Each season, the Kennedy Center creates programs that showcase the vast array of music unique to the Washington, D.C., area. For two nights, “DC Originality,” a musical journey, took audiences through sounds from the past and present, with a nod to the future, with performances accompanied by the National Symphony Orchestra.
Kellen Gray, a native of Rock Hill, South Carolina, now living in Scotland, was the NSO’s guest conductor.
“We journey through the musical and cultural landscape of Washington, D.C.,” Gray said about the concert. “One of my favorite projects with NSO is the ‘In Your Neighborhood’ series, where we take the music out of the concert hall into the heart of D.C.’s vibrant communities. That is the idea for this concert.”
“Originality DC” hosts were Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated actor Anthony Anderson and Tonya M. Matthews, Ph.D., native Washingtonian and president and CEO of the International African American Museum (IAAM) in Charleston, South Carolina. Anderson provided some comic relief as he and Matthews introduced segments of the production.
Starting With What We Know
The event honored District native sons Duke Ellington and Marvin Gaye.
Singer and music curator Imani-Grace Cooper began with “Lush Life,” composed by Billy Strayhorn, Ellington’s frequent collaborator.
Native Washingtonian Kenny Lattimore joined Cooper to sing “You’re All I Need to Get By,” the 1968 Motown hit duet Gaye and Tammi Terrell recorded. Both Cooper and Lattimore are Howard University alumni.
Singer-songwriter Lattimore then performed two selections, starting with the classical tune “Parlami d’amore,” which the singer sang in Italian. The performance was beautiful and received thunderous applause.
Lattimore, a D.C. native ended his set with his Grammy-nominated hit “For You.” His range through the song selections showed that Lattimore is worthy of a full concert with NSO.
“D.C. is an intelligent music city. It is a diverse music city,” Lattimore said in an exclusive interview on The Washington Informer’s WIN-TV platform. “I am performing this because we are an educated city. This show touches on jazz, classical, and R&B.”
D.C.’s Musical Representation on Point
The String Queens, the performers who are also local educators, had a huge cheering section at the Kennedy Center.
Violinist Kendall Isadore, cellist Élise Sharp, and violist Dawn Johnson opened with the familiar Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, transitioning smoothly into En Vogue’s “Don’t Let Go,” then moving forward with Anita Baker’s “Sweet Love.” All of the songs in the medley came together spectacularly.
Jazz, which has long had a stronghold in the District, was also a major highlight of the evening, with tunes sung by Howard University’s 10-member vocal group Afro Blue, accompanied by NSO and acapella.
Southeast D.C. native and Duke Ellington School of the Arts graduate Christylez Bacon, a Grammy-nominated oral percussionist, also wowed during the show. Called a human beatbox, Christylez Bacon made music with percussive sounds from his voice without using physical instruments. He performed a duet with violinist Marissa Regni, principal second violinist with NSO.
In addition, D.C.’s own Ginuwine got the ladies excited with his hits.
Finally, the show honored D.C.’s official sound, go-go music, closing the concert with the Go-Go All-Stars.
“DC Originality” was not just a concert, but a lesson on local musical history.