The chatter in the airy lounge died down as the quintet settled into their positions. As the pianist began a gentle prelude, the singer prepared her first lyric. She opened with a beautiful sustained note that drew the focus of the entire audience.
The vocalist, Carolyn Leonhart, and her ensemble had flown in from New York for the occasion, an intimate performance at Wharton Center titled “Jazz in the Jackson Lounge,” a nod to the famous Lincoln Center program. The audience, seated around black-clothed tables, sipped drinks and listened eagerly. After concluding the first song of the evening, “The Sweetest Sounds” by Richard Rodgers, Leonhart greeted the crowd from the front of the room.
“Thank you so much, thank you for coming out tonight, thank you for being here,” she said with a smile. “I had so much fun picking this set, I just said, ‘What are my favorite songs?’ I hope you like some of them.”
Leonhart is most famous for singing with Steely Dan throughout most of the last decade. Yesterday evening, Leonhart performed with an ensemble composed of John Ellis on tenor saxophone, Helen Sung on piano, Boris Koslov on bass and Donald Edwards on drums.
This was the first year for “Jazz in the Jackson Lounge.” The event was held to raise funds and awareness for East Lansing’s Summer Solstice Jazz Festival.
“It’s one of Michigan’s best-kept secrets,” said Festival Director Ben Hall. “It’s a partnership between … East Lansing, Wharton Center and the MSU College of Music.”
The two-day festival, running this year from June 21-22, features regional and national talent. The Friday headliner is Cyrille Aimee, a world-renown vocalist who specializes in gypsy jazz. Saturday’s headliner is New Orleans pianist Fred Sanders and his Trio, featuring singer Germaine Bazzle.
Though not heavily attended by students, the Summer Solstice Festival draws sizable crowds, said festival board chairperson Bob Banks.
“We get about 17,000 people over the two afternoons and two nights,” Banks said.
Yesterday’s performance drew about 40 people to the lounge, mostly older residents from around the Lansing area. East Lansing resident Joyce Banish, who has been attending the Summer Solstice Jazz Festival since its inception in 1997, spoke highly of the event.
“It is a wonderful event for East Lansing,” Banish said. “You get to listen to jazz, excellent jazz, plus it builds up the community.”
The festival runs from 4:30 p.m. to midnight in downtown East Lansing on June 21 and June 22, with free admission to all events.
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