Performing jazz and swing at a rock & roll function is no easy feat - nothing to do with the quality of the band - but more to do with giving the audience what they want – or not.
As all musicians and music lovers know, there are a lot of different musical genres out there, from hip-hop to classical, opera, jazz, funk, disco, heavy metal and of course, rock & roll (to name but a few) and that doesn’t include all the fusion cross-genre styles that are coming out all the time. With ZELDA and the Legends classic jazz and blues band, we love the legendary jazz and blues hits of yester-year but placing this slower, loungier, smokier style of music in amongst high powered energy hitting rock bands may be a risky move for both the event organizers and for ZELDA and the Legends. We knew walking in that in order to fit in and be respected in amongst some awesome local rock bands, we had to stand out and be true to who we are as a band. Bottom line – they’re either gonna love it or hate it but either way, doing something *outside the box* will usually spark some kind of opinions and feelings in others and you’ll be remembered.
That’s how I felt at the CP24 Children’s Wish Charity Benefit concert, put on by a legend himself in the Toronto music scene and someone I’m proud to call my brother and mentor, the musically talented Mr. Andy O’Connor. If you’ve never played with Andy or attended one of his jams, he can be a bit intimidating. Andy does not just have a talent – he has a true musical gift. Have you ever known someone with the ability to just pick up an instrument – any instrument, and start playing it – no matter what it was? Well then you’ve probably met Andy. On the other hand, if you have had the honor of playing music with Andy then you also know the warmth and sense of belonging he brings to all musicians he shares the stage with. It’s not about competition or who is better, it’s simply about the music – as it should be, and I have had the pleasure of singing in a couple of his bands over the years.
Anyway, I digress…. while performing at the charity event, our jazz act hit a snag right from the start due to some freakly dry throat thing that I had never experienced before. This was not just a dry throat that a glass of water could refresh but rather, it was like my throat had closed in on itself and was literally sticking together.. yes STICKING TOGETHER. I opened my mouth only to hear some faint squeeks and chokes coming out of me! I was horrified! YIKES! I couldn’t speak and it was getting hard to breath. Was was happening to me? Was it nerves? I didn’t feel nervous, in fact I was really happy and excited about performing at this show. I knew people in the crowd and had sung at this venue many times before. I knew my band was comprised of some awesome, seasonsed professional musicians and I had the full support of my awesome brother and the equally awesome crowd, who all seemed really excited to hear a jazz band in the mix of the musical evening. Whatever it was, it was hindering my ability to sing! There I was, up on stage, with the crowd all looking to see what I sing – or do next…. *peep peep squawk!* Aaawww…. I ran for some water but it did very little to help at first. My bandmates – Vasco Alfonso, Glenn Ellis and Mike McClelland being the pros that they are, carried along, playing lovely music while I, standing in front of a packed house, tried to push and stifle out some kind of vocal sounds to accompany the music. What do I do??
(This lovely photo of me and Glenn was snapped by Gord Dawe at about that time of the evening. Looks like I’ve just bitten into some sour grapes.. Thanks Gord! lol)
Well, as all musicians and other performers know, the show much go on … so we did! Eventually, after a little water (and embarrassment), my throat loosened up a bit – enough that I was able to carry on. This was NOT my best performance by far but I do believe (judging by the response of the crowd) that it passed as being acceptable for the night. I did notice that my lower vocal range was stifled throughout our set - which is not good considering many of the jazz songs we perform involve me singing in my lower range. All I could do was to take it an octave higher where and when I could and for the rest, simply relax and do the best I could with what I had because as I said, the show must go on!
This video clip is one of the songs that turned out not too bad. In fact, this tune was a request that was shouted out by a few jazz lovers in the crowd - which I suppose is another indication that despite my vocal issues at the beginning of our set, it all turned out ok in the end. On behalf of ZELDA and the Legends, our many thanks to the organizers of the event for including *ZELDA and the Legends* in this year’s event and for the friends, fans and audience for your patience, love and support. It was an experience and a night, I will never forget!
~Zelda
