Three Mo' Tenors have got soul

When Broadway actor/director Marion J. Caffey saw the original Three Tenors — Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras — sing at Dodger Stadium, he noticed something.

"When they switched from opera to musical theater, they did it tongue-in-cheek," said Caffey during a phone call from his home in Florida. "But I noticed that their voices weren't able to make the switch smoothly. It was apparent that opera was the only style they could do well.

"I'm not saying this to put down the tenors," said Caffey. "I was making an observation. Their voices were not versatile enough to sing other styles."

So, Caffey, who is known for his choreography and directing on and off Broadway, decided to organize another trio of tenors — Three Mo' Tenors.

"This was in no way an attempt to belittle the original Three Tenors," said Caffey. "But I saw an opportunity for me to get African American tenors who can negotiate the different styles of singing in a performance situation."

The Three Mo' Tenors sing opera, jazz, pop, gospel, soul, new school, blues and spirituals.

"I wanted to make sure the singers we recruited would be able to sing all those styles well," said Caffey. "I wanted to spotlight those singers who could switch to opera, soul and the blues."

Back in 2000, Caffey began holding auditions for his first incarnation of Three Mo' Tenors. By 2001, he had a hit on his hands. And since then, he's organized two trios of tenors to meet the demand.

"The singers can only sing a few shows at a time to give their voices ample time to rest and recuperate," said Caffey. "So I had to form another group."

Caffey's also organized a female counterpart to Three Mo' Tenors. He calls them the Three Divas.

"I've got two sets of the divas as well," he said. "It's been a great journey seeing each singer in the groups develop as artists."

Tenor Phumzile Sojola, who has been part of the Three Tenors since February, said a friend suggested he audition last year.

"My friend called me up and said that I would be interested in the Three Mo' Tenors," said Sojola during a phone call from his home in Cincinnati, Ohio. "I auditioned and then made the call back. And they told me that they were interested in what I had to offer."

Sojola said his main goal in life was to be an opera singer.