In New York for a wedding, I spent an evening at the "the-uh-tah" to witness the emphatic birth of a once-in-a-generational talent. At just 21, this Houston homegirl tore the roof off the suckah!
What a reckless force of nature that performance was (still is). I can only imagine the shock you and the rest of the audience must have experienced as little did you know what an absolute TREAT you were in for. Or shall I say ride!
Very interesting analysis from a vocal technique point of view as well. That amount of power can only be achieved with unwavering diaphragmatic support. Jennifer was not only giving a lesson on “how it’s done” from a theatrical/artistic/stylistic point of view. She was (and is, as she still sounds amazing to this day) showing how with a healthy technique and well supported voice you can pretty much get away with anything. Related to her outstanding breath control is her impeccable vocal placing which I suspect is the main reason why she can hit those notes without sounding screechy (a lesson her namesake could or should perhaps benefit from 😅). Amazing content as always, thanks a lot for taking us on this journey and letting us have a quick glimpse of what it must have been like to experience all that magic live!
Thanks, Andy, for your presence and perspective! I love what you added about her vocal prowess! What I neglected to mention (but, one can infer, of course) in the piece was that I/we were some of the first to hear what would become a musical touchstone (far beyond the Broadway musical touchstone, which is a whole other issue)!
I also neglected to mention the eyes filled with tears that were clearly evident as the curtain came down after Act 1! Yes, the emotion the song and singer generated, but also being awe-struck witnesses to the unbridled expression of raw and rare human talent! I imagine something similar happened in the early '60s with Barbra Streisand performances at the Bon Soir in NYC (and so many other transcendent musical performances over the decades, in all musical genres)!
It was a fun experience to re-visit, and put into print...something I've been meaning to do for a while, now! Glad you enjoyed!
Absolutely. It’s an incredible feeling when you know you have witnessed not only a fantastic performance, but also a turning point in history! Even when one is not fully aware at the time, the mere fact that you were there to see, feel and hear it all LIVE... a real privilege.
I've also seen Jennifer in at least two other cities...Oakland and L.A.! I can't remember what one of the shows was (and, her bio with her stage-musical resume isn't jogging my memory), but I saw her in "Sing, Mahalia, Sing," about the great Gospel singer, Mahalia Jackson!
That was great on two fronts....I didn't know much about Mahalia (other than she was certainly highly-regarded....and, on Columbia Records!), and got to witness Jennifer pour her soul into an artist we all knew she was personally aware of and held in high regard!
The legendary Mahalia Jackson. I cannot even begin to imagine how interesting Jennifer’s take on Mahalia’s repertoire would be. A legend covering another legend!
I just wish I could find (not that I've looked that hard) footage or talk-show performances of a song or 2 from "S,M,S." The one thing that's attractive about stage productions (the once-in-a-lifetime live performance that's different every show) is also what makes it unnervingly "un-traceable," with the likelihood that no video evidence is ever available!🤷♂️
What a reckless force of nature that performance was (still is). I can only imagine the shock you and the rest of the audience must have experienced as little did you know what an absolute TREAT you were in for. Or shall I say ride!
Very interesting analysis from a vocal technique point of view as well. That amount of power can only be achieved with unwavering diaphragmatic support. Jennifer was not only giving a lesson on “how it’s done” from a theatrical/artistic/stylistic point of view. She was (and is, as she still sounds amazing to this day) showing how with a healthy technique and well supported voice you can pretty much get away with anything. Related to her outstanding breath control is her impeccable vocal placing which I suspect is the main reason why she can hit those notes without sounding screechy (a lesson her namesake could or should perhaps benefit from 😅). Amazing content as always, thanks a lot for taking us on this journey and letting us have a quick glimpse of what it must have been like to experience all that magic live!
Thanks, Andy, for your presence and perspective! I love what you added about her vocal prowess! What I neglected to mention (but, one can infer, of course) in the piece was that I/we were some of the first to hear what would become a musical touchstone (far beyond the Broadway musical touchstone, which is a whole other issue)!
I also neglected to mention the eyes filled with tears that were clearly evident as the curtain came down after Act 1! Yes, the emotion the song and singer generated, but also being awe-struck witnesses to the unbridled expression of raw and rare human talent! I imagine something similar happened in the early '60s with Barbra Streisand performances at the Bon Soir in NYC (and so many other transcendent musical performances over the decades, in all musical genres)!
It was a fun experience to re-visit, and put into print...something I've been meaning to do for a while, now! Glad you enjoyed!
Absolutely. It’s an incredible feeling when you know you have witnessed not only a fantastic performance, but also a turning point in history! Even when one is not fully aware at the time, the mere fact that you were there to see, feel and hear it all LIVE... a real privilege.
I've also seen Jennifer in at least two other cities...Oakland and L.A.! I can't remember what one of the shows was (and, her bio with her stage-musical resume isn't jogging my memory), but I saw her in "Sing, Mahalia, Sing," about the great Gospel singer, Mahalia Jackson!
That was great on two fronts....I didn't know much about Mahalia (other than she was certainly highly-regarded....and, on Columbia Records!), and got to witness Jennifer pour her soul into an artist we all knew she was personally aware of and held in high regard!
The legendary Mahalia Jackson. I cannot even begin to imagine how interesting Jennifer’s take on Mahalia’s repertoire would be. A legend covering another legend!
I just wish I could find (not that I've looked that hard) footage or talk-show performances of a song or 2 from "S,M,S." The one thing that's attractive about stage productions (the once-in-a-lifetime live performance that's different every show) is also what makes it unnervingly "un-traceable," with the likelihood that no video evidence is ever available!🤷♂️
I know! It’s you and your memories. Nowadays it’s a bit easier with mobile phones (when possible and allowed, that is).