Recently I supplied entertainment for a $1,000,000 50th. Wedding Anniversary party at the Royal Ontaro Museum. It was a spectacular event! There was lots of entertainment throughout the evening ending with a performance by the legendary Motown group The,Temptations. The client was a huge Temptations fan, and he specifically requested the singers wear their sparkly suits.
I picked up the 5 singers up at the airport, and low and behold, the airline lost a costume bag containing one of the sparkly jackets. The Temps were in a panic. Although they had 4 of the 5 jackets, they insisted they all had to wear the same costume. Our Limo bus drove them to the sound check, and I proceeded to call every costume shop in the GTA to find 5 identical sparkly jackets. No luck.
After the sound check I took them to the Eaton Centre to see if they could find anything there. No luck again. Around 5:00 pm we all agreed the sparkly jackets were not possible and the only solution were some cool, matching tuxedos. The show Producer, Trudy Moffat, found a tuxedo shop in the Little Jamaica part of town which was just about to close for the day. When the shop owner heard it was for The Temptations, he agreed to keep the story open. The Temps and I jumped into the limo bus and headed for the store. Luckily their performance wasn’t until 11:00 pm. It took some time to decide on the tuxedo, do the fittings and complete the alterations. At 8:30 pm we paid the bill and headed for the door to return to the hotel.
The Temps stayed calm throughout this ordeal and were appreciative that the tux store had stayed open to accommodate them. As the guys got to the door, the band leader stopped and suggested the guys should give the store owner and staff a taste of The Temptations. It was truly a magical moment when they sang “My Girl” acappella style.
We arrived at the hotel at 9:00 pm. As soon as we got there the airport called to say they had found the costume bag. I told the bus driver to take the band to the ROM at 10:00 pm and I would drive my car to the airport to retrieve the costume bag. I arrived at the ROM 15 minutes before showtime, and the client was very happy The Temptations were in their iconic sparkly jackets.
Haute Chile is the high energy, sophisticated, and versatile thoroughbred of show bands. Tailoring themselves to your needs, this band can play everything from the elegant cocktail hour to the full blown after party. Haute Chile has become a favorite amongst the Fortune 500 and society crowd, not to mention the top production companies nationwide. Haute Chile’s DVD, featuring some of the best musical talents the West Coast has to offer, holds the honor of receiving the international Clio Award in advertising for being the best in its field. Haute Chile’s concert style presentation and long list of exclusive clientele and credits have established this band as the standard to make any special event a smashing success. With their spicy blend of the hits, past and present, this band sings and performs the best of Motown, classic rock, jazz, disco, and current hip-hop favorites, topped off with a taste of salsa. This versatility has made them a favorite of the discerning client. With highly energized choreography and a highly stylized look, this nine piece group offers not one or two, but four outstanding vocal talents. Add the critically acclaimed funky, salsa horn section and you’ve got the ultimate Continental Fiesta!
The concept of The Three Waiters involves hoaxng as real waiters before eventually grouping to form three talented opera singers. It’s sophisticated entertainment, yet lots of fun by adding spontaneity, surprise, and comedy. Because of the vast repertoire and experience of the performers, the act can easily be customized to suit the event. After performing at The Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in Monte Carlo, The Three Waiters were invited to perform at a special dinner honouring The Three Tenors in Bath, England. The response was overwhelming. At the end of the show our three performers were given a standing ovation by none other than Pavarotti, Domingo, and Carreras! Here’s how it works…………. Each performer actually works the floor as a waiter for some time before the performance begins. They dress and act the part as the “real” waiters giving no clues of what is to come. The dinner is running smoothly when suddenly one of the waiters bursts into an aria from a well-known opera or song from a popular Broadway musical. Your guests are simutaneiusly stunned by the waiter’s behaviour and intrigued by the fact the waiter sang so well! As the evening progresses, another waiter effects a similar spontaneous rendition of his own – with matching professional aplomb! At this stage, the collective audience realizes that all is not as it seems and they anticipate some progression of the unexpected yet highly enjoyable theatrics. Just as the two waiters satisfy this anticipation by staging an impromtu vocal duet, the audience is then further surprised by a gate crashing third waiter. The three proceed to out-do each other “three tenors” style.
Crowned MTV’s “Top Pop Group”, MOSAIC is a 6 man vocal band taking music to a whole new level – and in ways you might not expect. Merging style with state-of-the-art technology, MOSAIC will leave you scratching your head wondering where the “band” is. Why? MOSAIC uses no instruments. Every sound you hear is produced by the human voice-from the bass lines to the drum grooves to the distortion of the guitar – is being vocally produced.
They’ve shared the stage with such acts as Prince, Stevie Wonder, Marc Broussard, Chris Rock, Tony Bennett, George Wallace and Jay Leno to name a few. Mixing elements of funk, jazz, hip hop and even opera, MOSAIC has created a sound all its own.
In December 2007, after conducting a nationwide search for musical talent, CBS News’ The Early Show named Mosaic “The Next Great A Cappella Group” in the world. In October 2008, Mosaic, with their unique instrument-free sound, was crowned the winner of MTV’s “Top Pop Group”, beating out eight other singing groups, all of which used accompaniment tracks. In April 2009, Mosaic received two CARA Awards including “Best Pop/Rock Album” and “Best Pop/Rock Song”.
This is the choir from “The Blues Brothers 2000” movie where they backed up Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Eric Clapton, Sam Moore, Paul Shafer, and B.B. King, earning a Grammy nomination for the soundtrack . Another project, where Faith Chorale backed up The Chieftains and Van Morrison, won the Grammy Award for “Best Traditional Folk Song”, along with a nomination for “Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals”. Faith Chorale was the first Canadian gospel act to sign an international recording contract. This dynamic group also won the 1999 JUNO Award for “Best Gospel Album”.
If the inspiration lyrics and emotional voices of the 14 strong multi-cultural choir don’t make an impact on you, the thick funk, hip-hop, and Caribbean influences that juice up Faith Chorale’s jams surely will. Always an uplifting, positive experience! As choir director Sharon Riley explains “Our music is about hope and encouragement. Gospel music is so soothing, it’s a source of strength , and that’s what people who aren’t necessarily religious feel. You can’t leave one of our shows without being touched”.
For an corporate event with a multi-denominational audience, the lyrics sung will be of a motivational nature rather than religious. Costuming will also be urban hip (black pants/skirts with black shirts/blouses) rather than traditional choir gowns.