By 6 o'clock or so it had cooled down considerably. The O'Jays were amazing and left me wanting for more.

Kool and the Gang put on an amazing performance when it came to the instrumental jazz tunes however there were 3 new very young members and 2 of them were doing the lead vocals and weren't cutting it unfortunately.

There was no strength in their voices and people started walking out. I felt really bad but understood why they were walking out. Anyone who ever saw them perform back in the day has an extremely high expectation of a performance from them...

No, sorry to say we didn't -- it was pretty hot -- how was it?

Quote:

GrovePath, I was there last night. I was wondering if you were...

Soul Queen Aretha Franklin sings the classics at Liberty Jazz Festival

by Jay Lustig/The Star-Ledger
Sunday September 14, 2008


The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin performs Saturday night during the Liberty R&B/Jazz Festival at Liberty State Park.

"Respect." "Think." "Chain of Fools." "Freeway of Love." Aretha Franklin sang strong versions of these classics, and many more, in her headlining set last night at the Liberty R&B and Jazz Festival, leaving no question she still deserves to be called the Queen of Soul.

Her set ranged from a scat-enhanced version of the cabaret-circuit standard "My Funny Valentine" to a gospel raveup, compete with a burst of ecstatic dancing. She opened with the Sly and the Family Stone hit "I Want To Take You Higher" (with a little bit of Sly's "Dance To the Music" added) and demonstrated her proficiency at the blues (with "Today I Sing the Blues") and up-tempo, pop-flavored material (with "Jump To It").

Franklin, 66, was joined at the festival, taking place this weekend at Jersey City's Liberty State Park, by artists like R&B experimentalist Erykah Badu, soulful singer-songwriter Kem, smooth-jazz artists Bobby Caldwell and Euge Groove, and Leela James, whose tough, funky music stood out in a day of generally more mellow sounds.

Franklin herself was in a feisty mood as well, pronouncing herself "ticked off" at Mother Nature for the cool and slightly windy weather, which wasn't bad enough to make crowd members uncomfortable, but did affect her voice, she felt. (To mere mortals, it sounded fine.) She also sparred with some of the musicians in her large orchestra, spelling out the word "down" like an impatient schoolteacher when they didn't turn their volume down enough after she had asked them to do so.

"I want it right," she proclaimed, then turned to the audience and said, with a shrug, "Folks are just not listening."

While she could have satisfied her fans with just her major hits, she also opted for some unexpected material, such as Keyshia Cole's recent hit "I Remember," and a song from her upcoming album, "Aretha: A Woman Falling Out of Love." She also mentioned her Christmas album (her first in this genre), which is due in stores Oct. 14.

Badu, who performed immediately before Franklin ("The queen is putting on her makeup, and I'm anointing the stage for her," she said), was also in good form, in a set that ranged from spacey, hypnotic jams to passionate social anthems.

Jean Baylor, formerly of the R&B duo Zhane ("Hey Mr. DJ," "Groove Thang"), charmed with a set of sweet, stripped-down love songs from her soon-to-be-released solo debut album, "Testimony: My Life Story."

Hometown heroes Kool and the Gang will close today's Liberty R&B and Jazz Festival at Liberty State Park. The group was founded in Jersey City more than 40 years ago and has had countless hits, including "Celebration," "Joanna," "Jungle Boogie" and "Cherish."

Another group with one of the R&B world's most impressive resumes, The O'Jays ("Love Train," "For the Love of Money," "Back Stabbers"), will perform before Kool and the Gang.

More on the festival from The Star-Ledger


The festival takes place from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. today. In addition to the music, the festival will offer a children's entertainment area.

This is the festival's third year. It was previously known as the Liberty Jazz Festival and had a more jazz-oriented focus.

General admission tickets are $70 for today. Children under 13 will be admitted free to the general admission area.

Call (888) 556-5299 or visit nj.com/rbjazzfest08 or 987kissfm.com/rbjazzfest08.

Beach blankets and small folding chairs are allowed. Beverages and food aren't.

Here is today's schedule:
11:45 a.m. Soul Generation
12:35 p.m. Elisabeth Withers
1:35 p.m. Gil Parris
2:45 p.m. Brian Culbertson
4:05 p.m. Roy Ayers
5:30 p.m. The O'Jays
7:05 p.m. Kool and the Gang