The second season of Uptown Nights at Harlem Stage kicked off last weekend with an evening of truly electrifying music. Uptown Nights is a series of seasonal events that provide cultural entertainment which builds upon the Harlem community’s rich legacy through a variety of artistic features.  When the doors of the venue opened on this particular Sunday evening, the standing room only crowd quickly scrambled for the best spot to see the evening’s performers.  On the bill were vocalists TreZure the Empress and Van Hunt, whose live performances are highly sought after rarities.

DJ Cosi rocked the crowd before the performances began by spinning house blends, a little hip hop and a mixture of soul classics that kept heads nodding.  The show opened with New York’s TreZure the Empress, a vocal powerhouse taking the stage and charging the atmosphere.  Singing from the pit of her soul, she commanded the crowd’s immediate attention before she finished her first song.  With a style filled with sass and vigor, TreZure took the audience on a journey that spanned from flavorful salsa to that of soulful jazzy blues.

The crowd went wild when the headliner for the night, Van Hunt jumped onstage rocking a semi-mohawk styled haircut with the letter ‘M’ on right side of his head, the letter ‘J’ on the left and a very large ‘V’ at the nape of his neck.  No explanation necessary.  Backed by the funkiest four-piece band consisting of Douglas Showalter (guitar), Maya Kronfeld (keys), Thomas Drayton (bass) and Ruth Price (drums), Hunt performed songs from his self-titled debut, Van Hunt, On The Jungle Floor, Use In Case of Emergency and his forthcoming release, Popular.  Van Hunt’s music spills outside of one particular genre in that it is infused with soul, pop and punk rock and always funky.  Songs like ‘Sexy (I’m Not Known For Dancin’), ‘Man of The Year’ and ‘Her Smile’ appear on his album, Use In Case of Emergency which is available on his website.  The floor seemed to vibrate throughout the night but when the crowd grooved along with Hunt on his hits, Dust, Seconds of Pleasure and Down Here In Hell there was no denying the pulsating vibes passing from person to person.

TAGS: dj cosi, harlem stage, trezure, uptown nights, Van Hunt