AUGUSTA, Ga.—Joseph Collier shared his thoughts about his experience at Shen Yun in the lobby of the William Bell Auditorium during the intermission, on Jan. 31. Warm and outspoken, he played trumpet with Godfather of Soul James Brown, he said. “I formerly played with James Brown for 21 years, I’m a trumpet player.”
James Brown’s band was known for its rigorous rehearsals and tight, perfect timing. Mr. Collier said the dancers and the orchestra in the Shen Yun Touring Company showed the hours of rehearsal they had put in to become so perfectly synchronized.
He said, “The music is fantastic, the sound, the coordination with the dancers, awesome! I can tell from being a professional myself that it’s a lot of work, practice and rehearsal has gone into it.”
He said he could tell that someone or many people had put a great deal of effort and creativity into New York-based Shen Yun’s show. “A lot of work went into that production.” About 30 people were in the James Brown band, he said, and Shen Yun has a lot more than that, and they are perfectly synchronized.
He praised the dancers and musicians of Shen Yun by saying “They would have to be tight to coordinate,” which was a motto of James Brown.
He was playing in a jazz club in Augusta when James Brown walked in and asked him if he'd like to play in his band. “I said yes, I had to think about it what, 10 seconds or a millisecond.
Mr. Collier still plays R & B and church music, but he also became an educator and a civic leader. The Augusta-Richmond County Commission in 2009 appointed him to the Coliseum Authority, which “manages the operation and maintenance of the James Brown Arena and Bell Auditorium, Augusta’s premier entertainment venues,” according to the county website.
As a school administrator, he sponsors an annual career day. In response to a compliment that he was an accomplished guy, he laughed and said, “Well, I’m a busy guy.”
Mr. Collier first saw Shen Yun when it visited Augusta two years ago, and he made sure to see the new 2012 performance. “The show was great,” he said.
Shen Yun Performing Arts has three touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world.
For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org.
