Live musical performances are held under the pavilion on Market Street in Reston Town Center, and listeners may set up chairs under the pavilion and around the fountain. Photo by Erin Murphy/The Connection
“Let’s go back a little ways,” Theresa Richmond crooned Saturday night at as she and the Adrian Duke Project serenaded the crowd gathered at Reston Town Center with their signature New Orleans blues sound.
On July 16 the Adrian Duke Project performed as a part of the Reston Town Center series titled “Concerts on the Town,” a series of concerts running from June 3 to Aug. 26 in the pavilion.
“It’s very therapeutic. A fixed period of time where you’re in the moment, and there’s a connection with the audience,” lead vocalist and piano player Adrian Duke said of performing live.
The Adrian Duke Project is a mix of soul and rock n’ roll, New Orleans jazz and swing, and classic Americana; with a set list running from Dean Martin to The Doors.
The band’s members include the vocal skills of Richmond, Damon Brown on bass, Will Tynch on saxophone, Derek Crowder on guitar, and Marcus Parker on drums. The group drew audience members of all ages to their feet and swinging to the beat of timeless songs including “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” “Dr. Feelgood,” and “At Last.”
Adrian Duke, piano player and singer/songwriter, studied jazz piano at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond and has produced six albums in the past 15 years. In 2007, he was chosen as a member of the band performing Richmond’s “Royal Welcome” for Queen Elizabeth.
The Town Center concerts begin at 7:30, and run until 10 p.m. with the sun setting each Saturday night on various musical traditions from bluegrass to old rock n’ roll to Spanish flamenco. Listeners can look forward to performances in July by “Scythian,” a Celtic/gypsy folk-rock group, and Love Cannon, a bluegrass group performing covers of ’80s hits.