Dexter Wansel & Friends

Coming to Eventim Apollo in April 2026.

Due to Dexter Wansel’s recent illness, McKinley Jackson has been bought in as our conductor for the evening.

McKinley is a towering figure in his own right and he was recommended to us by Jean Carne and Shirley Jones as he has written, arranged, and produced for both Jean and The Jones Girls. He is more widely known for his work with Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, Lamont Dozier, Norman Connors, and the Starship Orchestra. For example, he arranged “You’re A Star” for Aquarian Dream and he is credited across the whole “Lamont” album by Lamont Dozier. As you can see his CV is immense.

We are now delighted to be able to announce some of the guest musicians in our orchestra. The amazing Amanda Whiting will feature on harp, Orphy Robinson will be our vibes man, and the legend Snowboy is providing percussion. The show now features:

Our 33 piece orchestra conducted by McKinley Jackson

Dexter Wansel’s band led by Ernie Mckone

On vocals we have:

Jean Carn

Shirley Jones

Terri Wells

Cornell CC Carter

Angelo Starr

Guest musicians:

Amanda Whiting - Harp

Orphy Robinson - Vibes

Snowboy Mark Cotgrove – Percussion