Musician Grace Kelly cools summer heatwave
Cigar reporter Casey Chan-Smutko highlights her favorite show with legendary jazz saxophonist and singer Grace Kelly. PHOTO CREDIT: Casey Chan-Smutko | Contributing Reporter
If you pointed at Grace Kelly and asked who she is, I would scoff.
How could anyone not know such a legendary jazz saxophonist and singer who, by the way, can play the clarinet, flute, acoustic piano and drums?
Okay, I’ll calm down. Truthfully, I didn’t know her either until my mom got my whole family tickets in the fifth row of the balcony for her Rockport, Mass. show. All five of us got dressed as fancy as we could and took a trolley down to the Shalin Liu Performance Center. When we got inside, my eyes widened and jaw dropped as we took our seats. There was a beach blocked by the glass window behind the stage. On the stage were various instruments consisting of drums, bass, guitar and piano. We were so excited and we didn’t know what to expect, only hoping for good music and a great performance.
When she first took the stage, Kelly started playing Charlie Parker and Dizzy Giuseppe’s “A Night in Tunisia.” This standard is consistently covered by well known jazz artists such as Miles Davis and listened to by jazz lovers like myself. I didn’t notice the tune at first until my brother pointed it out. As I scanned the audience, I was impressed that we weren’t the only young jazz lovers out there; although, to be honest, most of the concert hall was filled with people older than my dad.
She continued to play songs from her unreleased album “All That I Need,” as well as a number of singles with all the different tones, beats and messages. Kelly sang “your kisses taste like sunshine,” a lyric which reminded me of the people I love in my own life and how they make me feel like myself.
It wasn’t until she sang “We Will Rise” that we saw someone swimming on Front Beach which is behind the concert hall shielded with glass. When I looked at them very closely, it seemed as though they were swimming on the beat. I found my eyes focused on them while my ears were synced with her voice. Was she calling to him with her angelic voice? At least, that’s what it seemed like. The whole environment swept me off my feet.
Later, Kelly turned to classics like Thelonious Monk’s “Round Midnight” with a solid sound and an inventive tune.
At the end of her repertoire she played “Shut Up and Dance” by Walk the Moon, a more modern piece compared to her other selections. While walking up and down the aisles on her usual alto saxophone, she suddenly switched to the smallest saxophone in the world: the sopranissimo sax. This instrument took my breath away, as it’s even smaller than a clarinet, yet still made from brass.
After the performance my family and I had to wait in a long line, but after 5 mins we met her and got three t-shirts, a signed poster and a signed album. Before we left, Kelly’s mother gave us a QR code that would take us to her saxophone video masterclass sessions. This gave us access to over eight hours of video lessons on everything from learning the fundamentals, overtones, clean articulation, how to write a song and other helpful tutorials for young musicians.
And to think, I didn’t even know she was on tour!