LIVE: The Heavenly Echoes & Friends @ the Sanctuary for Independent Media, 12/12/09

The Sanctuary For Independent Media presented a spectacular night of the Capital Region’s top gospel talents as part of their ongoing concert recording series, “Live From Lock One.”

Hosted by the Heavenly Echoes Gospel Singers (James Edmonds, Doc Willingham, Hayes Coleman, John Adams and Earl Thorpe), the concert also featured singers from Lansingburgh’s Oak Grove Missionary Baptist Church (led by Leroy Rivers), sensational vocalist Ann Terrell and the Duryee Men’s Chorus from Schenectady’s AME Zion Church.

Here’s the Heavenly Echoes singing “Coming On Home”:

The primary back up band for Terrell and the Heavenly Echoes was bassist Joe Abbey, drummer Kenny Ketter and guitarists Earl Kornegay and John Oliver.

Emceed by the Troy Record‘s longtime music writer Don Wilcock, that evening heavenly harmonies, flowing rhythms and passionate vocal deliveries flew around inside the former church. From a lovely rendition of the Temptation’s Motown nugget “My Girl” to many traditional and contemporary gospel classics, all of the groups and Ms. Terrell performed on what could only be described as a world-class level.

Review and photographs by Andrzej Pilarczyk. You can see a lot more of Andrzej’s photos from this show at Flickr.