By JAMES LEWIS
Chantal Joseph, the acclaimed jazz and soul vocalist, brought the Stars @ Riverview concert series to a thundering close Saturday evening at Riverview Park.
Joseph is well-known to Pittsburgh audiences, having twice been named Best R&B Performer by Pittsburgh City Paper. It was a fitting close to the City of Pittsburgh’s jazz series, held each Saturday evening during June and July on Riverview Park’s Observatory Hill.
She did not disappoint. Backed by George Heid III on drums and Sean Baker on keyboards, the chanteuse gave a ninety-minute non-stop performance of jazz standards, R&B favorites, the occasional ballad, and even a bit of scat singing.
With hundreds of fans sitting on lawn chairs or sprawled on blankets, she covered songs popularized by artists from Frankie Valli to Aretha Franklin, always in her own style that ranges from cloying alto to soaring soprano. They responded to her invitations to clap, sing along, and dance.
Held and Baker provided their own jazz improvisation halfway through the performance, with Joseph adding to the excitement on bongos. The pair could have been featured in their own concert.
But Chantal Joseph was the star of this Stars concert, and her intensity never waned during the performance, reaching a crescendo as she closed the program with a six-minute demonstration of sheer energy.
Though born and raised in Massachusetts and performing at venues throughout the Northeast, she is based in Pittsburgh, performing in venues as diverse as libraries and nightclubs. She is a force of nature and, to borrow the line from her opening number, “too good to be true.”
James Lewis is a former public media professional and consultant who now writes fiction. Many of his eleven novels are set in Pittsburgh, his adopted home.
Categories: Arts and Ideas, Reviews
Pittsburgh is so incredibly blessed to have Chantal. We now claim her ( but we truly cannot)! I see her every chance I am able. She lifts me up ( and everyone in the room). You add “ happy” to everyone you meet!