The World Famous Harlem Gospel Choir
Blue Note131 West 3rd Street, New York 10012
Blue Note’s WBGO Presents Brunch brings The World Famous Harlem Gospel Choir to the club for a Sunday afternoon set. The bill names the choir alone, with no individual performers or guest artists announced. Expect the group’s take on modern gospel classics as heard in Harlem churches, with contemporary gospel shaped by touches of jazz and blues. It is a brunch presentation, with the music as the focus of the afternoon.
The World Famous Harlem Gospel Choir draws its singers and musicians from Harlem’s Black churches and the wider New York Tri-State area. The group is known for power vocals, a glorious collective sound and infectious energy, and has performed with Bono, Diana Ross, Gorillaz, Damon Albarn, Pharrell Williams, Sam Smith, Sia and Nile Rodgers. It sang with Sam Smith at the 2018 Grammy Awards. Reviewers have singled out its “rich harmonies and upbeat rhythms”; Montreal Rampage found the choir at its best “when they’re backing up a soloist, or singing in harmony,” with energy “consistently sky-high.” The Journal of Music calls the concert “a gospel celebration” and describes it as “UNFETTERED & JOYOUS.”
Blue Note Jazz Club is a dedicated listening room in the heart of Manhattan's jazz district, where the music is the focus and the space is designed to let the sound fill the room. The club features a stage with a small audience area, and the atmosphere is one of quiet concentration on the music. Shows typically begin at 8:00 PM with a second set at 10:30 PM, and the audience sits on chairs close to the stage. The club has a bar, and drinks are available. The experience is primarily about listening to live jazz, with occasional gospel and soul performances, and the audience often stays to talk and enjoy the music after the sets.