Well, I normally sit down every Monday to write this blog,
but yesterday, I forgot. Lucky you, cause what I did last night, is what I am
going to write about!
Rob Dorn, Cheri Coons and I were lucky enough to catch New York Voices at Columbia
for FREE. It was, by far, the best free concert I have ever seen. If you don’t
know this group, they sing tight harmony jazz arrangements of everything from
Laura Nero tunes, to Brazilian Sambas, to standard jazz rep. Look them up, you
won’t be disappointed. They have been together for 20 years. And you can tell
by their consideration for each other and the material. The blend and ease with
which they sang these intricate harmonies, was so smooth. The tenor also played
the saxophone. It was interesting to watch him sing these scat lines and see
that his fingers moved on the sax as though he were playing, rather than
singing, them.
They also did a few numbers with the student’s jazz ensemble from Columbia. Using them as back up or to enhance their sound, they were wonderful. Though, at first I was worried they were going to be too sanitized and “white bread”. They started out the night singing and were very flat (not a lot of soul,) but by the end of it…I couldn’t keep my body still. I was filled with the rhythm of amazing jazz.
It is so interesting to see what energizes you as a performer.
A few weeks back, I went with my fella to see my favorite modern dance company in town, River North Dance Company. AMAZING! The fella was full of trepidation about going, it is modern dance and all. But, by the 4th number, he was hooked. Sexy and so in sync, they always bring a smile to my face.
Neither one of these performances are in cabaret or theatre, my main focus. But, both energized me with their perfection. They filled me with excitement and hope to reach that level of effortless expertise.
I know how difficult it is to go out and see things as a performer. When I lived in NYC, people would always ask if I saw such and such Broadway show. And I would tell them that if I had an extra $150, I spent on that a frivolous purchase…groceries. But, here in Chicago you can afford to see things, many of them for free (it’s why we pay 10.25% sales tax!). There is no excuse. Get out there and enjoy. Be inspired by something new.
