Photos by Andy Argyrakis

As an ace session musician for George Duke, Herbie Hancock, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, Lionel Richie, and later, Gloria Estefan, Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez, Sheila E. could’ve easily been crowned “The Queen Of Percussion.”

Yet that was a mere sliver of what transpired when the one-time Prince protégé launched her own purple reign, while simultaneously making the leap to the silver screen to star in the hip-hop classic “Krush Groove.”

The daughter of fellow renowned percussionist/former Santana member Pete Escovedo even went onto be a longtime member of Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Band and has since formed her own ensemble, The E-Train, who made an encore appearance at the cozy and stylish City Winery following a sold out streak last year.

During the first night’s late show (with two to go on Tuesday, February 14), Sheila E. astounded with limitless talents as she tapped into her past, interpreted others and introduced the troupe’s brand new album, “Hella Fonk E.”

After opening with some jaw-dropping jamming to get loose, the original “Oakland N Da House” went into a tasty take on Tower Of Power’s “Oakland Stroke…,” both of which overflowed with funk.

Rock was right around the corner come The Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine,” a bit of The Commodores “Brick House” snuck into some jazzy instrumentals, and a little later, the traditional “When The Saints Go Marching In” was as lively as anyone could imagine with the full capacity crowd waving their napkins like flags.

Though Sheila E. often focused exclusively on the drums, including many earth-shattering solos, she also sang on occasion, such as the fresh bounce of “A Love Bizarre, alongside the late Hal David & Burt Bacharach’s “What The World Needs Now Is Love,” tied with a beautiful, unifying speech about that very subject.

However, it was an extended edition of the Prince-penned “The Glamorous Life” that left the City Winery speechless, thanks in part to the ambitious players, and even more so, the superhuman skills of a versatile leader who’s sheer royalty in her own right.

For additional information on Sheila E., visit SheilaE.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at City Winery include Sheila E. (Feb. 14); Ana Popovic (Feb. 15); Lalah Hathaway (Feb. 16-18); Denny Laine (Feb. 19); Dave Mason (Feb. 20-21); Enter The Haggis (Feb. 22); Chris Knight (Feb. 23); Cocktails + Comedy (Feb. 24); Anders Osborne (Feb. 25); Talib Kweli (Feb. 26); Marqueal Jordan (Feb. 27); Bowen * Young (Feb. 28); Ron Sexsmith (Mar. 1); Eric Benet (Mar. 2); Shannon Fiedler (Mar. 3); Crash Test Dummies (Mar. 4); Miles Nielsen & The Rusted Hearts (Mar. 5); John “Papa” Gros (Mar. 6); Steam Irish Quartet & Gleeson Trio (Mar. 7); Aida Rodriguez (Mar. 8); Ruthie Foster (Mar. 9); Elle Varner (Mar. 10); Sam Bush (Mar. 11) and Nemr (Mar. 12). For additional details, visit CityWinery.com/Chicago.

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