Rarely does one leave a live performance revitalized, inspired, and excited to be a musician. The Seattle Rock Orchestra’s tribute to Stevie Wonder was such an experience. Arriving just minutes before the show began, wishing I’d known the event was open seating, my wife and I slipped into a back row, stage left. We were immediately engulfed in an evening of pure bliss as the rock-solid orchestra, conducted by Kim Roy, accompanied vocalist after vocalist who blew us away in a perfectly arranged line up of Stevie’s known and unknown songs.
The arc of the production was impeccable with a show stopping performance of ‘Heaven Help Us All’ by Flora McGill, a tear inducing rendition of ‘Evil’ by okanomodé, and Darrius Willrich’s funky ‘Superstition’ that had the crowd out of their seats and dancing.
All the vocalists brought their stellar musicianship (Allen Stone, Galen Disston of Pickwick, Michele Khazak, Fysah Thomas, Mycle Wastman, Tiffany Wilson, and Carson Henley) to partner with some of the best instrumentalists Seattle has to offer (Margaret Davis on Harp!).
Oh, and did I mention that the entire orchestration was written by local Seattle musicians, Scott Teske, Ian Williams, Emily Westman, Danny Oleson, Lauren Zeck, and Cian McCarthy?
The Seattle Rock Orchestra is phenomenal.
If you have yet to experience it, you are missing out.
