Handling Intimacy in a Public Setting

Um.... what do you mean by this, now? Is this going to be a blog post full of double entendres? One that appeals to the prurient interest of certain people and offends the delicate sensibilities of others?

Noooo. Not me. I never do that. :)



It's really just an observation (which is most of what I do on here, anyway.. experience life and make observations about it) of how different performers handle the intimacy of a small club like the Dakota. Over the last year or two I've seen several great jazz performers (some of whom I've also seen in a larger concert hall setting), and they really do exhibit differences in how they handle being literally within arm's reach of the audience.



Last night it was Karrin Allyson. Her CD, Collage, was one of the first jazz vocal recordings I bought in that format (many more on tape or vinyl, mind you), way back in 1996. I liked her voice back then on that collection of standards, but she has really developed as a vocal stylist since, and I picked up two newer ones (Imagina and From Paris To Rio) recently that showcase her facility with French and Portuguese. And last night she proved she could also grind out the blues effectively, so now a few more of her CDs are on request at the local library. :) Man, she's good!



I'm not sure she is real comfortable playing such a small house as the Dakota. Seems to me she coped with it by featuring her band members on solos (and they were fabulous, so it worked), and by interacting with people she knew in the audience (family and musicians she's worked with). She even dragged a couple of them up on stage to help her out.



Other performers have been more stiff and removed from the audience, and still others have made you feel like you were sitting in their living room looking through a family photo album as they told you stories. The ones who could handle being intimate with the small audience (like John Pizzarelli) really put on the superior show.

The ones who were more comfortable in an arena or large hall (like The Manhattan Transfer) were great performers, too, but.. you didn't feel like you got to know them. Give me someone who really knows how to romance a crowd, and I'll forgive slips in musicianship. Put distance between yourself and your audience, and I expect perfection as compensation. Luckily for me, even the stiff performers at the Dakota are that good. Love this place. :)

Hm. Can't resist one more spur-of-the-moment observation. Isn't it like this in intimate relationships, too? I mean, romance me, drop your guard and be intimate with me, and I'll naturally overlook all kinds of flaws. But be cool, distant and aloof, and man, you gotta be pretty much flaw-less for love to work. And sometimes, that's exactly how it goes. Either way.

Hm. Sounds like a topic for another time and place. :)