All photos by Bill O’Brien
The large audience on the Branford Green was treated on Aug. 2 to another enjoyable evening of jazz. This time it was a dynamic soulful, performance by accomplished flutist Althea Rene. Here she pauses for a moment before coming on stage.
“She and her group were dynamic tonight,” said jazz committee member Terry Elton, who also serves as the town’s special projects manager. “She puts her heart and soul into every song and it was great when she left the stage to go out into the audience and get them involved.”
Althea Rene dazzled the crowd on what turned out to be a beautiful night with low humidity and a comfortable breeze, a pleasant difference from the oppressive heat of the day.
This group got bigger as the evening went on.
The group opens up.
Althea was joined on stage by her accompanists…
Tyrone Chase, guitar…
Mark Copeland, piano…
Ace Livingston bass, and…
Sean Skeet, drums. All are from Boston.
There’s always the food. J.J. makes special burgers each week in his mobile kitchen.
Six-month-old William Ferguson attended the concert with his parents, Sarah and David.
Althea was born on Dec. 25 in Detroit, Michigan, and began her musical journey at the tender age of four. She studied classical music while attending Howard University in Washington, D.C., and later gained further musical inspiration from the accomplishments of the American jazz multi-instrumental composer Yusef Lateef as well as her father Dezie McCullers , one of Motown’s original Funk Brothers. As a result, Althea developed her own creative style as a dynamic, soulful, and improvisational flutist.
Kevin from Branford gives Althea a rose.
It was at Howard that Althea discovered her love of jazz, and eventually returned to Detroit. She entered the police academy and spent the next 11 years balancing her time between working as a Wayne County deputy sheriff and honing her musical skills playing jazz in local clubs.
Althea gets out into the crowd.
In 2000 she released her independently produced debut album, “Flute Talk.” More albums followed and her career took off. Buoyed by the singles “Sunday Cruise” and “Free,” she peaked at number one on the Billboard smooth jazz chart. “I’ve been blessed,” she said to the audience, “I was the first flutist in history to be number one for 10 weeks.”
Committee member Victor Amatori of the Rec Department makes another sale.
The audience’s response led to an encore.
Althea and the group step out for a group picture at the end of the concert.
