No Name Pops makes its Kimmel debut with Philly Sound, prompting dancing in the aisles
Even after all of the arts turmoil of the past year or so, the Kimmel Center debut of a new musical group in town was affirmation that Philadelphia loves its pops and knows how to show it.
It was part concert, part dance party — an event both hopeful and pretty risky.
But even after all of the arts turmoil of the past year or so, Saturday afternoon’s Kimmel Center debut of a new musical group in town was affirmation that Philadelphia loves its pops and knows how to show it. In a nearly two-hour show, the No Name Pops led by conductor Herb Smith with three charismatic singers had the audience dancing in the aisles, singing along and filling Verizon Hall with a great vibe.
No small feat, this, since the concert was organized by neophyte presenters: the musicians themselves. The No Name Pops is made largely of former players of the Philly Pops who decided — after the latter group put concerts on hiatus last season amid financial troubles and the unleashing of lawsuits — to start their own pops orchestra.
At Saturday afternoon’s concert, the new 52-piece ensemble framed its rise from the ashes in historic terms, casting itself as heir to the artistic legacy of Peter Nero, who led the Philly Pops from its founding in 1979 until 2013.
“I have no doubt Peter is looking down upon this concert hall with a glint in his eye and a sense of enormous pride,” retired broadcaster Jim Gardner told the audience in a preamble to the music.
The term “pops” is an umbrella covering multiple genres, as the No Name Pops players have shown in free small-ensemble concerts around town in the past few months. But in these first paid concerts Saturday (the show was repeated Saturday night), the group continued the Philly Pops practice of tapping the mine of nostalgia.
Such veins run deep. Jumping up from their seats to the music of Motown and the Philly Sound seemed almost like involuntary muscle movement for many in the audience. My own reaction was less visceral; I spent that era more interested in music from the 1870s than the 1970s, though hearing the soundscape again brought back memories of a certain Panasonic globe radio (a Panapet).
Whether and how nostalgia can be a sustained business plan is a legitimate question, but on this day it had the powers of regeneration. The players chose the guest talent wisely. Vocalist Ashley Jayy was a powerful, penetrating presence in “I Heard it Through the Grapevine,” and formed part of a velvety vocal trio elsewhere when joined by Brik.Liam and Chester Gregory. In solo moments, Gregory had both a great sound and the seemingly limitless vocal juice to really dig into the emotion with notes long sustained. Conductor Smith drew the same depth at critical points.
The orchestra’s sound in this repertoire was an important element in the overall atmosphere, though given the prominence of the vocals the ensemble wasn’t always front and center. Still, there were occasional instrumental solos spotlighting the talent, and in “Ball of Confusion” the brass wailed beautifully.
And then there was “A Fifth of Beethoven.” The 1976 takeoff on the first movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 had the strange effect after all these years of seeming like a classic in itself — not merely tongue-in-cheek, but valuable for containing a couple of novel harmonic moves.
This first outing by the No Name Pops points toward success. The afternoon concert drew almost 1,300, the evening repeat an audience about half that, which isn’t bad for an initial outing. Yes, it’s only a first step, and the future is uncertain. For all anyone knows, the Philly Pops may yet wake from its coma, and then the city must ask itself whether it’s smart to try to support two pops orchestras.
But in addition to the high-spirited audience response, there was a scene playing out during intermission worth noting. Friends and fans were coming up to meet musicians at the stage’s edge, grabbing hugs and reconnecting after months of shared silence.
That’s powerful stuff, and the group that figures out how to harness it owns the future.
No Name Pops is presented by the Kimmel Center in “A Very Philly Christmas” with conductor Enrico Lopez-Yañez Dec. 1-23 in Verizon Hall, Broad and Spruce Streets. Tickets are $25-$99. nonamepops.org, 215-893-1999.