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Warning: If you failed to get a ticket to this event, you may not want to read any further, because you'll probably end up kickin' yourself that you didn't attend, especially after reading this review.  If you were one of the lucky ones that occupied one of the seats at Seattle's McCaw Hall for this event -- please feel free to read on with no danger of adverse side effects.

Like the 1978 Earth, Wind & Fire concerts that took the art of pop and rock concerts to new heights, the Kem and Euge Groove concert will probably be remembered like that when it comes to smooth jazz concerts.  It might be the most elaborate smooth jazz show that I've ever seen, with more special effects and dramatic staging that has been seen in Seattle for a long time.  This show is going to be hard to beat.  The bar for entertainment was definitely raised for future Jazz In The City Concerts – it will be favorably recalled by all who attended.

With an amazing packed Tuesday night. late arriving crowd, saxophonist Euge Groove (Steven Euge Grove) and his band took to the stage first.  Wearing loose fitting blue jeans along with a long sleeve light blue shirt, Euge highly entertained the crowd with a high-voltage 9 song, 60 minute set of music... and lots of good-humored banter.   His set highlighted 4 songs off his current release "Just Feels Right," with the rest of his set consisting of a majority of his many radio hit single's off his first three albums.  His talented band members consisted of Michael Egizi (keyboards), Randy "The Boneshakers" Jacobs (guitar), Donnell Spencer, Jr. (drums), and Cornelius Mims (bass) who was a member of saxophonist George Howard's band before he tragically passed away.

If you left out all the musical highlights in Euge's set; all that would be left is Euge trying to get the entire audience to kiss the person to their right, Euge doing cowboy roping steer poses, Euge jumping off stage and kissing and shaking hands as he roamed the audience, (with drum cymbals crashing down on stage) and lot of funked up whooping and hollering, and for good measure: Euge trying to coax a gentleman on a aisle seat to stand up and get down on one knee to a girl he brought to the concert.

There can't be a more talented, charismatic, harder-working man with a horn than Euge.

After a short intermission, Kem the spiritually moving smooth R & B headliner act began his act with displaying his video “Find Your Way (Back In My Life)” on the elaborate stage curtain.  Making his first Seattle appearance, and by judging the audiences response, you could clearly see who the majority of the audience members came to see.  Kem (last name Owens) didn't disappoint.  Doing a impeccable paced 12 song 90 minute set, emphasizing material from his gold status selling Kem Album II, the underlining theme to much of his music was God's all encompassing love in “good” as well as “bad” times.  So much so, with a bit of humor he responded in the middle of his set by stating, "Some of you may not want to be preached to or feel you are in church, but since we already got your money! I’m going to take a minute to share with you… I've slept on the streets... been in bread lines and in soup kitchens... been down; and out; on drugs... so low, my family had forsaken me!  So I'm qualified to stand here before you to tell you about God’s mercy and grace … I came here to “Thank God”, Seattle!"

This response sent the crowd standing in unison like I've never quite witnessed before at a smooth jazz concert.

Kem also reminded the crowd during his set, "We are here for a greater cause than ourselves... The Jackson Street Music Program!"  (The Jackson Street Music Program strides to enhance the lives of our local youth through music.)  Backing those words with action, Kem, earlier in the day, took the time after his sound check to meet a group of these wide-eyed kids and answered questions that they had prepared themselves.  These kids also had the opportunity to have dinner with members of both bands before the show.

The special effects and dramatic staging started at the very beginning of his set.  With a column of white drapes to each side of the stage, a large white curtain back drop superimposed his video to the song "Find Your Way (Back In My Life)."  With the video concluding and the drum set staged on a raised platform, the drummer for Kem quickly appeared, giving a beat for the rest of his band mates to walkout from both sides of the stage.  With all the musicians in place, a two-story shadow of Kem appeared behind a middle staged curtain motionless -- but not for long.  Once in motion the curtain pulled away quickly revealing Kem.  Wearing a brown & white pinned striped suit with a white open collar shirt, Kem walked down a small flight of stairs to his opening number "Get Lifted."

Throughout Kem's set they made exquisite use of strobes, kaleidoscope lighting, smoke, backstage lighting, and other various lighting effects.  During the song "Heaven" the backstage lighting resembled a star-filled night sky accented with blue lighting that literally took your breath away.  However, all these special effects and dramatic staging were like finding a hidden bonus track on one of your favorite cd's.  I'm fairly sure the audience would have gone away perfectly happy if there had been none of this, because the music and the message in his music would have been satisfying and great on it's own.

Kem's incredible Detroit based band consisted of Brian O'neal (keyboards), Al Turner (bass guitar), Ron Otis (drums), Quentin Baxter (lead guitar), Marlon Curry (percussion), Rayse Biggs (trumpet), and David McMurray (flute, saxophone, & musical director).  Kudos must also go to Will Burnett (stage manager) and Dean Watts (tour/production manager) for Kem.

In the Emerald City of Seattle on this particular evening... you could say Kem put in a cut and polished "Gem" of a performance.  It was a precious evening of music!

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