Performance: Amarillo, TX
04-Feb-06
AMARILLO NATIVE RETURNS HOME FOR THREE MO’ TENORS PERFORMANCE
By Chip Chandler
An Amarillo son made a welcome return home Friday, and he brought along a fun couple of pals.
Ramone Diggs, a Tascosa High School graduate, is one-third of Three Mo’ Tenors, an acclaimed trio of young, black singers of nicely diverse talent. They performed in the Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts for Amarillo Opera’s traditional “Lift Every Voice” concert, a celebration of Black History Month.
The evening was that – a recognition of the influence of blacks on popular music – and much more:Three Mo’ Tenors, who also include Marvin Scott and Duane Moody, delivered a program that included Verdi’s “La Donna Mobile” and “Rigoletto” and Usher’s “Yeah.”
No, seriously. The program was one of almost head-scratching variety, but it was unfailingly entertaining.
Almost every genre of music was touched upon: classical, Broadway, jazz, soul, Motown, hip-hop, spirituals and gospel; only country was missing.
The highlights were many. The crowd roared approval for Scott’s rendition of “I Don’t Feel Noways Tired” and the gospel medley that followed. Equally well-received was a version of “Bring Him Home” from Les Misrables, rewritten as a duet for Diggs and Scott. A personal favorite: A tribute to the Pips, singing “Midnight Train to Georgia” without Gladys Knight, leaving not much more than a “leavin’!” and a “woo woo!”
Diggs, the hometown favorite, had plenty of opportunities to shine, from his opening spotlight in “Si, Ritrovarla io Giuro” by Rossini to “Azure T” from “Five Guys Named Moe.”
Scott was another crowd favorite, with his engagingly goofy mannerisms and his first act-ending “Minnie the Moocher.”
Moody showed perhaps the most versatility with a soft-jazz version of “Skylark” and a powerful rendition of “Rain” from the Broadway musical “Once on This Island.”
Each man displayed an impeccable instrument. They sounded a bit more classically trained throughout than I expected – a minor point, but unmistakable.