In these uncertain economic times, it’s great to know that the Clark County Librarians have our back entertainment-wise, providing us with a series of free concerts. That’s right! You read correctly. Free! This satisfies our desire for fun, and requires little or no cash-ola here in the “Entertainment Capital of the World.”
The ad said, “bring your picnic basket, a blanket and lawn chairs.” So we did. We added in some lightweight jackets and sippy cups of hot cocoa and still froze our heinies off. Maybe the ad should have read, “wear long underwear, polar-weight parkas and bring one down-filled sleeping bag per person.” So my not-insignificant other and I attended the Jazz in the Moonlight concert at the Rainbow Library amphitheater, an interesting little venue just off of Doc Romeo Park. Parking behind the library, we roamed around lost and confused until we found a friendly security guard who willingly directed us to the cleverly hidden entrance, a gate that only sprang into view when we stood directly before it.
After the breeze kicked up, we donned our jackets, the wind-chill making us feel like participant-cicles. The concert kicked off with a tune called Sidewinder, someone’s pet, no doubt. Then I lost track of the names and just noticed those things I notice when I’m supposed to be paying close attention to important events. All the blankets were pulled tight over shoulders and knees as everyone nestled in trying to stay warm. Since jazz seems to attract women at about a two to one ratio to men, a lot of girls were paired up and cosy about sunset. A security guard wove his way through the crowd glaring when he saw what he must have mistaken for signs of affection, but, trust me on this, were merely shivery attempts to steal body heat from a friend.
Walter Blanton and Bobby Scann are the driving forces behind the CSN Jazz Ensemble, a mixture of young, hip and freakishly talented teens and the cool cats from the funkadelic era of Vegas nightlife. From our vantage point halfway up the hill, the set looked totally rad with a cyclorama changing color at random intervals, reminiscent of a tinsel Christmas tree with the light underneath, only this was really big and wide, as if the tree had been flattened by a steamroller. The highlight of the set was an incredibly young sax player. Blanton introduced him as prep-school aged, but I have my doubts. The kid was phenomenal, I think his name was Colin. I’m just sorry I couldn’t hear him better over the chattering of my teeth.
(14 votes, average: 4.79 out of 5)
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