Midnight Muse – Milestones in Music
When one thinks of the music scene in Las Vegas, it is of world famous entertainers putting on shows and pop singers. It is easy to overlook the many world class musicians who perform in show bands since they are generally in the background. Truth is, Las Vegas has had a significant underground jazz scene for decades that often finds some of the show band musicians playing jazz in their off hours.
Singer Ann Parenti originally formed Forgotten Song Music as a vehicle to create an album on which she would sing some of her favorite songs while also utilizing a few other singers to perform a few of her originals. She also thought of coming out with a book that would accompany the CD and include some art and poetry. However the project grew quite a bit from that starting point. The result is a double-CD featuring 20 different groups of musicians based in Las Vegas, a DVD and a 224-page book. Listeners who think that the Las Vegas music scene has declined since the glory days of the Rat Pack and Louis Prima will be surprised.
The Midnight Muse – Milestones In Music CD set features all types of talented singers and musicians, most of whom are not that well known outside of Las Vegas. After a horn section plays a cappella, Tony Davich sings “You Don’t Know Me,” putting plenty of feeling into the soulful ballad. “Para Ti,” which was written and arranged by Nathan Tanouye, resembles “Poinciana” in spots, utilizes a large ensemble and has fine solos from pianist David Loeb and Tanouye on trombone. Lisa Gay does a good job of singing “Say Goodbye” (the first of six songs that are composed or co-composed by Ann Parenti) and Jerry Tiffe swings through “It Had To Be You.” Jeanne Brei, after an opening chorus, leads a cooking band through “Them There Eyes.” Her singing and the playing of trumpeter Bill King and 94-year old tenor-saxophonist Don Hill take honors.
The next four songs also feature vocalists with small groups: Sophia Lelis on “Route 66,” Candace Kruse’s playful singing on Parenti’s original blues “Polka Dot Shoes,” Art Vargas’ jubilant version of “The Luckiest Guy In The World,” and Ronnie Farbe’s sensitive interpretation of “Lush Life.” The first CD concludes with the Hot Club of Las Vegas romping through their medium-tempo blues “Gabrielito.”
The second CD is quite eclectic with the emphasis on the singers. It begins with contemporary vocals by Pam-e Williams (an expressive version of “Rio de Janeiro Blue”) and Jerry Lopez (“Si Te Vas”). Ann Parenti makes her one appearance on this package with a heartfelt rendition of “The Very Thought Of You.” She plans to come out with her own CD in the near future.
There is a good-time vocal by Jamie Hosmer on “This Side Of Paradise,” soulful ballad singing by Jeneane Marie on “I Don’t Know Why” (a Parenti original rather than the Norah Jones hit), powerful vocalizing from Chadwick Johnson on “Since I Fell For You” and a fine Laura Shaffer feature on Jobim’s “How Insensitive.” After a slow and quietly emotional “The Glory Of Love” featuring Marianne LeMoine Phenix, Tosha Comeaux blows the roof off on the lowdown “Manhuntin’ Blues.” The twofer concludes with guitarist Sidro Garcia’s instrumental rendition of “Classical Gas” which was originally made famous by Mason Williams.
The Midnight Muse DVD, which was produced by Ann Parenti, is 57 minutes long and does an excellent job of telling the story of the jazz scene in Las Vegas. Filled with a countless number of statements from veteran and current musicians, it starts out discussing the Las Vegas music scene of the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s. The musicians from that era knew how lucky they were, performing with major acts in the show bands while getting steady pay and benefits, sometimes beginning their shift at midnight. The musicians tell some colorful stories about the headliners and discuss the skills needed to play the same music every night flawlessly. Also discussed is the after-hours jazz scene of the time and the many local big bands that played in the afternoon purely for the fun of it. After briefly covering the Las Vegas Jazz Society, the topic shifts to the 1990s and early 21st century when big bands were often dropped from the shows in favor of synthesizers, prerecorded music and smaller combos. This intriguing documentary ends on an optimistic note, covering the comeback of the live music scene, the abilities of the musicians to continue making a living, and their love of performing jazz.
The book Midnight Muse Las Vegas has 81 profiles including the 19 leaders from the CD (all but the Hot Club of Las Vegas), 14 artists, 2 poets, a dancer, and other singers and musicians. The biographies often include a brief interview. In addition, this book contains many photographs, drawings (often from the artists who are profiled) and an extensive history of the Las Vegas Jazz Society, giving readers a strong overview of the jazz scene in Las Vegas during the past half-century.
Taken as a whole, this is a very impressive and important project.
The CD, DVD and book are all available online.
Scott Yanow, jazz journalist and author of 11 books including The Great Jazz Singers, Swing, Jazz On Film and Jazz On Record 1917-76
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