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For those with a curfew, the Halifax Jazz Fest free concerts are a perfect way to spend an afternoon. Sunshine, a cool breeze and Ella Fitzgerald tribute---
Doris Mason's Ella-vation made for a swoony Sunday. For anyone who adored the original First Lady of Song, Doris Mason is a pretty good make-shift Ella. One of the first few dates my grandparents had was an Ella Fitzgerald show at a little club on Yonge Street. I couldn't help but imagine their early courtship while under the festival tent listening to “Lady Be Good,” “Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love),” and “My Baby Likes To Bebop.” The handful of swing dancers near the lip of the stage only made my heart swell and nearly burst.
Night hounds saw an incredible performance by Preservation Hall Jazz Band, featuring a conga line and all. With their big brass sounds, it was the funeral march rendition of “Summertime,” that killed the audience. The down and dirty, gritty, bleak tones of "St. James Infirmary" conjured up tall tales of madness, alcoholism and contrasted the subtle yet familiar flirtations of “Summertime" noted through out. It was a true tale of the seasons from both vantage points---dark and light, day and night. When the band fled the stage only to return with an encore that led them through the crowd, even I couldn't help but join in, dancing far off into the eve.
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