Tony Saunders Teams Up With Gerald Albright

 

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - During January’s NAMM Show, two‑time EMMY‑winning bassist Tony Saunders played a demo mashup of Mark Morrison’s “Return of the Mack” that weaves in El DeBarge’s “I Like It” for 9‑time GRAMMY® nominee Gerald Albright. The saxophonist instantly heard its radio potential and agreed to play on the recording. The newly released single is now climbing the Billboard and Mediabase charts. 

Joining Saunders and Albright on the track is GRAMMY®-winning keyboardist Michael Mani (Carlos Santana, Eric Clapton, Tori Kelly), who produced the single with Saunders, along with playing keyboards, synths, key bass, vocal processing, drum programming, and guitar synths. John Mitchell added live drums to anchor the rhythm track.   

“I’ve always loved ‘Return of the Mack’ — the groove is off the hook — and I knew I’d record it someday. ‘I Like It’ has also been one of my favorites, and because it’s in the same key, the mashup came together naturally. The reaction from fans when we play it live is incredible,” said Saunders, who records for the Baja/TSR label and received clearance to release the single on his own imprint. 

Saunders dedicates the new single to the memory of two of his cousins, Kurt Kaywood and Oliver Rodgers. They passed away two weeks apart as Saunders was finishing up work on the track. “They played an important part in my life, always introducing me to new things.” 

“Return of the Mack” peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1996. El DeBarge’s “I Like It” was the group’s breakthrough hit, peaking at No. 2 on Billboard’s R&B chart in 1982.  

Last week, Saunders was on-set in Sacramento shooting a cameo appearance in the Belton Mouras Entertainment film Fingers: The Vegan Zombie Musical, which is expected this Halloween. In addition to scoring several films, Saunders made his big screen debut in 1986 in the Francis Ford Coppola blockbuster Peggy Sue Got Married, playing in a scene as a band member with Nicolas Cage.

Saunders’ musical path began with taking piano lessons from Herbie Hancock. He was gifted with an organ by Sly Stone and received his first bass from Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Tom Fogerty. His professional career began when he was invited to play in his father’s band. His father was Merl Saunders, and the co-band’s leader was Grateful Dead legend Jerry Garcia. Tony Saunders’ diverse musical journey spans jazz, funk, rock, R&B, and Latin music. He also composed the musical Rock Justice with Jefferson Starship’s Marty Balin. 

Saunders debuted as a solo artist with 2011’s Romancing the Bass. His latest collection, 2024’s The Romance Continues, spawned multiple Billboard Top 10 hits. Over the years, Saunders has collaborated with contemporary jazz luminaries Jeff Lorber, Paul Brown, Paul Jackson Jr., Nils, Jeff Ryan, Randy Crawford, Blake Aaron, and Adam Hawley.

In addition to releasing more new music this year, Saunders is eager to perform with his new band: Mitchell on drums, bassist Vernon Hall (Tony! Toni! Tone!), guitarist Tim Landis, and keyboardist Ray Roland. 

“I have played with a lot of musicians in my life, but this group really gets the Tony Saunders vibe!” 

For more information, please visit www.tonysaunders.com. 

 

Ugo Chukwu Is Bringing 'Primary Trust' To Life

Ugo Chukwu

 

By Darlene Donloe

In the midst of Los Angeles' vibrant theater scene, Ugo Chukwu is preparing to make his mark on the Mark Taper Forum stage in Eboni Booth's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, ‘Primary Trust,’ running May 20-June 28. 

Chukwu, a Bronx native and Manhattan-raised actor, will bring Bert, the charming best friend of the lead character Kenneth, to life.

"The play is about a young man named Kenneth who lives his life a certain way," Chukwu said. "One day, his routine is thrown for a loop and forces him to step out into the world. As he goes through his journey, you understand why he has been living the way he lives."

Chukwu's journey to the Taper stage began in 4th grade, when he declared his desire to become an actor.

A Brooklyn College theater major, Chukwu has honed his craft through years of hard work, including stints as a bartender, server, and teaching artist.

Ugo Chukwu in 'Give Me Carmelita Tropicana!'

Some of his credits include Oklahoma! (Broadway National Tour), Give Me Carmelita Tropicana! (Soho Rep), Lunch Bunch (Clubbed Thumb/Play Company), and What To Send Up When It Goes Down (Movement Theater). He has also appeared in commercials for State Farm and Spectrum Mobile.  

All of that experience shines through in his nuanced portrayal of Bert, a sounding board for Kenneth's struggles and an embodiment of the play's themes of loneliness, connection, and community.

"I'm drawn to Bert's grounding presence," Chukwu said. "He's a space where Kenneth can find solace. That's what I wanted to bring – the essence of true friendship."

As Chukwu navigates Bert's complexities, he finds personal connections to the play's themes. 

"We're living in a world where people are lonelier than ever, despite being hyper-connected on social media," he said. "We're always searching for community." 

With a sense of humor and humility, Chukwu comes across as a down-to-earth, authentic guy who's passionate about his craft. 

"I think people should see the play because it's a funny and moving play," he said. "It surprises you in ways you wouldn't expect. It uplifts." 

Ugo Chukwu

Primary Trust promises to be a transformative experience, with Chukwu's ‘Bert’ anchoring the poignant story. 

“The Mark Taper Forum has always been known as the home to great American plays, and I’m thrilled that tradition continues this season with Eboni Booth’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Primary Trust,” CTG Brindell & Milton Gottlieb Artistic Director Snehal Desai said. “Knud (the director) has put together a luminous and fiercely talented ensemble to bring the rich characters that inhabit Eboni’s play to life. I can’t wait to share this gorgeous and moving play with CTG audiences.”

Winner of the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Primary Trust by Eboni Booth and directed by Knud Adams, is an elegantly crafted story of an emotionally damaged man who finds a new job, new friends, and a new sense of worth, and illustrates how small acts of kindness can change a person’s life and enrich an entire community. 

The play features a talented ensemble, including Petey McGee, Rebecca S’manga Frankas Corinna, James Urbaniak, and Luke Wygodny. 

Primary Trust is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. concordtheatricals.com 

‘Primary Trust,’ Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m. Tues.-Thurs, 8 p.m. Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, and 1 and 7 p.m. Sundays, May 20 – June 28, $40.25, 213 628-2772 or CenterTheatreGroup.org.

 

 

 

 

 

 

'HYMN' Explores Friendship and Loss

  

(l-r) Chuma Gault and Jason DeLane in 'HYMN'

 

By Darlene Donloe

 

Lolita Chakrabarti's 'Hymn' is a soul-stirring exploration of Black male friendship, set to the rhythms of R&B and the bruised optimism of two men's lives.

 

The play unfolds like a slow-burning jam session, with Jason DeLane's ‘Benny’ and Chuma Gault's ‘Gil’ trading fides in a potent mix of humor, vulnerability, and desperation.

 

The setup is elegantly simple: two 50-year-old men who meet at a funeral, united by a presumed familial bond, forge an unlikely alliance in the shadow of mortality.

Gil (Chuma Gault) grieves his father's passing, while Benny (Jason DeLane) believes they're long-lost kin – Gil's half-brother, to be exact. Once the fraternal connection is confirmed, they play catch-up, cramming a lifetime of bonding into their remaining years.

Gil is the charismatic go-getter, and Benny is the introspective anchor. Together, they are an odd couple, but, for the most part, Chakrabarti's writing finds the beauty in their discord.

 

As they brawl, banter, and bond, Gault and DeLane inject a palpable physicality into their characters' dynamic, their chemistry crackling like live wires.

 

A bromance in the making, whenever the two men connect through their love of old school music, the play has high-energy.

(l-r) Chuma Gault and Jason DeLane

The play's structure, with its nifty time jumps and R&B-infused interludes, keeps the energy high, even when the plot veers into predictability.

 

Gregg T. Daniel’s direction, ably assisted by live-mixing wizardry, keeps the story hurtling forward, though occasionally, the whys of Gil and Benny's deepening connection feel a tad rushed.

 

When the play is bogged down in heavy dialogue, sans action, the show slows.

 

Still, 'Hymn' resonates, thanks to its occasional crackling dialogue, witty repartee, and – most crucially – its two stellar leads.

(l-r) Chuma Gault and Jason DeLane

Gault and DeLane are revelatory, imbuing their characters with a sense of lived-in reality that's both heartbreaking and heartening.

 

‘Hymn’ is an Odyssey/Lower Depth co-production.

‘Hymn,’ directed by Gregg T. Daniel and written by Lolita Chakrabarti, stars Jason DeLane and Chuma Gault.

 

The creative team for this production includes scenic designer Stephanie Kerley Schwartz, lighting designer Donny Jackson, sound designer Alma Reyes-Thomas, costume designer Wendell C. Carmichael, properties designer Jenine Macdonald, choreographer Toran Xavier Moore, and dialect coach Paul Wagar. The stage manager is Jenny Nwene. 

 

‘Hymn’ is produced by Sally Essex–Lopresti for Odyssey Theatre Ensemble and Drina Durazo for Lower Depth Theatre.

 

‘Hymn’ comes in at 95 minutes with no intermission.

 

‘Hymn,’ Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays, plus one Wednesday performance at 8 p.m. May 27, through June 14, $35. A $3 fee will be added to each ticket purchased with a credit card. Discounts are available for students and seniors. For more information and to purchase tickets, call (310) 477-2055 or go to OdysseyTheatre.com. 

On the DONLOE SCALE: D (don’t bother), O (oh, no), N (needs work), L (likable), O (oh, yeah), and E (excellent), ‘Hymn’ gets an O (oh, yeah).