to perform the album in its entirety in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. And in recent weeks, Universal Music has released a new videoclip for the title song of Gaye’s album, referencing current social and political issues. His questions are apparently still awaiting answers.