Ray Charles may have been on your "I want to see this person perform before I die" list.

He certainly was on mine.

That is, until he passed away in 2004 at the age of 73.

Your next best bet, then, would be to see his protégé, Ellis Hall.

Hall was the only person on Charles' label, aside from Charles himself, and said he used to call the legendary musician "Papa Ray."

A full house greeted Hall when he took the stage Saturday night at the Holland Performing Arts Center, where Hall performed with the Omaha Symphony behind him.

The symphony — led by Grammy-winning guest conductor Matt Catingub — led off with almost an hour of orchestral versions of songs Charles made famous, including the jazz piece "Moanin'," the classic "It Had to Be You" and the rhythm and blues track "One Mint Julep."

Catingub is a talented arranger and musician. He showed off his talent by conducting in addition to singing and playing both piano and alto saxophone.

Later, it was time for Hall to take the stage for another hour of music.

If you were expecting a Ray Charles impersonator, that's not what you got.

Though, like Charles, Hall is blind, black and performed in a black suit and sunglasses, he paid tribute to his teacher in his own style and rarely sounded like Charles himself.

In fact, Hall often echoed another legendary blind, black performer: Stevie Wonder.

Hall's voice was more attuned to pop and funk, and less like the bluesy, velvety voice of Charles.

"What a joy it is to do the master's music," Hall said upon taking the stage. "Let's have some fun tonight. Sing, clap, dance. Oh yes, you will be singing."

Sing and clap they did, though all but a couple sat out on the dancing.

Hall performed many Charles classics, including "Georgia on My Mind," "What'd I Say" and a jazzy version of "You Are My Sunshine."

He also performed one of his own: "Girl You're Not in Kansas Any More." Though it was a good song, I could have gone for another Ray Charles tune.

Hall performed on a grand piano, a keyboard and an organ. He also busted out an acoustic guitar for one song.

Highlights of the show were the set-opening pair of songs "Let the Good Times Roll" and "Hit the Road, Jack," which featured a talented trio of backup singers.

Another talented guest of the symphony was Steve Moretti, who played the drums.

Moretti showed incredible versatility considering the plethora of genres he played along with (Charles' music is historically diverse).

It was a shame that he was hidden behind the grand piano because he was almost as fun to watch as he was to listen to.

"America the Beautiful" closed out the show, with many concertgoers singing along.

The Omaha Symphony was the true star of this show. As always, the symphony added depth and movement to heavy songs such as "Georgia on My Mind." And when certain songs called for it — such as "What'd I Say" — the symphony transformed into a swinging big jazz band.

The crowd at the Holland Center applauded the symphony musicians as much as they did Hall, especially during a pair of dueling sax solos in the song "Moanin'."

At the end of the concert, the crowd rose for a standing ovation.

"Thank you, Omaha, for loving me so dearly," Hall said.

Contact the writer:

402-444-1557, kevin.coffey@owh.com

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