THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, June 22, 1996 TAG: 9606220049
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E2 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Music review
SOURCE: BY CRAIG SHAPIRO, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 38 lines
THE HAMPTON Jazz Festival was into the home stretch of what had been a five-hour marathon Thursday when the Isley Brothers gave the opening-night audience what it needed: a hit of adrenaline.
The Isleys opened with the bedroom ballads that have been their staple since the mid-70s. Ronald Isley's clear tenor defied the acoustics of cavernous Hampton Coliseum on ``Between the Sheets'' and a reworking of Todd Rundgren's ``Hello It's Me.''
But for those who hung in, and most of the 6,500 or so fans did, the capper came when guitarist Ernie Isley jumped from behind his monitor and into ``Who's That Lady.''
Playing his Stratocaster behind his back and with his teeth, and bending the whammy bar for all it was worth, he led the way through ``It's Your Thing,'' ``Twist and Shout'' and 1959's ``Shout!'' Phew.
Set changes are a fact of life. Still, with the festival in its 29th year, things should move efficiently. The musicians were on stage just over three hours; the stage hands, just over two.
When the music did start, though, it was worth the wait. Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes opened with a quick 30-minute set that showed why they're one of the architects of The Sound of Philadelphia. ``If You Don't Know Me By Now'' and ``Bad Luck'' had Gamble and Huff stamped all over them.
It's hard to tell which the crowd liked better: Millie Jackson talking a blue streak or belting out her hits. She turned ``If Loving You Is Wrong (I Don't Want to Be Right)'' into a sermon that had the audience shouting in response, then changed pace with the tender ballad ``When Love Dies.''
Isaac Hayes pulled of a neat feat, giving the audience all it wanted in only 45 minutes. After wrestling with the sound, Black Moses did his classic spin on ``Walk on By,'' and ended the set the only way it could, with the theme from ``Shaft.'' by CNB