Rumor Has It. Lady Marmalade. Chain Of Fools. A Natural Woman.
And let’s not forget RESPECT.
The songs sung by the women of soul and R&B will be showcased at a new gala fundraiser in Port Moody next week, aptly titled RESPECT.
Port Moody musicians Kristian Alexandrov and his partner Shannon Gaye will be joined on the Inlet Theatre stage Nov. 12 by Nashville sensations — and Maple Ridge residents — Carly and Britt McKillip of One More Girl.
Alexandrov said he and Gaye played a similar all-female soul set — but on a smaller scale — last year at the Silk Purse Arts Centre in West Vancouver. “It’s such a rich musical program and we really wanted to expand on that theme,” said the jazz pianist, percussionist, composer and producer.
For the RESPECT show, the singers will have a six-piece band to accompany them “and most of them have grown up with these tunes, too, and have played these songs over the years,” Alexandrov said.
During their concert, he and Gaye will talk about the importance of the women of soul and how they shaped the landscape: from trailblazers such as Aretha Franklin, Etta James and Patti LaBelle to their modern contemporaries like Alicia Keyes, Jill Scott and Duffy.
Valerie Simons, board chairperson of the Port Moody Arts Centre Society, said Alexandrov and Gaye have been local favourites since they were at Port Moody ArtsFest in February of 2014.
Simons and her organizing committee have been at it for more than a year to make the benefit a success. The society hopes to raise at least $15,000 for the art centre’s Making It Work campaign, a $70,000 push to buy new pianos and other equipment (the drive started last year after the Appleyard/Centennial House was attached to the arts hub).
RESPECT is the second fundraiser of the year under the Making It Work banner. In August, the society hosted a Girls’ Night Out Bollywood bash, also at Port Moody city hall, that saw more than 100 ladies get pampered while dressed in their saris and other colourful Indian garb.
Simons said RESPECT is more of a performance-based event and includes an elegant cocktail reception in the Galleria at 6:30 p.m., with faculty and students displaying their talents. A cash bar will serve local drinks from Twin Sails, Moody Ales, Yellow Dog and Peller Estates while appetizers will come from Christine Catering, also from PoMo.
• RESPECT tickets at $135 include an $80 charitable tax receipt. To buy, call 604-931-2008 or visit pomoarts.ca.
