Sweet soul music

Last night we went to a concert given by the CIV big band and the Nice University gospel choir. For a choir which was only founded six months ago, the results were really impressive. The students not only sang and swayed with aplomb, but also pronounced the words quite convincingly. The only thing which struck me, though, was that the distinctly protestant theology behind the lyrics and feelings of the songs must have passed completely over the heads of both singers and audience, predominantly catholics.

The CIV big band we had heard before. They are loud, competent and generate a lot of enthusiasm. Their alto saxophone soloist was pretty much professional standard. They played a medley of R and B and soul numbers, originally sung by the likes of Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding. The guest artist was an old soul singer called Bobby Johnson, whose snaking hips and suggestive pelvic thrusts, practiced over a well nigh half century of showmanship, seemed to excite quite a lot of the audience. Still, it felt strange to be listening to pieces originally written as ephemera, now raised to the status of reverently played classics, performed from orchestral scores, and listened to by the grandchildren of the original teenagers who had bought the records.

Oh, and by the way, they did perform Arthur Conley's "Sweet Soul Music"!