Benefit Concert Draws a Lineup of All-Star Talent

Hands for Hope, a charity organization aimed at helping children and single-parent families in the North Hollywood community, kicked off its first fund-raising drive with an impressive program Tuesday night at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ Goldenson Theater. Performers in the first Starlight Jazz Serenade Benefit Concert included Everette Harp, Gerald Albright, Norman Brown, Ron Brown, Brian Culbertson and Boney James.

That’s a lineup of talent that would brighten the eyes of most concert promoters, and it’s unlikely that it could have been assembled for anything other than a benefit event, since all the performers worked without a fee.

The presence of Harp, Albright, James and Ron Brown invested the evening with a broad and colorful range of saxophone textures. Harp, an imaginative player by any definition, brought solid jazz elements to everything he played. Albright’s rich urban sound was tinged with his deep understanding of the blues. Brown’s playing, despite its pop references, simmered with his Texas roots. And James, in the closing slot, was the consummate pop instrumentalist.

Adding contrast to the saxophone stylists, Norman Brown’s too-short set offered a taste of the diverse elements in this talented artist’s musical arsenal. And keyboardist Culbertson managed to mix a few bop licks into his brisk, contemporary jazz presentation.

Interestingly and appropriately, however, the evening was almost stolen by the between-acts humor, commentary and songs of host LaRita Shelby. Joking frequently about the fact that sharing the same stage with such major jazz names might help her to get her own record deal, Shelby’s spontaneous performance was entertaining enough to demand attention on its own, with or without a connection with the evening’s star performers.

Hands for Hope, which is building an expansive program for young people based around the principles of Active Hands (for physical fitness), Talented Hands (for artistic expression) and Working Hands (for career development and entrepreneurial training), as well as Helping Hands (to aid single-parent families), can be reached at (818) 692-6600 or on the Web at https://www.hands4hope.org.