SPRINGFIELD — From the screen to the live stage, the “Take Me to The River All-Stars” appearing at the Hope Center for the Arts on Friday will take audiences on a heartfelt journey into the soul of American music blending funk, R&B, brass-band fire, soul, and Mardi Gras Indian tradition.
Showtime is 7 p.m.
The New Orleans all-star benefit for the Springfield Jazz & Roots Festival is co-presented by Blues to Green and the Hope Center for the Arts.
“This is the first year we are holding a fundraiser entirely for the Springfield Jazz & Roots Festival which is a free event accessible to the community, but we do need support to keep it that way,” said Kristin Neville, festival producer and executive director of Blues to Green, in an interview with The Republican.
Inspired by the award-winning documentary, “Take Me to the River: New Orleans,” the concert brings together a heavyweight ensemble of New Orleans talent, including Cyril Neville along with his son Omari and nephew Ian Neville, Big Chief Bo Dollis Jr., Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph, Robert Mercurio, Joe Ashlar, Brian Richburg Jr., and filmmaker Martin Shore. Their performances will showcase the rich musical traditions, cross-generational collaborations, and cultural depth that define New Orleans music.
Released in 2022 but filmed in 2017, “Take Me to the River: New Orleans” is a full-length documentary film directed by Martin Shore about the music of New Orleans and Louisianna. It premiered on April 20, 2022, at the Broadside Theater in New Orleans and was digitally released in 2023. The soundtrack album was also released in 2022.
“It was the last time the Neville Brothers performed together,” Neville said about the soundtrack album.
Bringing the New Orleans all-stars to Springfield for a concert is an outgrowth of a collaborative idea between Neville and Kyle Homstead, one of the several educators at Hope Center for the Arts.
“Kyle has worked on programming acts for the Springfield Jazz &Roots Festival for the past several years, We spoke about bringing acts performing at the Hope Center into schools in Springfield and Holyoke as part of the Blues to Green Legacy Education Project,” Neville said about the endeavor, which brings acclaimed Black and Afro-Caribbean musicians into schools to use music to teach history and literature in a creative way.
“Take Me to the River is a relatively new musical act that evolved from the documentary film and the recording ‘Take Me to the River New Orleans.’ We started discussing the opportunity to bring them here based on the fact that my husband Charles Neville appeared in the film and the thread that connects him from New Orleans to Springfield,” she added about her late husband.
Charles Neville — who spent his later years in Western Massachusetts and became closely connected to Springfield, appearing in the Jazz & Roots Festival —features prominently in the “Take Me to the River” film and album. His voice, presence, and iconic saxophone work are woven into the fabric of the project, making Friday’s concert not only a celebration of New Orleans music but a meaningful tribute to an artist who helped shape Springfield’s local cultural community.
Blues to Green uses music and the arts to bring people together, celebrate cultural heritage, and advance racial and climate justice. The organization produces the Springfield Jazz & Roots Festival, leads the Legacy Education Project, and directs Arts for Racial & Climate Justice, including the documentary initiative “Beyond the Storm.”
Tickets, available online at hopecenterforthearts.org, are $45 for general admission. Donor Circle tickets are priced at $100 and include front row seating and a meet and greet before the concert.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.masslive.com ’
