Aretha Franklin– wearing a cream color St. John knit suit and looking like billion bucks– celebrated her birthday in style last night in New York. First the Queen of Soul took friends to dinner at La Grenoiulle. Then the group limo’d across town to see Denzel Washington and LaTanya Richardson in “A Raisin in the Sun.”
But by 10:30 the fun really began over at the Ritz Carlton Hotel on Central Park South. There Ms. Franklin welcomed the one and only Clive Davis with pals including Nikki Haskell, Rep. Charles Rangel, congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, and a ton of well wishers to an elegant soiree in the big lobby tea court. Coming over from Broadway were Denzel, as well as Clifton Davis from “Aladdin.”
Meantime, music was provided by Denise Thimes, St. Louis’s hottest jazz vocalist (she plays on Tuesday at Minton’s on West 118th St.) and the Dizzy Gillespie All Stars– an eight piece jazz ensemble with horns. And they were still rockin’ at 1 am!
And yes, everyone keeps asking me so I will tell you: Aretha looks great, trim and svelte, with a short haircut and a lot of energy. In two weeks she goes into the studio to start recording a great new record for Clive. They are each forever young!
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