Harvey Cummings, Sol Kitchen Honor D’Angelo with SMOOTH Concert
Carolina Theatre performance mixes neo-soul with orchestral music
When Grammy-winning soul singer D’Angelo passed away in October 2025, the world lost an irreplaceable musical mind.
No one musician can match the iconic output of the R&B innovator, but on Saturday, May 16, at Carolina Theatre, Charlotte musician Harvey Cummings II will lead a 13-piece orchestra ensemble in reimagining the sensual, groove-filled sounds of D’Angelo seven months after his passing.
SMOOTH: The Sounds of D’Angelo will feature Cummings and the Sol Ensemble uniting neo-soul with orchestral music to bring something different to the Queen City.
Sol Kitchen founder Michael Kitchen cooked up the idea shortly after D’Angelo’s passing due to pancreatic cancer on Oct. 14, 2025. Wanting to honor one of his favorite musicians, Kitchen curated the setlist for the show, mixing fan-favorites with B-sides and deep cuts. He prefers the latter.
“Yes, I do like ‘Brown Sugar,’ but I’d much rather hear ‘Africa’ or ‘Smooth.’”
Though “Brown Sugar,” D’Angelo’s biggest hit off his debut 1995 album of the same name, may be more recognizable to casual fans, but Kitchen titled the event after “Smooth,” his favorite track from the same album.
While Kitchen selected the songs, he brought on renowned local saxophonist, pianist, songwriter and now orchestra director Harvey Cummings II to make the music come together.
Cummings will divide the evening into three movements: (1) Soul, (2) The Rhythm, and (3) Love.
He describes Soul as the easy-listening section, featuring songs like “Cruising,” “Devil’s Pie” and similar pieces. For The Rhythm, the drum will take centerstage, showcasing heavily rhythmic songs like “Chicken Grease” while Love will include romantic ballads like “Another Life.”
Cummings says the movements let him capture the multi-leveled talents that D’Angelo expressed through different levels within his work. Throughout all those phases, D’Angelo’s instrumentation stayed immaculate, he emphasized.
“My job as an arranger is to make it feel fresh,” Cummings told Queen City Nerve. “Just like Quincy Jones or Duke Ellington would do to jazz arrangements, I’m trying to do the same for orchestral arrangements. I’m treating the strings like a horn section, and I’m treating the horn section like background vocals.”
Ben Klein, programming director at Carolina Theatre, said the innovative concert was a great fit for the venue for several reasons, not the least of which was Cummings’ involvement, which was a big selling point for him when Kitchen approached him with the idea.
“One of the major aspects that came into it is our commitment to support local artists,” Klein said. “Harvey is one of the hardest working musicians in this city. He’s constantly putting out new and fun things in Charlotte connecting with so many different organizations … It seemed like a no-brainer to me.”
He added that the theme of the night only added to the intrigue.
“It’s unique and something no one has ever seen before,” said Klein. “The fact that it’s being done by local artists is just kind of the icing on the cake.”
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From the gorgeous red velvet draped throughout the theater to pristine touches like silver chairs, the vibes at Carolina Theatre all fit the bill for a night that will see neo-soul blend with orchestral music.
“I think it’s a music lover’s event,” Klein continued. “It’s not just for people who know D’Angelo’s music … I just think anybody that’s a fan of Mr. Harvey Cummings knows what he can do and what he can produce, and yet I think they’re gonna be surprised at how incredible of an evening he’s putting together.”
SMOOTH: The Sounds of D’Angelo with The Sol Ensemble, directed by Harvey Cummings II is scheduled for May 16, 8 p.m. at Carolina Theatre, 230 N. Tryon St. Find tickets at the Carolina Theatre website.
