It all started with an e-mail from GP. She said that she was in town and going to be performing at the Vic with another band. I remember seeing her there the last time she was in town and I decided to go to her website
to check the schedule. One thing that I have noticed is every time I visit her site I instantly get frozen and intoxicated by her beautiful sound, style and phrasing. The music is a sample medley of wonderful tunes that are set in a continuous loop and when you come to after a few hours you realize that you have been under its trance.
The mood of the evening is bitter sweet as Gretchen
describes because even though we are experiencing beautiful music, the quaint,
homey living room style venue will be closing its doors to jazz at the end of
the month. As Ray Slater, the proprietor
of the Vic says, “We have had a good run”.
The Vic has been dedicated to providing fine jazz entertainment for a
number of years and it saddens us all to have another great jazz venue
disappear from the face of the planet here in
Tonight the band, which is lead by bass player Morrie
Louden, who has shared with us some of his beautiful compositions, plays a few
peaceful pieces before inviting Gretchen to the stage. Gretchen is the most precious individual and
she possesses the power of quiet as her peaceful presence commands
attention. The sounds of
Dueting with Morrie breathes in the space and the clarity of the rhythm is played and implied. Morrie’s latest record is “Time Piece” which features Gretchen on three tunes. When you experience a Gretchen Parlato performance, you not only hear sweet timbers dance on air but you feel your diaphragm slowly inhale and exhale as you breathe in the essence of the music. For the most part, the music tonight has aired on the side of lovely but these cats can turn up the heat and take you to the corner of burning and beautiful boulevard in no time flat.
I think that the Vic may have a few more jazz performances left before the doors actually shut on jazz. If you have an opportunity, do your best to show you love and respect before the Vic becomes a passing phrase of yesterday.
LeRoy Downs
