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Wyclef Jean hasn't done too badly with his solo career. The Haitian-born rapper, who rose to fame as part of The Fugees, regularly works a variety of styles into his music, and this concert, recorded in 2001 at the fabled Carnegie Hall, is no exception. Jean is joined by a variety of musicians, ranging from the young and talented Charlotte Church to old fogies like Eric Clapton and Stevie Wonder. The cast of musicians makes its way through a mind-boggling array of jazz, hip-hop, reggae and pop, with Jean acting like MC Iron Chef, skillfully serving it all up like a gourmet musical treat.
Clef formed the Wyclef Jean Foundation to provide aid for Haitian orphans and homeless Floridians as well as to fund musical education for underprivileged youth. This DVD showcases "Clef's Kids" -- a large group of handpicked NYC-area children who have exceptional musical talent. Along with Jean, the Kids join forces with an all-star cast, performing an extensive set of well-known tunes.
Decked out in white tuxedo tails, Jean opens up the high-class gig by introducing several members of the youthful band, including the 14-year old pianist and drummer and a 16-year old bassist. And damned if these kids can't play! The concert begins with a spicy medley of two jazz classics, "Minnie the Moocher" and "Take the A-Train". Jean demonstrates his exceptional vocal talent while the backing band does an impressive job, performing these timeless classics without missing a note.
And like a flick of the switch, the show's whole vibe is turned upside-down as the youthful Charlotte Church arrives on stage to deliver "Ave Maria". The operatic number is done well and Church has an exceptional voice, but it makes for a strange transition between the jazz opener and the following rendition of "Now That We Found Love". Stevie Wonder makes a guest appearance on harmonica as long-standing reggae traditionalists Third World back him up. The resulting number is a mix of R&B, pop and funk that's expertly played and sounds remarkably sharp for a live recording.
Steven Marley, Eric Clapton and the beautiful Candice step up to do their respective numbers. It's all crisp, clean and energetically delivered, but it's too scripted; Clapton in particular sounds as if he's merely going through the motions on "Wonderful Tonight", invoking reggae chords from his colorful guitar. Unfortunately, his delivery is about as dull and lifeless as it comes.
Perhaps sensing the looming dissatisfaction, Jean (who changes costumes throughout the show, going from the tux to a sharp suit to a denim jumpsuit) introduces the Rock Steady Crew and launches into a hip-hop remake of "Stayin' Alive". The crowd jumps to its feet, graciously thanking Jean for this much-needed injection of adrenalin. Young and old alike move their hands to and fro, happily singing along. A Bee Gees vocal sample drops in and Jean delivers line after line of enthusiastic rapping. It's exactly the sort of creativity Jean is known for, and the crowd responds with roars of appreciation. Several breakdancers make their way to center stage, strutting their stuff over a stripped down drum beat. And before the sweat can stop streaming down his forehead, Jean straps on a guitar and makes his way through "911". It's a dramatic mood and tempo change from the previous track, but the classic heart-wrencher is done well. Dressed in a sparkling pink-sequined jacket, Mary J. Blige swaggers onto the stage to sing along with Jean. It's still finely scripted (hey, it's a Carnegie Hall performance, not some run-down Village dive, after all), but "911" is the most powerful performance of the night.
After a saxophone-led version of "Amazing Grace", Jean conducts his Kids through a Bach medley. There's plenty of young talent to be heard, but both of these numbers are tepid at best. Hey, at least the straight-laced white guys in the audience finally got to hear something familiar.
There's plenty more to choose from, but it's worth mentioning the two-song stint by Destiny's Child. Besides being über-hot, DC groove through the R&B-inspired "Say My Name" and the orchestra-backed version of "Independent Women". They may not be snotty punks or performance art freaks, but Destiny's Child can put on one hell of a show. The crowd looks dazed -- they don't know whether to get out of their comfy red-velvet clad chairs and dance or sink into them and soak it all up.
The concert ends with the entire cast of stars joining Jean on stage for a medley of "Guantanamera" and "Hot Hot Hot". It sounds like a train wreck waiting to happen, but the mixture of salsa rhythms and Marc Anthony-led Latino lyrics fronted by a dredlocked Haitian isn't half-bad. Jean drags out the tune over 10 minutes with the requisite drum-only breakdown and a lengthy call and response workout with the audience. Let's just say that it was probably a lot cooler to experience first-hand than it is on your TV screen.
As with all DVDs these days, there are a couple of bonus features, including extensive interview sessions with Wyclef's Kids and the all-star cast. We don't get a lot of insightful words from the teenagers and there's too much showering of praise on Wyclef's Foundation. Yeah, we get it, it's really cool that someone has helped underprivileged kids so much, but who wants to hear a bunch of kids sing Jean's praise over and over (and over) again? The "All-Star" interview is bit more intriguing, but like any good propaganda film, everyone lets you know how wonderful Jean is. Unless you're one of Kids who finally gets to see himself on DVD or you have an obsession with the likes of Anthony, Blige and Charlotte Church, you're better off skipping the bonus material.
What's most eye-opening about the All Star Jam is Jean's talent. The rapper is an exceptional guitar player and superb singer, and he transitions effortlessly from genre to genre. It's also great to learn that he has given back so much to his community (although hearing it so many times kind of detracts from the impact). The supporting cast of musicians is predictably mainstream, but Destiny's Child will certainly bring in more cash than a grungy rock 'n' roll act. And at the end of it all, the revenues from the concert (and presumably the sales of this DVD) go to a good cause, so the higher the proceeds, the better. Wyclef fans will rejoice, but at best, the rest of us will appreciate Jean for his remarkable talent and charitable work.
-- Andrew Magilow
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