Special guests join the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra on
The Academy Celebrates The Black Movie Soundtrack with movie clips on the Hollywood Bowl’s big screen

Wednesday, September 3, 2014, at 8 PM

Produced in cooperation with The Academy
 

WHAT:        The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, in cooperation with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, presents The Black Movie Soundtrack at the Hollywood Bowl on Wednesday, September 3, 2014, at 8 PM, hosted by actor and comedian Craig Robinson. Just added to the line-up are all-female R&B group En Vogue and soul and R&B singer Lalah Hathaway. Also joining the line-up to perform Pharell’s “Happy” are sixty elementary-aged choir students from YOLA at HOLA and YOLA at LACHSA.

The program, with musical direction by Grammy-winning musician Marcus Miller with award-winning producer/director Reginald Hudlin, features a soulful celebration of music and movies, with clips on the Hollywood Bowl’s big screen. Special guests, including the previously announced Grammy-winner Anthony Hamilton; soul singer Bilal; Prince cover-band Princess, featuring SNL alum Maya Rudolph and singer-songwriter Gretchen Lieberum; and hip-hop group Public Enemy, will perform with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra conducted by Vince Mendoza. Featured movies include Stormy Weather, Super Fly, Purple Rain, and others. The house band will include John Beasley, Kris Bowers, Louis Cato, Paul Jackson, Jr., Wah Wah Watson, and Ramon Yslas.

En Vogue:  The name rings more than a bell. It invokes memories of a long line of red-hot R&B and pop smashes recorded in the 1990s. Songs like "Hold On," "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)," "Giving Him Something He Can Feel," "Free Your Mind," and “Whatta Man” featuring Salt-N-Pepa, are just a sampling of the mega hits made famous by the pop/R&B super group.

Fusing style, sophistication, sass, and sex appeal, the En Vogue formula was magical and the group went on to sell over eight million albums. In total, En Vogue recorded five albums: 1990’s Born To Sing; 1992’s Funky Divas; 1997’s EV3; 2000’s Masterpiece Theatre; and 2002’s The Gift of Christmas. There have also been several compilations released including 1999’s Best of En Vogue and 2001’s The Very Best of En Vogue.

The trio (Cindy Herron-Braggs, Terry Ellis, Rhona Bennett) are touring worldwide as well as embarking on film and television projects. Having grown musically, emotionally, professionally, and creatively, the ladies believe each day is a living affirmation, “…Hold On to your Love” and these ladies love to sing - they have no plans to ever let go.

Ask her to describe her voice and Grammy-winning singer Lalah Hathaway might say it feels like, sounds like, soul. But when it comes to defining the essence of music itself she can go on and on. "Music is so textured and layered," she says, "and it is an absolute entity in my life. It's three-dimensional, it's tangible, and when I die, I'll say goodbye to it, just as I will to everyone standing around my bed."

With her new upcoming album Lalah Hathaway Live (Hathaway Entertainment), her first live album, Hathaway is poised to express who she is, where she is, today, at this very moment. For starters, she is an artist, of course, but she's also a devoted daughter, culture junkie and a good friend, even. But not necessarily in that order.

Born to Donny Hathaway, one of the most influential soul artists of the eighties, and Eulaulah Hathaway, an accomplished musician in her own right, the Chicago native first put pen to paper, "with the music," as a 10th grader. Later, as a student at Berklee College of Music, she recorded her self-titled debut in 1990, which spawned the hits "Baby Don't Cry," "Heaven Only Knows" and "I'm Coming Back." She returned four years later with A Moment, followed by the much-lauded The Song Lives On, her duet album with Joe Sample in 1999, the same year she began growing her now-signature, cinnamon-hued ‘locs. By 2004, she'd deliver her fourth album, Outrun the Sky, garnering Hathaway her first number one single, the Rex Rideout-produced cover of Luther Vandross' Forever, For Always, For Love, which was also featured on the critically-acclaimed Vandross tribute album of the same name.

In the meantime and between album projects, Hathaway - who's recorded collaborations with Marcus Miller, Meshell Ndegéocello and Mary J. Blige, among others - keeps her creativity nourished by taking to the global stage and contributing her voice to Daughters of Soul, a musical mélange founded by comrade, Sandra St. Victor, featuring Nona Hendryx and Joyce Kennedy, as well as Indira and Simone, daughters of Chaka Khan and Nina Simone, respectively. Hathaway’s 2013 collaboration with the band Snarky Puppy – on a cover of Brenda Russell's "Something" – won a 2014 Grammy in the category of Best R&B Performance.

About  YOLA at HOLA and YOLA at LACHSA
Since Fall of 2007, Youth Orchestra L.A. (YOLA) has grown to serve nearly 700 students, ages 6-18, in South L.A., the Rampart District and East L.A. YOLA partners share costs and program management responsibilities. The YOLA initiative currently consists of three programs: YOLA at EXPO, YOLA at HOLA, and YOLA at LACHSA.

YOLA at Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA), located in the Rampart District, serves hundreds of students with intensive after-school orchestral instruction five days a week. Classes include music creativity, singing and solfège, ensemble rehearsals, and academic tutoring daily. This holistic approach fosters a sense of community and provides the students with the opportunity to take advantage of HOLA’s exceptional programs and resources. YOLA at HOLA is a partnership between the LA Phil and Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA).

YOLA at LACHSA engages 90 students, ages 8-11. High school students at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts act as mentors to their younger YOLA counterparts. YOLA at LACHSA is a partnership between the LA Phil and the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts.

For more information please visit www.hollywoodbowl.com/blackmovie. For bios and photos visit www.hollywoodbowl.com/press.

WHEN/WHO:         Wednesday, September 3, 2014, at 8 PM

The Academy Celebrates
The Black Movie Soundtrack
Hollywood Bowl Orchestra
Vince Mendoza, conductor
Craig Robinson, host
Bilal, En Vogue, Anthony Hamilton, Lalah Hathaway, Princess (Maya Rudolph and Gretchen Lieberum), Public Enemy, special guests

Marcus Miller, musical director/bass

John Beasley, Kris Bowers, Louis Cato, Paul Jackson, Jr., Wah Wah Watson, and Ramon Yslas, house band

WHERE:      HOLLYWOOD BOWL
2301 N Highland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90068

TICKETS:    Tickets for the Hollywood Bowl 2014 summer season are available now at HollywoodBowl.com or via credit card phone order at 323.850.2000.

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08.20.14