NEWS FLASH
Reporting live from the Orpheum Theater on Beale Street NEWS FLASH J.P. SOARS AND THE RED HOTS FROM THE SOUTH FLORIDA BLUES SOCIETY WIN IT ALL!!! 1ST PLACE IN THE BAND CATEGORY AND THE ALBERT KING AWARD FOR THE BEST GUITARIST!!! CONGRATULATIONS TO J.P. SOARS, CHRIS PEET AND GARY RIMMINGTON
THE BAPTISM OF SONG
Singer Adriana Samargia finds life in song.
by Thomas Swick
Adriana Samargia lives in a house with three kids, three cats and five dogs. She is not so much a single mom as a singing mom. “We communicate through song all day. We harmonize. We make up operas about the dishes,” she says, breaking out in a soprano and ordering offspring to the sink. “There’s a grand piano a foot away from my bed.”
The musical house sits in a modest neighborhood of West Palm Beach, a short drive from downtown and St. Ann Catholic Church, where Samargia is the director of music ministries. She plans all the music – she’s added Latin chants – plays piano and flute, and of course sings. The self- effacement – what she calls “the act of disappearing into the liturgy” – is the opposite of being on stage, but she finds it actually helps her other performances. “My favorite thing is to come here and do a Mass, and then go out in the evening and do a jazz gig.”
Her interest in jazz goes back to her pre-teen years growing up in California. Her mother, who had been a live radio singer in Croatia, would send her on dates with her older sister, whose boyfriend (now husband) played trombone with Maynard Ferguson.
She came to Florida to attend what is now the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music, where her studies included opera as well as jazz. The classical training helped her to sing without hurting her vocal chords. She continues to be conscientious about her health, working out at the gym and abstaining from meat, not to mention other substances sometimes associated with people in jazz. “My body is my instrument,” she says, “I don’t even drink Coco-Cola.”
In the middle of November Samargia celebrated her family’s patron saint’s Feast Day with a traditional open house. Musicians, friends and nuns happily moved among children and dogs (the cats kept their distance). A pot of bean soup simmered on the stove, and homemade breads – baked in the shape of crosses – were centerpieced colorfully atop embroidered clothes. In the background, Slavic folk songs played. World music joins classical, liturgical and jazz in the life of Samargia, who began in a folklore group in California. Extending her repertoire even further, she is a member of the a cappella vocal ensemble The Parson Brown Singers.
A chart of multiplication tables hung on one wall. The children – Josef, 13; Jacob 11; and Mila, 9 – are all homeschooled and “addicted to learning. It’s never occurred to them that there’s anything tedious about it," Samargia says.
Though she handles only “75 percent” of their musical education, she finds it difficult to be a tough critic. Josef sings in the men’s chorus of the Young Singers of the Palm Beaches, and Jacob and Mila sing in the treble chourus. It’s a kind of Trapp Family without the trappings.
And there’s constant collaboration. Last year Samargia came out with her second CD, “Both Sides,” contributing one dollar from every sale to the St. Ann Church’s Food Pantry. The songs – by people like Antonio Carlos Jobim, Thelonious Monk, Johnny Mercer, and Do rival Cayman – were chosen by her children.
“Among the three of them they probably know a thousand standards,” Samargia says, not with boastfulness, but rather joy at the beauty of a shared love.
JAMMING AT THE HARRIET
The COLUMN: Party People
Ah, what a pleasure! Ah, what a surprise! Not all summer treats in CityPlace are creamy and cold. Some are hot and sexy . . . Like the music that flowed out of the Harriet Tuesday night.
Norman Kubrin at the piano, Rick Doll on bass and Marty Campfield on drums have been hitting their licks in local clubs and restaurants for years. Joining the mix, Adriana Samargia, a stunning singer who disappeared from the scene for a decade, and violinist Federico Britos, Uruguayan by way of Cuba. Britos has played with the likes of Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Joao Gilberto, Charlie Haden and Cachao. Equally comfortable with jazz and the classics, for seven years, he was the Miami Symphony's concertmaster.
Adriana can sing. Federico can play. Norman can sing and play. What a night!
Back in 1991, Down Beat magazine named Samargia, then at FAU, the best college jazz vocalist in its14th annual Student Music Awards competition. A couple of years later, however, she dropped out of the scene. Three children later, she's back, doing a lot of private gigs and occasionally mixing it up with her band, the Adriana Samargia Jazz Combo.
It really has picked up in the last year, Samargia said, and I'm incredibly grateful, but it's also a little scary.
A PALM BEACH COUNTY EVENING
Yesterday afternoon I picked Mark and Vicki up at their new hotel.
"In the lobby they have three books," Mark said, "Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Ralph Richardson - An Actor's Life, and The Happy Hooker by Xaviera Hollander."
We drove up A1A, passing through Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Pompano Beach, Hillsboro Beach. They marveled at the wealth, though Mark expressed disappointment that all of the mansions, at least the ones we could see, were fairly new. None of the gracious architecture of the Old South.
In Delray Beach we took a left and drove down Atlantic Ave. - passing the mustard and maroon Colony Hotel, the blue awning of The Trouser Shop - and then parked at the tennis center.
A tall blonde with an accent was selling coffee. "I used to go out with a woman from Sweden," Mark told her. Inside the stadium, Tommy Haas was playing doubles with a man who, as Vicki noted, was overhitting. They lost. On the way out Mark shook the hand of the ticket taker and said: "Thanks very much. We had a great time." I told him we don't do that in South Florida.
Up 95 to Lake Worth and the Bizarre Ave. Cafe where Adriana Samargia was performing. For years I'd been looking for a jazz club and this seemed to be it: an intimate room on the second floor with candlelit tables and a bar in the back. Adriana shared the microphone with a fine saxophonist, singing jazz, blues, bossa nova. Mark bought her CD and then, on the way out to the car, said wearily: "There's too much to see in America. I need to move to Luxembourg."
A write up from Jazz-Blues Florida!
This past Tuesday evening, prior to heading down to Boston's on the Beach for the late sets of Blues Tuesday, music and diner was served in the finest fashion at Bizaare Avenue Cafe in Lake Worth. We don't know the chef that made the beyond-expectation food that wowed every customer, but we certainly know well the musicians that had the burners on high as they cooked up great music AND entertainment. This relative small/boutique restaurant really made a statement about their belief in all-things-excellent for their clientele by bringing together an great mix of artists for the night. So, without paying more than the price of dinner and 'beverages', we had Adriana Samargia providing jazz, show, and caberet vocals, mighty saxman and singer Terry Hanck, JP Soars and The "extended" Red Hots as Mark Doyle joined them on keys. Can you imagine? All this on a Tuesday in September for the price of a meal? We look forward to having this on our schedule on a reqular basis. Hope you can join us next time!
THE SWEET SOUNDS OF ADRIANA SAMARGIA
The wonderful local jazz singer Adriana Samargia will be performing tomorrow (Friday) at the City of West Palm Beach Library from 5:30-7:30. The library is at the corner of Clematis and Flagler, and the event is free.
I heard Adriana in Fort Lauderdale a few months ago, backed by her trusty quartet, and was totally captivated by her voice, her presence, her sweet-and-sultry rendition of jazz classics. She is a little-known treasure in South Florida, and deserves a wide and faithful following.
Adriana's new CD, Both Sides, will be for sale at the library. It is also availabe through her website.
SINGING, SADDLING A PERFECT COMBO FOR BUSY MOM
by Amy Bower Doucette
Special to Neighborhood Post
Thursday, June 11, 2009
If you're ever out at Supple Chase Equestrian in Loxahatchee and you hear a voice floating over the pastures, it's probably not your imagination. You're probably just hearing Adriana Samargia riding and training. The West Palm Beach jazz singer and musician not only practices her scales and exercises her voice while out at the barn - she uses music to calm herself and her horse while training.
"When I'm riding," Samargia said, "I have much better timing and a better pace in general when I sing. I usually sing up-tempo swing tunes like Autumn Leaves. Stuff with a back beat. I have different songs for different horses in different cases. My favorite is a blues song by Thelonius Monk called Straight No Chaser. It's perfect for a nice, medium canter."
Samargia juggles a very busy schedule. She's a mom of three and the director of music ministries for St. Ann Catholic Church in West Palm Beach. She also sings with an award-winning blues band, JP Soars and the Red Hots, with Gary Rimmington on bass, Mark Doyle on keys and Chris Peet on drums. They play together often at Bizaare Avenue Café in Lake Worth. Any time left over is devoted to riding and training with Jamie Brenowitz at Supple Chase. Samargia rides and helps train Brenowitz's horse Rocky, a 9-year-old Dutch Warmblood.
This fall marks a new chapter in Samargia's life. Her kids, Josef, Jacob and Mila, will attend school in the fall after years of home schooling. Josef and Jacob are following in their mother's footsteps, majoring in voice at Dreyfoos and Bak schools of the arts. Mila, also a musician, will be close by her mother at St. Ann School. Samargia wants to give them the same idyllic childhood she enjoyed growing up in California.
"When I was growing up, everyone in my family was musical," she said. "Everyone was obsessed with horses and music. Every chance we got, we sang and played instruments together and rode horses together. My kids are growing up the same way. My goal is for my kids to have my exact same childhood."
Now that her children will be in school, Samargia plans to start showing again.
"I'm just starting to get into the shows," she said. "I competed prior to them being born. This will be an exciting year for me."
Samargia knows if she sings in the show ring, it will probably have to be under her breath.
"I'd get penalized in hunters for that," Samargia joked. "Those equitation judges would throw me out!"
Singing while in the saddle might seem unconventional, but it comes naturally to Samargia.
"It's a great way to pace yourself," she said. "It's so hard to tense up any part of your body when you're singing. Singing calms me down. It's always been what I do to make myself happy."
CAROLING CAROLING HERE WE GO
"You sound like you know what you're doing," said the woman standing at her door.
"Some of us do," I said.
We were halfway into the second annual Samargia Family Christmas Tour of the Old Northwood neighborhood of West Palm Beach. The leader, Adriana, sings jazz at the Four Seasons and other venues, and her children - Josef, Jacob and Mila - can be heard in various youth choirs. The rest of us were a motley of friends and people from the neighborhood. I found myself torn between wanting to sing and wanting to listen to angelic voices unsullied by my singing.
We began the evening at the Old Northwood Clubhouse with hot chocolate and cookies. Then we wandered the streets, knocking on doors and singing carols when people appeared. This year folks seemed more comfortable with the sight - not that common in South Florida - of a group of strangers in funny hats singing songs on their front lawn. (Well, we had been told to bring funny hats, but - apart from a few young women in Santa Claus hats - and me in my bowler - we were mostly bare-headed.)
We picked up members as we went, at one point numbering almost 20. We did a very fine version of "The 12 Days of Christmas" (which I used to have my Polish students sing to work on their pronunciation). Most of us backed off on "The Bells," leaving it to Adriana and her children and a few of the others, who did a masterful job. We also sang, for Hanukkah, "The Dreidel Song." I complimented one young woman who'd joined us, and she told me she sang quite a bit - sometimes at sporting events. I was clearly in over my head.
But there is something wonderfully therapeutic about singing in a group - especially a group that doesn't care how you sing. As we walked, Adriana pulled a little wagon which over the course of the evening filled with canned goods for the food pantry at St. Ann Church in West Palm Beach, where she is the director of music ministries.
A little after 9 we headed back to the clubhouse, not wanting to be charged with disturbing the peace. Though we could have argued that we were creating it.
By Thomas Swick • Category: hometown
NUMBER ONE BLUES BAND IN THE WORLD
Congratulations Christopher, JP and Gary!!!!
Winners of the International Blues Challenge in Memphis 2009; and congrats also to JP for the Albert King Award. I can't think of anyone on this earth that deserves this honor more than the three of you. Your talents and hard work are unmatched. GOD BLESS YOU and the bright future ahead!!!!!!!! Keep wearing those red coats :-) I love you!!!!
MY THOUGHTS ON PERFORMING WITH SEQUENCES, DRUM MACHINES, IPOD AND MINIDISK TRACKS
I will not bring sequences to a job. I was home early from a gig the night of the infamous Ashley Simpson thing on Saturday Night Live and saw what happened. It really REALLY affected me. I saw how people all over the media, the country, even neighbors on my street were talking about it for weeks after, all feeling SO judgmental that she would not sing live, and that she used tracks. I thought and thought about it and decided that I don't want to do something in my life now that I will look back on and be ashamed of 30 years from now. I also, don't want to feel as though I am singing Karaoke. That is basically what a sequence is. People say "no, Karaoke is just when it is a track without any instrumentalists" but that is crazy! Why does adding a piano or sax or guitar make it less fake? If there are live players there along with a singer, then everyone is participating in Karaoke. You cant suddenly decide "hey lets get really soft" or "lets stop right here with a break then repeat the end chorus twice as slow, then start back in at the original tempo" you cant have your "back up band" interact during your solo. You cant do s**t except for sound local and like s**t and like an awful Kareoke singer that has a normal office dayjob and does gigs at night to fulfill some kind of show-biz fantasy, not a serious musician who has devoted her whole life to music. The "you MUST bring tracks" pressure from agents and club owners has at times annoyed me to the point that I've often thought it would feel better to take jobs cleaning people's toilettes, than be part of something I do not consider real music. I do judge people who do it. They are making everything bad for everyone. Taking the level down to as low as it can go. Using tracks is like musical adultery. Everyone who plays with tracks is cheating on the beauty of music. It isn't even the "quality of sequence" which is always what musicians talk about. People say "oh but I have a real studio and my sequences are top notch." I say, who cares? So it sounds like BETTER cheating than it does when people have crappy junk tracks? If I had Tony Bennett's trio recorded onto a CD sans vocals, I STILL wouldn't want to do that! It just isn't "LIVE" which means that you aren't really participating in something honest. Music is better than the freshest air or the warmest water. It is why I am here. Do you know what a BLESSING and HONOR it is to be given an opportunity to play music for people? When you think of the percentage of human beings on earth that get to do that you realize WOW, I am soooo lucky! With that in mind, why oh why would I use up precious time that I am bestowed with to perform for people and do something as dishonest as have tracks backing me? I do feel that there is more EASY money to be made using tracks and when I first made the decision to go track-less I did find myself suffering financially, but I stuck to what I believed in and the honest, real gigs came. If you change something like your clothes, your hairdo or the type of songs you play just to make money, then you usually get ahead and don't feel too bad about anything. If you change your heart to make money, you usually end up feeling like a whore. That's what I would feel like if I was basically a glorified Karaoke singer.
One of my first college student gigs in Florida was at a place in Coconut Grove with guitar, bass drums and vocals (me). We mostly played standards but also mixed it up a little with blues and a few oldie pop songs. One night our bass player didn't make it but we, in an attempt to be professional, went on anyway. I'll never forget the disgust I felt at the end of the night when the club owner (while doling out our cash) said "WOW! This was way cheaper for me without the bass player, and it sounded just fine, let's do a three piece from now on."
The combining of "just fine + cheaper" made it a great band for this jerk despite the fact that we had no bass line, really the foundation of modern music, to support us. That experience made a profound impression on me. I realized then that most people in business simply do not care about putting out a quality product or about making the best impression they can. They want what is easy, what is cheapest, for as long as they can get away with it.
If you ask agents "WHY TRACKS?" they say "we hire people who use tracks because that's what the clubs want." If you ask club owners and management they say "we don't have room or a budget for more than one or two people yet our patrons want something with a beat, something that will keep them awake, something they can maybe get up and dance to." [I love the "people might want to dance" thing because the club owner is saying "we don't have room for more than two people to play" yet "we have room for dancing" all in one fell swoop. So do you have room or not?] If you ask musicians they say "I have to use tracks. Everybody is doing it and if I don't, I wont work. I wont be able to feed my family."
If you ask patrons what they want, they often say "we want to hear a full band, all the instruments, we want it to sound the same as the CDs we play in our house or car." I'd love to ask agents if they have ever considered not giving clubs the option of track acts! Being that they are paid to be advocates of the artist, shouldn't they be the ones trying to sell what the artist does best to the club rather than sell what clubs want to the artist? If you have a pick up truck, sell it to the guy down the street who needs to haul plywood. Don't try to doctor up the truck so that you can sell it to an old lady who really needs a Lincoln Town Car.
I would love to ask club owners why they so often have such limited space for music? Why the oversight when planning the room? Why, if their budget is for only one or two people, wont they consider a live single or duo? Why not trade in the glitz and supposed "energy" that tracks bring for the authenticity of quality live music? Do they not care that their most musically discerning patrons will view the track entertainment as amateur and substandard? I want to ask musicians if it ever occurs to them that by joining forces with tracks they propagate the "all players need to bring tracks" epidemic? I find it both sad and interesting that 99 out of 100 track using musicians I speak with talk about "the day they decided they had to go with tracks" as some kind of resignation to the enemy. Their faces sadden as they talk of knuckling under, losing the fight, not sticking with what they know is correct. I want to ask music listeners why they want live music to sound like a CD? That is NOT what live music is supposed to sound like! They are two completely different, yet equally wonderful and entertaining entities. When did the goal of live music become the act of trying to sound like really well recorded music? Don't we have it backwards? Shouldn't people recording music try to achieve the sound of really well-played live music instead?
Setting all convenience, economics and trendiness aside, the reason I believe tracks are popular today is that they offer perfect musical mediocrity and anonymity. Tracks are soothingly monotonous. They provide an undying blanket of sound that is extremely easy to feel pleasant about and politely disregard. In live music there are things lots of listeners today just aren't comfortable enough to understand and connect with. Live music has dynamics, space, variety, punctuation, tenderness and raw emotion. Live music is like an energetic brilliant child. It forces you to either pay attention, or it causes you to feel a little bit like a jerk for ignoring it.
So much of our energy is spent shutting everything out. We don't want to face truths about ourselves or the world we live in. We are in pain so we turn off and tune out. We can't handle more than what
tracked music has to offer. Live music might make us feel too deeply, cry, express. It may make us vulnerable which is really just too much for most. The sad thing is, and of course I think this way because I am by trade a musician, the very thing that can bring us to a better place and teach us to awaken our senses and get back to feeling fully alive again is REAL music. All these pills we take and counseling sessions we go to and Dr. Phil shows we watch could be set aside for something so much simpler, so much more healing. We can be lifted up, liberated and recharged just by going out on a Friday night and hearing a real band that knocks our socks off. It is that easy.
For those of you that agree with any of this, those that want to feel music deeply and can handle the intensity, please agree with your voices, your money and your choices in where you go to check out live players. Please learn what the difference is between authentic live music and the imitation brand. If you hear things (like drums) but don't SEE them, chances are, you are being musically cheated on. If you wish things were different and you tell enough people about your wish, change can happen. Please tell club owners how you feel. Tell musicians. Tell your friends. Your voice will make a difference. THANK YOU!
adriana