Richard Ceasar and Friends

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Sat 12 Mar 2016

Richard's sold out promotional show, filled the auditorium of the Canterbury Hurlstone Park R.S.L Club. The majority of fans originating from his home country, South Africa which brought a sense of community to the event.

The concert had two distinct parts, The first consisted of a collaboration of local talent put together by Beryl Segers and included duets with star in the making, Lyric Fidow and the sixteen member, One World Choral.

Opening the evening with a string quartet, playing Beethoven's Fifth Symphony which magically transformed into ELO's "It's a living thing". Richard's nimble fingers highlighting his exceptional guitar skills, the audience listened quietly in awe. His solo rifts hypnotising the crowd. 

Following this, 16 year old Lyric Fidow took to the stage for an enchanting duet with Richard of the Nat King Cole classic, "Unforgettable" before she went solo with Alicia Key's classic "If I ain't got you". Richard confessed to "being out of my comfort zone" but it played out beautifully. Regardless of age difference, Richard and Lyric complemented each other's style perfectly.


As the One World Choral filled the stage, it was obvious tonight was something special. It might have taken a couple of beats to get going but once it did, Mike & the Mechanic's, "In the living years" was the perfect choice for such an ensemble.  Swapping himself out of lead for Choral members kept the audience captivated and showed off Richard's skills for owning the stage. 

Playing a few solo's on the keyboard covering Stevie Wonder's "Ribbon in the Sky/Overjoyed/Lately" proved Richard's talents were not just on the guitar. This was a perfect transition to up the tempo, giving a hint at where this night was heading.

The rhythm increased as Richard invited the audience to dance telling them jokingly "You're a bit stiff tonight". Tables emptied as couples drifted to the dance floor. Swaying to smooth beats in George Bensons' "Before you go" & "Weekend in L.A". This was what the audience had been waiting for. As Richard and his band broke out with Al Jarreau's "We're in this love together" & "Mornin'" the mood lifted even further and the dance floor filled up with fans boogying and jiving. It was a scene straight out of a movie. 


Dave Weir's saxophone solo was lapped up by the audience especially when he got down on the dance floor to twist and shake, sending them to a frenzy. Covering other musicians songs is one way of demonstrating a musical gift, but Richard Ceasar has a knack for making them his own, breaking into scat rap and flashy guitar solo's to differentiate his version from the original.

The last set turned the music up a notch and Towera Smith's operatic back-up vocals proved powerful enough to move even the hardiest non-dancer. Those still seated unable to resist the urge to move, bouncing and bopping at their table. Finishing the night with Stevie Wonder's "Another Star" and "Donny Hathaway's, "You've got a friend" completed a fantastic night of entertainment. 

Richard's aim to bring Australia and South Africa closer together through music evidently successful being backed up by locals Adrian Lewis on bass, Keith Sullivan on drums, Omar Abidin on guitar, Sunil Da Silva on percussion, Sean McKenzie on keyboards and Mitchell Anderson.

Richard Ceasar is looking to return to Australia for a country wide tour later this year. For those aspiring guitarists, Richard is also looking to hold some guitar workshops on his tour, focussing on African music. These workshops are sure to fill up quickly. 

#concerts
#music
#near_sydney
#performing_arts
#shows
#west
#march
!date 12/03/2016 -- 12/03/2016
%wnsydney