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| Signing 'scat' music? Photos by Gregory Tejeda |
The “it” was a moment Saturday night during the Chicago Jazz Festival, which I attended that night and was at the Pritzker Pavilion during their “Ellabration!” program by which several singers acknowledged the musical talent and legacy of Ella Fitzgerald – who if she were still alive today would be 100.
THE
PROGRAM CONSISTED of female singers Sheila Jordan, Dee Alexander and Frieda
Lee, along with male performer Paul Marinaro – all being led by singer/hostess
Spider Saloff.
Now
let’s be honest – no one mistook any of those individuals for Ella herself.
Although hearing the extensive catalog of songs she created from the 1940s
until her death in 1996 (she was 79) being performed was a pleasant way to
spend an evening.
Although
I have to confess to “the moment” that will stick in my mind being when I
happened to look over to the far right end of the stage, which is where the
American Sign Language interpreter happened to be standing.
She
being the individual who attempts to capture the mood of the lyrics and music
with sign language so as to allow those who are hearing-impaired to capture
some sense of what is taking place.
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| A trio of ladies trying to convey the spirit of Ella Fitzgerald |
Because
it entails improvisation and the use of sound without specific words – I have
heard some people say it is the equivalent of using one’s voice as an
instrument rather than to speak.
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| Woman keeping self cool with her 'jazz fan' |
Which
means there aren’t exactly words for the sign language interpreter to spell out
or translate. The interpreter who happened to be working while Frieda Lee was
scatting literally began waving her arms about and fluttering her fingers in
all direction as if trying to capture the random nature of the sounds that
those of us fortunate enough to not be hearing-impaired were hearing.
Not
being deaf, I don’t know if that interpretation in any way captured the spirit
of what we heard. But it was something that was a sight to see – although I’m
sure there are some smart-alecks who would think the interpreter was just
flailing her hands about, or maybe having some sort of epileptic seizure.
I’M
SURE MY description of what I saw is not doing justice to what occurred. I know
the pictures I attempted to take don’t really capture the beauty of what I saw.
The best photograph I shot almost makes it appear as though the woman were
being held up in front of a Millennium Park crowd – which I’m sure some
ideological nitwits will want to believe is a routine Chicago occurrence.
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| Millennium security watches ... |
Although
I also have to admit to being clueless as to how many hearing-impaired people
were actually among the Saturday night Jazz Fest crowd and relied on the sign
language interpreter to provide them an understanding.
For
some, I’m sure they gave the woman (there were several that night, working in
shifts throughout each of the different performers Saturday night) and her
gesticulations little thought.
Now
I know I get a kick out of the music festivals Chicago sponsors each summer.
They do provide some quality entertainment that rises above the usual level of
dreck that people often pay ridiculous amounts of money for in order to get
tickets to.
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| ... over Saturday night Jazz Fest crowd |
Any
one of those performers would have been a memorable show. Put together was
quite an experience.
But
Saturday night with the sign language interpreter was a sight I’m also going to
keep in my mind for years to come. For all I know, it will be the last thought
I have on my death bed – and a future generation will ponder for years to
follow just what I was babbling about in my final moments.
It
would be the sight of scat singing – which has a visual beauty that matches
anything Ella herself ever uttered. And I also got to hear some beautiful
voices perform. All in all, a pleasant weekend evening.
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