The venue is busy and bustling, people enjoy their glass of wine or champagne while they make time for the upcoming performance. Some are suited up; others wear the warmest garments they could find to fight off a particularly chilly Melbourne night.
We are all seated now, waiting as she is properly introduced by Melbourne International Jazz Festival Creative Director Michael Tortoni. The lights dim and give way to the soothing, laid back and memorable show that is about to begin.
First comes the band. The masters find their way on stage; each with their instrument, which will be played with exquisite technique. And after a brief, and already bewitching, jamming session she joins them. Cassandra Wilson slowly makes her way to the front of the stage, and belts out the lyrics of the first of many songs that are to come in the next hour and a half. As of that moment, the American Jazz musician knocks out any little air that was left in the audience and sets the tone for what will be one of the most bedazzling performances of the Melbourne International Jazz Festival.
“Had a little wine, and some oysters before the show”, Wilson playfully shares with the audience in a low, soft-spoken way. Well, we certainly appreciate it if that set her in the mood. The native from Jackson, Mississippi, is seductive, playful and mesmerizing as she struts in a flowy manner. At times, her comments are barely audible. But, who cares? As long as her music and singing aren’t, people are delighted and will clap and laugh at whatever she is saying.
Together with whom she calls her “musical husbands” and long-time friends, Wilson showcases songs ranging from her early career to her latest album, Another Country, released last year. Swiss harmonica player Gregoire Maret keeps the frenzy coming and going as she sways and at times falls into a trance like state. She immediately steps out of it as her sultry, deep voice hits the exact higher and lower notes.
She also ventures to songs by other bands and gave them her imprint hypnotic style. When the show is almost over, the applause cannot be silenced. Not even the brilliant encore of Cyndi Lauper’s Time After Time is enough for the insatiable audience, who, partly satisfied, still longs for more as they huddle up and prepare to face the cold night again.
