Sade

Brian Culbertson Opening for Barry Manilow

Back in September, vocalist Barry Manilow called on Smooth Jazz keyboardist Brian Culbertson to open two high-profile shows in Philadelphia and Boston. Manilow must have been impressed, because he has now invited Culbertson to join him on an 11-city tour that begins Jan. 11 in St. Paul, Minn., and concludes Feb. 24 in Miami.

Culbertson will be opening for Manilow on his An Evening of Music and Passion arena tour, which marks Manilow’s final shows before he begins another extended stay at the Las Vegas Hilton, where he began performing in 2005. Culbertson's opening gig will give the keyboardist tremendous exposure, as Manilow has sold 70 million albums worldwide in his long career and has had 31 platinum recordings. In addition, Manilow's concert tour for 2007 ranked at #19 for the year.

Meanwhile, Culbertson says his next Smooth Jazz CD will be finished by the end of this month and features musical contributes by Gerald Albright, Bootsy Collins, Ledisi, Musiq Soulchild and Larry Graham, among others.