Gaye Adegbalola (stretch it out: a-deg-ba-lo-la) was at her best and most joyful Saturday at Gravity Lounge. She was also at her bluesiest. Liz and I have been to three ‘Saffire, the Uppity Blues Women’ concerts here in C-ville, and I’ve just never seen/heard Gaye do the blues like she did Saturday. Maybe it was because Gaye’s been gay for a while and has just recently gone public (“I’ve been out of the closet for a while. Now, I’m out of the room.”) and this was a cd release party. Or maybe it’s because in the trio setting the three do a lot of Uppity-variety, and not so much straight blues. Whichever – Gaye by herself was doing blues (accompanied by Roddy Barnes on keys). And she was instructional as well, letting us know whether the next number was going to be classic blues, jump blues, or whatever. Her Gaye Without Shame website says she’s doing a seminar at UVA some time in September, and she also has a DVD out, teaching about how to sing the blues. Who knew?
There are great sound samples on her website, but I’m embedding one here that’s not on the site, Deja Vu Blues. Toward of the end of the set, Gaye remarked briefly about what it has meant to be both black and lesbian. Have a listen: Deja Vu Blues
While I’m quoting her : “There are two kinds of people in the world: religious people, and spiritual people. Religious people are the ones who are afraid of going to hell. Spiritual people have already been there. Blues people are spiritual people.”
If Saffire or Gaye, or any permutation thereof, come back to town, do yourself a favor and don’t miss that treat!
-David Lee
