Submitted by Al Kanovsky 7/13/13
and rememberance. Last night,
for the first time, I walked into the lobby of the Olympia Theater. The occasion
was a JAZZ concert produced by Keith Clark and the Miami JAZZ Society. The
artists were to be Yvonne Brown, Oriente and Federico Britos. The small, but
ornate lobby was serving as a cocktail lounge. The interior design is 1920's
Moor. All turquoise, coral and sandstone colors. Aside from the architecture,
off to one side, sipping a cocktail is an absolutely stunning blonde. Tall,
slender, white dress with gold beads at the neckline. Much to my disappointment
a gentleman stands alongside. Me, the shy one, introduce myself to the couple
and we are soon engaged in a discussion about JAZZ and the need for more venues.
The lady is Elsie Peralta, the man, her husband, Alfonso. He was born and raised
in Newport Beach, CA. If you can ride a surfboard you need say nothing more. She
is a New York girl in every sense of the word. Self-confident, assured,
assertive but easy to talk with. Upon entering the theater itself, you can't
help but feel you are in a time warp. Transported back to a movie palace of the
30's. Burgundy plush seats, balustrades, Bas-Reliefs of historic Florida
figures. statuary and ornate carved plaster. The ceiling is evening blue with
moving clouds and twinkling stars. It is a miniature Loews Paradise transported
from the Grand Concourse in The Bronx. The Paradise is now a church, The Olympia
has been totally restored.
Paul Anton is on stage to
announce the opening act, Yvonne Brown. If you like your JAZZ straight-ahead,
no-nonsense, Yvonne will deliver. She opens her set with "This Will Be Our
Shining Hour" and she means it. She has Richard Banks on keys, with Gary Thomas
on bass, Pat(sax) and Ben(drums)---sorry about the names but that's all I could
catch----In spite of some initial sound system problems, Yvonne did her thing.
And that is sing. "I Thought About You", "Days of Wine and Roses", "Foggy Day",
"I wish You Love" and "One Note Samba", all in her swinging style. She sang
"That Rainy Day Is Here" which I first heard Jack Sheldon do while I was living
in California. She closed her set with "It's A Marvelous Night" and had us all
clapping and tapping. While "Oriente" was setting up, I noticed an earring on
the ear of a young woman seated in front of me. It was unusual in design. The
shaft ran from the front of the cup to the rear with each end tipped with a mini
blue pearl. Again, being as shy as I am, I tapped her gently on the shoulder.
When she turned to face me I realized how beautiful she was. I had wanted to
tell her that the earring was not only a statement of fashion but told an awful
lot about her. Willing to take chances and adventurous. The young man she was
with totally agreed. Her name is Paola Rodriguez and is part of the reason Miami
is known for its beautiful women.
Oriente plays Latin flavored
JAZZ and is made up of a very talented quintet of musicians. Eddy(El Gato
Fresca)Balzola plays guitar and fronts the group. Doni Felix from Haiti is on
bass. An amazing William Peredes blows and I mean blows trombone.. Rhythm is
supplied by Raymer Olalde(all the Latin percussion) and Yoel Del Sol on drums.
The band does bop to bolero, Coletrane to Cachao, Gershwin to Santamaria and
pays true tribute to it all. Eddie gives a shout out to Mike Gerber(JAZZ
pianist) who is in the audience. The sounds of the rain forest is pervasive.
They do some of Eddies originals including "Overtown Redemption", "Amazona", and
"Coup D'etat". They play and recite "Peace, Music and Magic" which recognizes
John Coletrane's contribution to the JAZZ world.
The final part of the show is
Federico Brito, the master of JAZZ violin. With Federico are Jorge
Garcia(guitar) and Renyel Rivero on bass. The style is that of 'du Hot Club de
France'. I mean swing like it was played back in the day. It makes you want to
clap along in time. Mr. Britos is a 5 time Grammy award winner. When I asked him
what brought him to a career in JAZZ he told me that as a young boy, in
Montevideo, Uruguay, he listened to the radio which used to feature big band
swing. Occasionally the bands would be there on tour. He took advantage of the
opportunities and saw Woody Herman, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy and others. He fell
in love with the music. Everyone returned to the stage for a rousing rendition
of "Green Dolphin Street" with each member doing an inspired solo. "The Music
Stopped" but I was still dancing. All I can say is "A heck of a night for JAZZ
in Miami"
Tonight, a little more Gypsy
style JAZZ at Arts Garage!!!!
Al's Disclaimer:
A short note: The reason I write this is because I love music and words. I do not book acts. I do not promote acts. I do not accept invitations to review artists. I go to venues of my own choice. When and where is not influenced by anything other than who I would like to hear that night or day. If I don't like what I hear, I won't write about it. When I like it I let you all know. I never mention a name without asking permission. "Pardon me, Miss. Would you like to dance?"
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