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In a fit of despair about being unable to safely travel, I went on a NYC cultural event ticket buying spree some months back. First I saw Six and then American Utopia on Broadway, and more recently I went to see Big Band Holidays with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.
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I’d been to Dizzy’s Club before (back when it was called Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola–I guess they ended a sponsorship agreement?) which is a lovely, intimate space with gorgeous views, southern food, and cocktails, but this was my first trip to the Rose Theater. It’s a much larger and more formal space, but it’s also exquisite and has an intimate feel–no seat is far from the stage.
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Jazz at Lincoln Center, like the Broadway shows, required proof of vaccination, and had numerous and helpful staff to direct everyone to the venue and to their seats. Again, the audience was masked and well behaved. It felt as safe as sitting in a theater in New York City could be.
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Wynton Marsalis told us they were going to swing COVID away. Sadly, that was not the case, but if anyone could do it, I would think it would be him. He’s a good-humored bandleader, giving information about the history of the songs, shout outs to the soloists, and credit to everyone who performed. The guest vocalist, Alita Moses, was terrific, a joyful and gracious stage presence. She elevated two novelty tunes, “All I Want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth” and “‘Zat You, Santa Claus?” in a way that reminded me of Ella Fitzgerald taking “A Tisket, A Tasket” from a nursery rhyme to a jazz standard. And she was lovely on the melancholy “It’s Easy to Blame the Weather.” Speaking of jazz standards (and Christmas standards), “I’m Still Here this Christmas” by the band’s Music Director, Marcus Printup, should be one. He wrote it recently in honor of lives lost, those we miss as time goes on and we celebrate holidays without them. Another highlight: “Frosty the Snowman” got a Latin jazz treatment that I didn’t know I needed. (I actually did a double take, checking the stage and program to confirm that there was only one percussionist on stage–that’s how good Obed Calvaire was on drums.) To be fair, the musicians were all excellent, and seemed to be enjoying the music (just as much as the audience was), enjoying their colleagues, and enjoying the tradition behind the music, reminiscing about jazz musicians of the past as they pass on their knowledge to younger musicians.
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The holiday shows are an annual tradition, but if Christmas music isn’t your thing, you can look forward to seeing the band in March for Journey Through Jazz (exploring the history and evolution of the genre), or in April for a Charlie Mingus Centennial Celebration, or see them close out the season in June for a Duke Ellington tribute. I think most of us could use some joyful sounds at any time of year.
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Laura LaVelle is an attorney and writer who lives in Connecticut, in a not quite 100-year-old house, along with her husband, two daughters, and a cockatiel.
Laura can be contacted at laura@newswhistle.com
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Lead-in Image (Navigation Screenshot & Logotype) Courtesy of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Official Site
