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Amos Lee Plays the First of Three at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville
by Rich and Laura Lynch
Amos Lee was back by popular demand to perform with the Nashville Symphony at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. May 09, 2024 was the first of his three-night engagement (May 09 - 11) collaborating with the Orchestra conducted by Andrew Lipke who is a Philadelphia based arranger, composer and multi-instrumentalist.
Amos Lee thrilled from a darkly lit stage on opening night in Nashville.
At the Schermerhorn fans remained attentive to hear the voice that kicked off a former teacher's music career. As the story goes - back in 2003 - Lee's manager Bill Eib sent a four-track demo CD out and upon receiving it a rep at Blue Note Records was immediately struck by his singing. Around the same time, Norah Jones heard samples of Amos Lee music while visiting the label. Impressed, Nora invited Amos to be the opening act for her 2004 tour. From there, Lee released a number of well-received albums with some of his songs finding their way into movies and TV thus expanding his fan base.
"What a beautiful hall," enthused Lee who repeated the positive adjective often during the night especially when referring to the Orchestra and we would have to agree that the Symphony beautifully complimented Lee's expressive vocals. During the concert the personable artist mentioned that he has been working with orchestras for a number of years. In the live setting it is clear why as his music blended beautifully with all the enhancements that horns and strings bring to a composition.
Amos with his band paired with the Symphony opened with a winning "Wait Up for Me" flowing into the dreamy and dynamic "Dreamland", then a soulful call to "Jesus" asking can You help me now. With a shout-out to Jaron Olevksy (keys, piano), they performed the engaging Quarantine Etude (composed by Jaron). A few stellar songs later, Amos mentioned their love of gospel music with "Madison" reflecting that passion followed by a timely message from his new single "Hold on Tight" that reminded us that all we have is each other. Amos writes compelling lyrics and his voice which is hard to describes just draws you in.
Amos Lee and the Batman Building - two recognizable icons in Music City.
Set two was rock solid too, starting with the encouraging "Worry No More" tailed by the catchy "Crooked" with the Nashville Symphony adding many more accents to the piece. We thoroughly enjoyed the snappy "Sweet Pea" flowing into the nuanced "Flower". Lee stated that one of his favorite artists is John Prine, declaring that they would be honoring him all three nights. We were treated to Lee's take on "Only Love". Amos and band finished up a challenging opening night as three of the members on stage were playing only their second gig in this configuration. But, everyone was up to the task as fan favorites "Arms of a Woman" and "Windows Are Rolled Down" were warmly received sending everyone home more than satisfied on a Thursday night in Music City.
Later this year, Lee is releasing his eleventh studio album. Transmissions is a return to the old school style of playing live in a room with a band. Despite this simple approach the music was written with the idea of orchestration. Lee with his talented team collaborated with the Nashville Symphony to present some new songs including the brilliant "Built to Fall". This piece was packed with rich imagery. Afterwards, Amos pointed out that it had a lot of words. So, be on the lookout for the new record and Lee who is on tour for much of 2024.
The Schermerhorn continues to showcase a variety of artists such as Amos Lee. Centrally located downtown, this beautiful venue which opened in 2006, hosts classical, jazz, pop, operas, rock and world musicians. Please check their website for a complete list of upcoming events.
The new album from Amos Lee will be out later this year.
Related Links:
For more information on AMOS LEE and the other organizations mentioned please visit the following links -
Amos Lee |
Nashville Symphony
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