SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif.- Hello again from Michelle Gomez with Tahoe Art League. I am delighted to write about last week’s stellar performance by Anais Reno, accompanied by a terrific group of musicians, famous in their own right. This was the second summer in a row that Anais has performed in South Lake Tahoe.
As I peruse my copious notes, scribbled in the dark of the theatre, I think I need to just start you all off with this delectable tidbit: what 16-year-old girl’s favorite song is by Duke Ellington, and as she tells us, “Gets her through her angsty teenage years”…what??!! Now Anais is an ancient 21 years old, and I’m telling you, she is like nothing you’ve ever seen or heard before. Elegant and eloquent, mature beyond her years. What a voice! Her repertoire that evening tells her story; she feels the songs in her soul. She is SO real. Simultaneously sophisticated and self-deprecating, her individuality is beyond charming.
I was fortunate to be seated next to my dear friend and neighbor, Maureen “Moe” Leonard, an accomplished musician in her own right. Moe was in my ear, whispering how difficult it is to play jazz piano, a hefty compliment to Kris Landrum in his cool fedora, on the piano that night. And she espoused the many talents of Dallas Smith with his triumphant trifecta of saxophone, clarinet, and flute. He is a sweet and humble local yokel, with many adoring fans in the audience. And the handsome fella on the bass, winging in from New York City, Sameer Shankar, is downright cool with his very tall instrument. Further accolades from Moe the Pro, “Unbelievable how she flies in from New York a couple days ago, and the group plays like they’ve been together forever”.
Anais sang Blossom Dearie’s “Rhode Island is Famous for You” and Frank Sinatra’s “You Go to My Head”; her Grandma turned her on to Frank. The audience was clapping enthusiastically after almost every lyric. And Anais stunned with her original piece, Lady of the Lavender Mist, taking an obscure instrumental piece by Duke Ellington, and writing lyrics to fit the tune. The title alone evokes such imagery…and I tell you, the sky turned lavender as we watched her sing in front of that grand window of the Boathouse Theatre. And SCENE!
Michelle Gomez, Tahoe Art League
