Raya Yarbrough vividly set her audience free on paths North of Sunset, West of Vine during the debut of her two-act musical story at Vitello’s recently. The lovely chanteuse told these tales of her childhood with exceptional musicality and convincing articulation.
About the musical story North of Sunset, West of Vine
North of Sunset, West of Vine is an auto-biographical musical story in two acts with original music composed by Raya Yarbrough. The theatrical performance debuted in 2012 at Vitello’s, a trendy jazz club in the heart of Studio City, CA. The lyrical songbook is based on Raya’s early childhood experiences gleaned during shows with her father, Martin Yarbrough, a musician who took young Raya to his gigs in Hollywood and around the world.
Set in Hollywood, CA circa 1988, the story and music centers around the very personal and candid exploration of Raya’s young life while growing up on Hollywood Boulevard (Yarbrough 2011). While employed by her father at various nightclubs during his concerts, the youngster meets a stream of characters who influence her stories with stark metaphors and reflections of her relationships with people from her distant past. From Dolly to Emily to The Captain who “looked like a buoy floating darkly in his own stale ocean,” each character was brought to life by Raya’s imaginative vocals and exemplary storytelling.
At Vitello’s on January 19, 2012
Dressed in a sexy black gown that exuded the definition of a great torch singer, Raya Yarbrough glowed in the intimate stage lighting like a woman ready to connect two distinct musical personalities, first as a child in training, and now as a full-grown award-winning “Southland musical treasure” and vocalist respected by her peers. She is in control and ready to share her secret childhood world.
At Vitello’s something in Raya’s distinct vocals, spoken word poetry and gestures captured the soul and the essence of each character. During each song and verse, she flowed seamlessly from incident to incident (some with no comforting truths) while involving you in a lifetime of memories that only she could explain.
Singing and speaking in voices that were as lyrical as her songs demanded and as articulate and dramatic as the moods set by her spoken words, Raya's emotional and often humorous tales remained with you long after each song and verse ended. The diverse musical tapestry performed by a sextet consisting of Bear McCreary on keys/accordion, Takeshi Akimoto on guitar, Kurt Morgan on bass, Joe Travers on drums and Christa Gates and Felice Hernandez providing backing vocals, kept the audience captivated, pulling you into each story and not letting go.
The capacity audience raved during and after many scenes, connecting with the experiences, the music, and the deeply descriptive metaphors that enhanced Ms. Yarbrough’s songwriting expertise. An additional show is scheduled for March 1, 2012 at the Blue Whale in Los Angeles, CA.
About Raya Yarbrough
Raya was exposed to jazz and R&B at an early age by her musician father, Martin Yarbrough, who brought her into the nightclub scene, where she found herself performing Jazz for diverse audiences (Concord Music Group 2008). These early childhood experiences enabled her to hone her communication talents as a jazz vocalist who later evolved with a plethora of storytelling skills that are ripe with an amazing depth of metaphors, imagery, and the ability to connect emotionally with her audiences.
She has won the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Composition program, performed her original music at Kennedy Center, and is a graduate of USC’s Thornton School of Music where she also won the Quincy Jones Award and The Herb Alpert Scholarship. Raya’s music has also been featured on television shows such as Girlfriends and Battlestar Galactica among others. Her exceptional singing and songwriting skills were debuted on her 2004 recording titled Raya’s Mood and on her 2008 self-titled debut recording for Telarc titled Raya Yarbrough.
Sources:
Concord Music Group. Raya Yarbrough. February 26, 2008 (accessed January 20, 2012).
Yarbrough, Raya. Raya Yarbrough.com. September 25, 2011 (accessed January 20, 2012
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