UPCOMING EVENTS

Saturday, February 4, 2012 3:00PM

Saturday, February 4, 2012 8:00PM

3rd Annual NYC Winter Wine Festival

EVENT: On February 4th, NYC’s favorite wine tasting takes to the Best Buy Theater (formerly NOKIA) in Times Square once again as we transform this prime venue into a winter wonderland brimming with wine…a vineyard of gargantuan proportions, if you will!

Enjoy wines from all over the world – great Zinfandels from California… Super Tuscans from Italy… full-bodied Bordeaux from France… and some fantastic wines from Latin America. More than 200 wine selections to taste in all!

Friday, February 10, 2012 8:00PM

ENJOY A ROMANTIC AND MEMORABLE START TO YOUR VALENTINE’S WEEKEND WITH THE ONE AND ONLY…BOBBY CALDWELL!

Kick off a weekend of romance with the original Blue Eyed Soul Singer, Bobby Caldwell. One of the most revered vocalists and songwriters on the contemporary music scene – with live performances that are nothing less than electrifying – we just had to have him sail with us for this very special show.

Saturday, February 11, 2012 3:00PM

Saturday, February 11, 2012 8:00PM

98.7 KISS FM presents…
70’s Soul Jam Valentine’s Concert

ALL ON ONE BILL!

The Stylistics
The Temptations Review feat. Dennis Edwards
The Delfonics
Main Ingredient feat. Cuba Gooding
Enchantment

Sunday, February 19, 2012 7:00PM

NEW EDITION RETURNS FOR 2012!

New Edition 30th Anniversary Tour

Sunday, February 19th @ 7pm
(President’s Day Weekend)
at NJPAC
One Center Street
Newark, NJ 07102

New Edition hits the road with a major tour in celebration of the 30th anniversary of their first album,“Candy Girl”. The now grown up boy band including Bobby Brown, Ronnie DeVoe, Johnny Gill, Ralph Tresvant, Michael Bivins, and Ricky Bell have a schedule of live dates and are working on a book, movie, and a stage play in 2012.

In a 2011 Billboard.com interview, DeVoe explained, “2012 is going to be an incredible year for us.” The group will also begin work on their first album of all new material since their 1996 release “Home Again.” In the spring of 2011, New Edition issued a press release announcing that all six members were reuniting to kick off the 30th anniversary celebration of Candy Girl with their fans.

All six original members take the stage in this very exciting show, performing all your favorites from “Candy Girl” to “Can You Stand the Rain,” plus many of the tunes that launched their solo careers, including “My Prerogative” (Bobby Brown), “My My My” (Johnny Gill), “Sensitivity” (Ralph Tresvant), and more!

Saturday, March 3, 2012 8:00PM

One of the top comics in the business for over a decade, Mike Epps is back on the road with a hot new show with new laughs! Fresh off the set of his new feature film “Sparkle” with Whitney Houston, Mike is ready to show fans, once again, why he remains one of the only
Hollywood funnymen with the ability to make
’em laugh live on stage.

Whether you’ve seen him in the films (Next Friday, The Hangover, Jumping the Broom) or in his stand up specials (Mike Epps presents: Live From Club Nokia),
he has undoubtedly made you laugh.

Get ready for his new show… I’m Still Standing Tour!

The Theatre @ MSG is located at 7th Avenue bet. 31st & 32nd St, NYC.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Our deepest sympathies go out to Valerie Simpson and the entire Ashford family for their loss.

Marquee Concerts co-founder Bill Zafiros had the pleasure of working with Nick and Valerie for a few years in the late 1990’s when they were on staff at New York’s 98.7 KISS-FM. Later, Marquee would go on to do shows with the pair. “We worked with them most recently on Valentine’s Day 2009 with Al Jarreau at the Nokia Theater,” notes Zafiros. Bill fondly reflects that besides his hit-making talents, Nick was “a really nice guy… a family guy… always made you feel welcome.”

As a young aspiring dancer, South Carolina-born Ashford found himself homeless in New York in 1963. Visiting the White Rock Baptist Church in Harlem after learning he could get something to eat there, Simpson was at the piano singing. A friendship soon blossomed. After working together for a decade, Nick and Valerie married in 1974.

The songwriting-producing team filled the charts with hits from their mid-1960s pre-Motown days through most of the 1980s, writing songs for artists including Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye, Chaka Khan, Smokey Robinson, and other notable names. According to Motown founder Berry Gordy, the duo were most responsible for the huge hits of Diana Ross’s solo career, including “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” which would go on to become Ms. Ross’s signature song. The pair also worked together as Ashford & Simpson, recording and performing their own memorable hits including “Solid.” The 1985 song marks their biggest hit single as performers, topping the U.S. R&B Chart, hitting number 12 on Billboard’s Hot 100.

Nick Ashford was born on May 4, 1941 and succumbed to throat cancer on Monday, August 22nd at age 70. He will be sadly missed by all of us who enjoyed his music… which will forever live on.

Saturday, May 7, 2011

On May 13th the beautiful, charismatic and talented Candy Dulfer will performing in a special Spring edition of our summer Smooth Cruise series.

Ever since her GRAMMY nominated 1990 debut Saxuality, Dulfer has been gracing audiences with her unique blend of R&B, pop, jazz and funk.

Saturday, May 7, 2011

This Sunday, May 8th will be the Mother’s Day Celebration at the Beacon Theatre. The Concert will feature performances by R&B masters The Whispers and the ultra soulful Stephanie Mills. Also singing will be the beautiful voice of Lillo Thomas who in 1984 scored a Top 20 R&B single with “Your Love’s Got a Hold on Me.”

Monday, February 7, 2011

1/31/11 – The Washington Post

Angela Bofill waits in a plain, beige dressing room at the Birchmere, preparing to go onstage without something she has lost.

It’s not a small thing. Most people, says one fan of the ’80s R&B balladeer, would shut down, would be content to live out their lives offstage, out of the spotlight, wherever it is that old singers go to fade away. The music business demands perfection. A certain look.

At the least, it demands a voice.

“I love perform,” says Bofill, 56, her syntax fractured, her rhythm stop-and-start. She’s illuminated by bright lights but not an ounce of glitter or sequins. Instead, she wears a black-print blazer. A cane leans against the dressing table.

“I used to study opera. Used to teach voice. Used to have perfect pitch. Now, no pitch. Bad pitch. Frustrated – little bit. Half my life, singing. First time. No sing.”

She says she sounds like an old movie. “Me, Tarzan. You, Jane,” she jokes.

Outside in the dark, cold parking lot, a sold-out crowd lines up for Sunday night’s show: “The Angela Bofill Experience.” After two strokes and a five-year absence from the stage, Bofill’s name is again on the marquee. Fans have come from as far away as New Jersey, some cradling Bofill’s original albums, which show an absolutely gorgeous woman.

Bofill closes her eyes as a makeup artist paints on thick black liner. Not many entertainers would have the courage to do what Bofill is about to do. Not many would be so bold.

“I feel happy performing again,” Bofill says. “I need crowd. In the blood, entertain. Any time a crowd comes to see me, I’m surprised. No sing no more and still people come. Wow. Impressed.” She laughs.

But before she will get to the stage, she has to get out of the chair. She leans forward. No. She leans forward again. “I conquer my chair – damn it! Nose over the toes. Nose over toes.” Up. She grabs her cane, covered in butterflies. “I love the cane. Mother told me J. Lo uses cane dancing. Sweet!”

Behind the wall, she can hear the singer Maysa onstage performing Bofill’s signature hit, “Angel of the Night.” Maysa’s voice is big and powerful, blowing through the thin walls of the dressing room.

There is a flash of envy from Bofill. “Used to play timbale to that song before the stroke,” Bofill says. “Now, cowbell.” Her big brown eyes look down. “Oh, well. One day, this arm awake. I don’t know. Strange disease, stroke. Before no idea why person walk funny. Now, I get it – stroke.”

She is often asked: Will her singing voice come back? “God only knows,” she says. “Rather not sing than sound bad.”

‘A rare voice’

At the height of her career in the ‘70s and ’80s, she stood tall – creamy skin, glittery dresses, white orchid in her hair. She had the look that teenage girls wanted: big cheekbones, sultry eyes she highlighted with blue eyeshadow. She looked like one of those girls in Prince’s band. On “Soul Train,” she stood onstage, her head tilted slightly to the side, dress falling off her shoulders, singing: "Tonight, I give into the feelings . . . "

Bofill was the Latina songstress who crossed over from jazz to R&B. “She had a rare voice,” says her manager, Rich Engel. “She could hit low notes and could hit high C. Her pitch was perfect.” She had a coveted 3 1/2-octave range.

Bofill, who was born to a Cuban father and Puerto Rican mother, was raised in the Bronx, where she grew up listening to Latin music, soul and jazz. She became a professional singer as a teenager.

In 1978, she was signed by GRP records, and that year released her debut album, “Angie,” which included the hits “This Time I’ll Be Sweeter” and “Under the Moon and Over the Sky.” The next year, Bofill released “Angel of the Night,” featuring the hit, “I Try.” Both albums topped pop, jazz and R&B charts. Her contract was bought out by Clive Davis and Arista Records.

In 1983, she released the funk album, “Too Tough,” which was nominated for an American Music Award. She appeared on the award show poured into a glittery gown. As a presenter, she introduced Michael Jackson, who won for “Thriller.”

Bofill made more albums, gave concerts and and appeared in stage plays during the next 20 years. Although she had a huge fan base, her career peaked in the ’80s. She continued working in Europe, Africa and Asia, where she sold out stadiums. In the Philippines, Bofill was a guest of politician Imelda Marcos. “Imelda loves singers,” Bofill says. “Imelda sings also. An amazing woman. A star, really.”

Album sales slowed, but Bofill did not. "I asked God: ‘Give me break,’ " Bofill says. “Tell the truth, I need a break. I’m going, going. No break long time. Over 26 years, no break. I prayed one day, ‘God, I need a break.’ Bam! That’s when stroke hit.”

She pauses: “Next time, God, maybe another kind break!” She laughs.

‘Explosion inside the head’

In 2006, she was in California driving home from a restaurant with her brother-in-law. “All of a sudden, I feel an explosion inside the head,” Bofill recalls. "A pop. Pop! Pop! Next thing, I know babbling. My brother-in-law asked me, ‘Something wrong?’ "

She answered, “Bbbaaa.” “Obviously something wrong,” she says. “I arrive at my house. Out of the truck. Not stand. Turned out complete left side affected. Called the ambulance. Informed me had major stroke. Over three years, no walk, no talk. Over three years, live in rehab. Physical therapy. Eventually, I walk again I need a cane. Left arm no come back yet. Challenging.”

She laughs.

“It really slows my roll up, you know. But grace, still alive. Some people no make it. No eat a long time. Need a feeding tube. Awful. Only good thing I lose weight. A stroke diet. It works!”

Eventually, she began talking again. “But my voice no sing. I rather not sing. Awful. Crack me up! Funny! I laugh about it. But very grateful – still living. Never take things for granted. I think a stroke – no joke. Yes. But, I think a better a person.”

She is laughing now, but a few years back, she was severely depressed. She had no voice and no health insurance. Her hospital bills piled up. Celebrities held benefit concerts across the country to raise money for her. Some singers she thought were friends called with empty promises of help. She had to sell her house in California. She moved in with her sister. Despondent, she spent most days in front of the television, flipping channels.

“First time very depressed,” Bofill says. “Crying all the time. Turns out a side effect of the stroke. Made me depressed.” Still, she seemed to be recuperating. Doctors said she might sing again. But a year later, she had another stroke that left her without the one thing a singer needs.

“It was devastating to lose her singing voice,” Engel said. “When you take a voice away from a singer, nothing is worse. A lot of it was like, ‘What do I do now, now that I can’t sing?’ That was her life. Her livelihood was being onstage.”

Engel used to call her daily. “She was just down,” he said. "That is all she did was hang around and watch TV. She didn’t try writing any music. She didn’t try writing any stories. I’d say, ‘How you doing, Angie?’ She would say, ’I’m bored.’ " Engel would make suggestions.

“Finally, I said, ‘You got to get off your ass, Angie! You are a good-looking woman. It’s not like you are dead!’ "

That’s when the idea came to him. He would create a show starring Bofill. Just like old times. She wouldn’t be able to sing, but she could tell her stories. He called members of her old band. They were game. He called Dave Valentin, the legendary flutist who helped Bofill get her first record deal.

“He said, ‘Angie wants you. Without Dave Valentin, I’m not doing the show,’ " Valentin recalls. "I told him, ‘Of course, I’m doing it.’ "

Engel sought soul and jazz singer Maysa, who grew up in Baltimore listening to Bofill. Maysa, who was a member of the British band Incognito, agreed to join the show.

“I have been listening to her since I was 12 or 13 years old,” Maysa says of Bofill. "That is how I cut my teeth. Mother had to buy new albums, because I would wear them out. When you listen to someone so long, it is amazing to be onstage. She is looking at me singing her music. It’s like a student getting approval from the teacher.

“At first, I was nervous. I wanted her to be proud. I don’t know if I could have the strength to sit there and watch someone singing my songs. But she is happy.”

*
Telling a new story
*
The first five “Angela Bofill Experience” shows sold out in San Francisco. Fans came, knowing Bofill couldn’t sing. They just wanted to see her again. The show – even without her voice – drew rave reviews. Engel says he wants to get a movie made of Bofill’s life. “Ultimately, I’d like to take the show to Broadway.”

At the Birchmere, Bofill is wheeled up a ramp. She doesn’t like the wheelchair. When she gets to the edge of the stage, she rises and the crowd applauds – an ovation that grows louder as she walks haltingly across the stage. The house lights go up. She sits in a chair and tells stories. Maysa sings.

Bofill moves her mouth. “Lip-syncing,” she tells the crowd.

The audience laughs. Videos flash of Bofill in her heyday. The crowd is quiet. The show is like a memorial concert, except Bofill is still very much alive. Laughing but unable to sing.

“Sometimes,” Bofill says, “I crack me up. Better to laugh than cry. Turned out, me a comedian.” She laughs. “Instead of a stand-up comic – a sitting-down comic.”

Link to the full article here.