ABOUT THIS CONCERT
“At last my love has come along…” Celebrate the soulful songs and timeless style of the one and only Etta James in this special tribute featuring Etta’s two sons, Sametto and Donto; her longtime friend and guitarist, Josh Sklair; and vocalist Crystal Monee Hall, live with Steven Reineke and the orchestra.
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Steven Reineke has established himself as one of North America’s leading conductors of popular music. In addition to his role as Principal POPS Conductor of the Houston Symphony, this season, he celebrates his 10th anniversary as music director of The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall. Additionally, he is principal pops conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.
Steven is a frequent guest conductor with The Philadelphia Orchestra and his extensive North American conducting appearances include Atlanta, Cincinnati, Edmonton, San Francisco, and Sarasota.
On stage, he has created programs and collaborated with a range of leading artists from the worlds of hip hop, Broadway, television, and rock, including Common, Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Sutton Foster, Megan Hilty, Cheyenne Jackson, Wayne Brady, Peter Frampton, and Ben Folds, among others. In 2017, he was featured on NPR’s All Things Considered leading the National Symphony Orchestra, in a first for the show’s 45-year history, performing live music excerpts between news segments. In 2018, Steven led the same orchestra and hip hop legend Nas performing his seminal album, Illmatic, on PBS’s Great Performances.
As the creator of more than 100 orchestral arrangements for the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Steven’s work has been performed worldwide, and can be heard on numerous Cincinnati Pops Orchestra recordings on the Telarc label. His symphonic works Celebration Fanfare, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Casey at the Bat are performed frequently in North America, including performances by the New York Philharmonic and Los Angeles Philharmonic. His Sun Valley Festival Fanfare commemorated the Sun Valley Summer Symphony’s pavilion, and his Festival Te Deum and Swan’s Island Sojourn were debuted by the Cincinnati Symphony and Cincinnati Pops Orchestras. His numerous wind ensemble compositions are published by the C.L. Barnhouse Company and are performed by concert bands worldwide.
A native of Ohio, Steven is a graduate of Miami University of Ohio, where he earned Bachelor of Music degrees with honors in both trumpet performance and music composition. He lives in New York City with his husband, Eric Gabbard.
Crystal Monee Hall’s varied career as a singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, and actress has included roles on Broadway (Rent), sold-out tours with acclaimed musicians Mickey Hart (Grateful Dead) and Dave Schools (Widespread Panic), a performance as featured vocalist on Saturday Night Live, and a guest appearance on the HBO comedy-drama High Maintenance. She has released three albums (one solo and two with Hart) with work from her most recent EP “If You Breathe” called “riveting” by Billboard Magazine. Her newest release seamlessly blends her love for world, blues, jazz, soul, and contemporary R&B, showcasing her talent as a songwriter, while highlighting a voice that has captivated audiences worldwide.
Currently, Crystal is a featured vocalist on Broadway superstar Kristin Chenoweth’s “For the Girls” concerts at Broadway’s Nederlander Theater. Her songwriting comes front and center when Chenoweth performs her original tune “Reasons for Hope,” co-written by the show’s musical director, Mary-Mitchell Campbell.
A high-profile music moment was a feature with country superstar Thomas Rhett on Saturday Night Live in 2019. Rolling Stone took notice of her standout performance of “Don’t Threaten Me with a Good Time,” saying it “put on display the superb, soulful talents of Crystal Monee Hall.” The two encored the performance at Rhett’s sold-out show at Madison Square Garden.
She was featured in Ben Platt’s Netflix concert special filmed at Radio City Music Hall. She also performed with him on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Good Morning America as well as the run of his sold-out Sing to Me Instead Tour. Cynthia Erivo’s PBS special features Hall in the role of soprano during her knockout performance of “Ain’t No Way.” Crystal joined Kesha as part of her powerful 2018 Grammy Awards performance in support of the #TimesUp movement, provided supporting vocals for Mariah Carey’s Christmas residency at New York’s Beacon Theater, and performed alongside Kanye West and Chance the Rapper during their debut performance of “Ultralight Beam” on SNL. Crystal sang backing vocals for Craig David’s “All We Needed,” the official song of the BBC’s 2016 Children in Need campaign.
Musical director for Etta James from 1985 to 2012, Josh Sklair has worked with the best in jazz, blues, rhythm and blues, pop, and rock.
He has worked on stage or in the recording studio with Paul Anka (currently), Sophie B. Hawkins, Jon Lucien, The Jones Girls, Jeffrey Osborne, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, The Shirelles, Cedar Walton, The Coasters, Del Shannon, Herbie Hancock, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Diane Warren, Albert Hammond, Lamont Dozier, and many others.
After briefly attending Berklee School of Music in Boston, Josh graduated from the Guitar Institute of Technology in Los Angeles in 1979.
His long and fruitful association with the iconic Etta James resulted in his receiving two Grammy Awards for producing. He contributed his guitar playing, arrangements, and compositions on more than a dozen albums and countless concert performances.
During his tenure with Etta, Josh saw her receive much of the recognition and acknowledgement she had long deserved: five Grammy Awards, induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and many other prestigious awards for her invaluable and unique contribution to American music.
Sametto James, son of Etta James, is a music producer, bass player, and two-time Grammy Award winner. He began playing bass at a young age and joined the family band alongside his mother and brother, Donto, recording and performing with Etta James and The Roots Band. Sametto earned Grammy Awards as a co-producer for Etta James’s Let’s Roll and Blues to the Bone.
Donto James is a recording engineer, music producer, drummer, two-time Grammy Award winner, and the son of iconic singer Etta James. Drumming from a young age, he recorded and performed with Etta James and The Roots Band through the end of the late singer’s career. Donto earned Grammy Awards as a co-producer for Etta James’s Let’s Roll (2003) and Blues to the Bone (2004).
