The clouds parted -- literally -- for South African-born singer-guitarist Jonathan Butler.
Rain, brisk at times, dominated the afternoon hours of Jazzlights in the Park, the fundraising Boys and Girls Club of Central Arkansas festival at which Butler was a headliner. By the time Butler took the stage, the stars had come out, as if in tribute. And a healthy-size audience -- healthier than the 2014 Jazzlights crowd -- was there to be wowed on the west lawn of the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock.
Accompanied by his daughter on vocals, Butler immediately went to work wowing listeners with his optimistically mellow sound, which took shape in songs like Miriam Makeba's "Pata Pata;" Butler's own hit, "Sarah Sarah;" and "Do You Love Me," including an earnest-sounding scatting interlude.
Butler also scatted along with the sound of his guitar as a grand introduction to a commanding version of Bob Marley's "No Woman No Cry," whose lyrics he customized near the end -- "Everything's gonna be all right, Little Rock, here tonight."
His ad-libbing then entered the gospel realm -- "God said it's gonna work out right. ... Don't you worry," he sang. "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so." This was a setup for one of Butler's most endearing songs: "Falling in Love With Jesus," which he originally performed with Kirk Whalum. There was no Whalum on saxophone, no backup choir, but Butler performed with heartfelt melisma, much to the delight of the crowd.
Butler then went into several songs from his latest CD, Living My Dream, including the title cut and "Let There Be Light," which got some VIP audience members up and dancing in front of the stage. He also treated the audience to his Grammy-nominated hit "Lies" before ending his performance.
Luckily, a few sound issues and adjustments near the beginning of the performance followed the rain's lead and disappeared.
Butler topped off a long lineup of jazz performances that took place during the eight-hour Jazzlights. Among the local acts that performed just before Butler were Rodney Block and The Real Music Lovers, whose performance was highlighted by Bijoux Pighee's sultry vocals on "Uptown Funk," and the transcendent Amasa Hines, which took listeners into the deep side of jazz with such selections as its version of John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme."
Metro on 05/17/2015