Motown legend Martha Reeves gave students a thrill as she worked with them to build their musical techniques.
The renowned singer, who led popular Motown group Martha and the Vandellas with hits such as “Heat Wave,” was in Stittsville on Thursday, Feb. 16, to take in a performance by the rhythm and blues bands from Holy Trinity Catholic High School and Victoria High School. The Victoria, B.C., students are in town on an exchange trip with those from the Kanata high school.
“Because of the (Victoria) band’s connections with Martha Reeves, she's come to our school and we’ve been able to practise with her and learn her techniques,” said Grade 11 Holy Trinity vocalist Rachel Ciolfi. “It’s been amazing. I’ve gotten a lot of chances to do things that I would never normally be able to do.”
Reeves sat in the front row during the show, beaming up at the students and tapping to the beat on her tambourine. She said she gets a “thrill” seeing the students enjoy the Motown genre.
“Eric Emde (the Victoria music director) has taught his youngsters how to really rock,” said Reeves. “Even Holy Trinity played some ’40s music.
“They’ve embraced the old music and made it their own. And it’s not like they had to do it against their will or against their desires. They all seemed very pleased to be a part of the music scene that they’ve been taught.”
HEARTY APPLAUSE
As the Holy Trinity band played such classics as “Doing It Right,” “Vehicle,” and “Keep Playing That Rock ‘n Roll Music,” Reeves kept time to the music on her tambourine.
She applauded heartily after every song and even let out a shout or two after an inspiring solo.
It was after the Victoria High School band opened with a handful of songs, including the 1974 hit “I’ve Got The Music in Me,” that Reeves was escorted to the stage where she answered a number of questions from audience members.
She told how she started singing when she was three years old in her grandfather’s church and how she worked with a number of great musicians over the years.
Encouraged by the audience, Reeves sang an a cappella version of her famous 1967 hit song “Jimmy Mack,” encouraging the audience to sing along with her and accompanying herself with her tambourine.
Once the question-and-answer period was finished, Reeves remained on stage to perform with the Victoria High School band, playing her tambourine and joining in with some of the vocal melodies from the centre rear of the stage. The songs included the 1967 Aretha Franklin hit “Chain of Fools” and Stevie Wonder’s “I Wish,” concluding with the iconic 1967 rhythm and blues song “Higher and Higher,” which brought forth rhythmic clapping from the audience.
‘JOY IN TEACHING’
Reeves said she enjoys interacting with the students, answering their questions and imparting some advice about the music industry.
“I get a joy in teaching because I learn a lot,” said Reeves. “I pray that (other students) get the good teachers that I see here; teachers that care about the students and insist that they do it right.”
The day before, Reeves attended a show at the National Arts Centre by both high school bands, where Grade 12 Victoria High School student Soleil Demers sang “Dancing in the Street,” one of Reeves’ hit songs.
“It was a thrill because she did a bang-up job, and the band played it well too,” said Reeves of the performance. “I was really honoured and delighted.
“They had the crowd in an uproar. The only thing wrong was they didn’t have enough room to push those tables back and let everybody dance.”
Seventeen-year-old Soleil said performing the song in front of its original singer was nerve wracking but also exciting.
“That was amazing and, I just, I can’t believe that happened,” said Soleil. “It’s been sort of surreal actually. She said she liked it so that made me really, really happy.”
Julian Mulhall, a Grade 11 Victoria student, said seeing Reeves “rocking out” on a tambourine during the performances was awesome.
“It’s the ultimate complement, seeing a music star like that enjoy our performance,” he said.
‘STAGE ATTITUDE’
The Victoria High School Rhythm and Blues Band arrived in Ottawa on Feb. 13. The school is participating in an exchange program with Holy Trinity through the Society for Educational Visits and Exchanges in Canada, a national charitable organization that promotes educational visits, trips and exchanges in Canada. The Holy Trinity Rhythm and Blues Band will travel to Victoria, B.C., in May.
“The exchange has been amazing. We’ve learned a lot from each other,” said Ryan Hutchison, a Grade 11 student at Holy Trinity. “It’s just all about sharing the music and the love that we show for our passion.”
He said the Victoria students have taught them how to incorporate choreography into their performances.
“They helped us out in terms of dancing, showing us a lot of stage attitude,” said Ryan. “That’s helped us a lot.”
Victoria High School music director Eric Emde said the exchange trip has been “fabulous.”
“At every level; musical, emotional, everything,” added Neil Bateman, the music director for Holy Trinity.
The exchange trip came about after Bateman saw the Victoria group featured in the documentary “Sounds Like Motown.” The film followed the students as they performed with Reeves during a jazz festival on the west coast.
After seeing the video, Bateman emailed Emde, asking if his group would like to take part in an exchange trip. After arrangements were made, Emde phoned Reeves and asked if she’d like to come to Ottawa.
“I just wanted her to come up. I asked her to come up to support what Neil is doing,” said Emde.
“What a mentor, as a model of lifelong commitment to great music,” said Bateman. “And she’s so, so good with the kids.”
The two bands had more activities planned for the rest of the week, such as a trip to Winterlude and some sightseeing around the Capital.
“I’ve really built a relationship with some of the kids, built a relationship with Martha Reeves,” said Soleil. “And I’ve learned a lot about culture, Canadian culture.
“It’s been a really great experience.”
jessica.cunha@metroland.com