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Johnny O'Neal shines at JazzFest

August 7, 2006
Pianist and vocalist Johnny O'Neal performs Saturday night at the Lansing JazzFest in Old Town. —

Lansing — Saturday evening's headliner, Johnny O'Neal, started tapping his piano keys 10 minutes early, but was perfectly in time for the rest of the night.

With a slight wind from the south and an overcast sky during the final night of the 2006 JazzFest, showers seemed to be looming.

Fortunately, the only downpour was a brilliant storm of jazzy/bluesy musicianship.

Backing the Detroit native and renowned pianist/vocalist were bassist David Rosin, who teaches orchestra at Waverly Community Schools, and Randy Gelispie, instructor of jazz drums at the MSU School of Music.

On the North Stage, the three maestros barely spoke to each other with words, and instead used their instruments to communicate their excitement for kicking out the grooves. There was no set list, and the only rule was to have fun.

The three worked out the jazzy tunes together, but they also made time for some dynamite solos. It was O'Neal and Gelispie who really got the crowd in a frenzy with their unaccompanied sessions.

During a version of Jerome Kern's tune "Yesterdays," Gelispie and Rosin found a seat toward the back of the stage while O'Neal showed off his stuff. And O'Neal had more tuneful stuff than a four-story record shop.

O'Neal, sporting Sean John shorts and a collared shirt, even got a laugh out of his bandmates toward the end of the piano piece "Yesterdays" by letting out wild grunting blusters with his voice.

Matching O'Neal's flamboyant excitement for the solo, Gelispie had his own tricks up his sleeve. In addition to creating seemingly untamed beats with climax after climax, Gelispie showed off by playing half of one solo with only his right hand. The crowd loved it and begged for more.

With O'Neal's mother sitting in the front row of the packed-in audience, there was a real sense of community between concertgoers.

One of the other highlights from the show was a smooth version of George Gershwin's "But Not For Me," during which O'Neal stood up from his piano seat and snapped his fingers while singing.

Besides rocking the keys like a jiving expert and singing from the heart, O'Neal did his share of heartwarming and goofy scatting to keep the audience on its toes. Overall, O'Neal was very interactive and charming with the crowd.

If you're looking to catch O'Neal in action again, you can in the 2004 Blockbuster "Ray" as Art Tatum. He will also be performing Sept. 4 at the Detroit International Jazz Fest and Sept. 8 in Ann Arbor at the Firefly Club, 207 S. Ashley St.

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