| Celebrating and perpetuating the tradition of jazz in New England | |
|
| |
Mae Arnette | |
| Hall of Fame Inductee 5 of 10, Hardly an instrument or style that Jaki Byard did not master as a player, composer, arranger, band leader and teacher | ||
| About | Hall of Fame | Events | Membership | Connections | Resource Directory | ||||||||
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Just recently I attended the Dimock Community Health Center's gala benefit "Steppin' Out" which was an evening that offered the very finest jazz musicians and vocal stars. If you I remember (and I do!) Storyville, Hi-Hat Club and that after hours jazz setting of the Pioneer Club. This was a place that began to fill with patrons about 11 pm and the Pioneer began to swing around midnight. This swinging pace usually continued until eight or nine the next morning. Where time went, no one knew or cared. The great draw at the Pioneer were the giants of the jazz world who gathered there to sit andd musically unwind. Who were they? For example and just a small example there was: Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Sonny Stitt, Oscar Peterson, Erroll Garner, and many other jazz legends. In fact jazz musician Erroll Garner would frequent the Pioneer when he was performing in town. It was his custom to order a scotch, sit at the piano, and entertain cafe society patrons until closing time.
At this recent Dimock benefit (which was one of the best parties '88) it was an absolute necessity to include the Pioneer as one of the highlighted clubs. And who was starring in this simulated setting, none other than that legendary woman of song Mae Arnette. She served as hostess, entertainter along with her friends. All evening long this room was filled to capacity and there was good reason. The reason was simply, Mae Arnette.
Here is one of the greatest jazz singers of our generation. She deserves to be considered a legend. This is a woman of charisma. When she sings the world belongs to you. It is a voice of smokey velvet and as dark as anthracite. She knows exactly bow to dig the depths of lyrics and the words come through, crystal clear. She has a voice of many styles. Mae has no limitations. She sings how she feels. The emotions are there and they hit the listener with impact. Mae has learned the fine art of dramatizing a song. It is no longer just a song, it is an emotion. Her vocal inflections are moving, be it a scat song or a love ballad. Her voice brings laughter and tears to the listener. The voice can span spaciousness to the rafters or be as soft sounded as a lullaby. But with Mae it is not only the voice, but the warm, human personality that comes through with her performance. She literally can hypnotize her listener.
Mae is a singer who know exactly what to do with a song and exactly how to key it. Each song in her repertoire (which is endless) becomes not only a song but a scenario. If it is a love song the listener immediately falls in love, if it is a song that hinges on humor, the listener's heart laughs with a joyous beat. She vocally and personally runs the gamut of emotions. Her personality both on and off stage has a charm and warmth and above all her art has no ego. Whatever she does is done with an easy naturalness.
When she sets foot on stage she immediately wins her audience. She doesn't reach for them, they reach for her. Mae makes songs that are classics more original, they sound fresh and new. Each rendition is a gem! It was sheer joy and a cause for celebrating when Mae sang "All of Me." It was done with her very special art. She can sing-chat with her audience and come right back on vocal key just as if were were no interruption. No mean feat. With her performance she offers non-stop pleasure.
Some people have compared Mae with the great Ella Fitzgerald, however there is no comparison. Ella is a consummate artist/performer and timeless. Mae is exactly the same but individual. She is by no means a carbon copy. She has her own many styles that break a comparison code. At this gala Mae pulled out all stops and gave her audience a high-voltage performance, however this is not unique; every Arnette performance is one of high-voltage. I will admit that I had not heard Mae for quite a few years. However time has been kind and the voice has not undergone one iota of change, if anything it is richer and glows with maturity. With any song and I mean any song, Mae is completely convincing and always utterly irresistable, the lyrics turn out to be enormously inspiring and always rewarding. She delivers a warm and richly layered performance every time she hits the stage. She is an intelligent musician.
Everything she does before the footlights has enormous momentum and is exhilarating. She is not a nervous, gyrating performer. She sings and moves with that casual ease that belies her very special art. The Arnette performance is performed with a masterful craft and each number turns out to be a towering achievement regardless of the song. Watching her on stage whether audience chatting or singing her moves are totally enjoyable. There is that tilt of the head, that raised eyebrow or that pixie smile that tells everything. Yes, Mae's performances can be riveting, entertaining and compelling. Audiences literally sit spellbound. This was the case at the Hynes Convention Center. They simply sat in quietude, enjoying and absorbing every minute of Mae's stage movements. She is eloquent as well as elegant. She brings jazz into a very special art category.
Mae admitted in an interview that she has been enjoying a respite. This should never be! She has been keeping us from hearing a voice of the ages. Mae truly is a legend of her time. A rare artist in the truest sense.
This article originally appeared in the Boston Post-Gazette, November 18, 1988