Stephanie Blair | Staff Writer
Under a wash of colored lights — which would shift throughout the night, from reds and purples to blues and greens — four men took the Rice Auditorium stage on Jan. 19 for one purpose: to play jazz.
The quartet was composed of: DJ Ginyard on bass; Shedrick Mitchell on keyboard, organ and piano; Nathaniel Townsley on drums; and headliner Gregoiré Maret on harmonica. The group were old friends, Maret explained after their introduction.
But the four were not the only musicians on stage that night. For a few songs before the intermission, the quartet was joined by vocalist Christie Dashiell.
“An incredibly talented young woman — I honestly think she is one the most talented singers of her generation,” Maret said of Dashiell, just before she took the stage. “I feel really honored … that she accept the invitation and she’s going to be here performing with us tonight.”
The group played songs off of Maret’s newest album, “Wanted,” which was released in April 2016. In the performance program, Maret is quoted as saying, “There’s a lot about this record that is about my past to where I am now. I wanted to acknowledge not just who I am but how I came to be what I am now.”
Part of that story is growing up in Geneva, Switzerland to an African-American mother and Swiss father. Part of it is going from studying at the Conservatoire Supérieur de Musique de Genéve to New School University in New York. Part of it is transitioning from a student and a backup musician to taking the spotlight.
Maret has received praise from critics at The New York Times, The Daily Beast, Zeal NYC and many others for his melodies and ingenuitive harmonica compositions. And critics aren’t the only ones who love him. Though Maret was the focus of the Smith Fine Arts stage on the night of the performance, he’s built a strong career out of working alongside legends both in the jazz world and out: Herbie Hancock, Marcus Miller, Elton John and Sting, to name a few.
Maret’s music is available on iTunes, Amazon, sunnysidezone.com and Soundcloud.
Contact the author at sblair13@mail.wou.edu
Photo by: Paul F. Davis
