Dee Alexander, Tribute to Dinah Washington and Nina Simone, 9/11/2007

Dee Alexander had tried to put on this concert once before.

On August 23rd a storm rolled through Chicago that flooded streets, split trees, and smashed cars. There were reports of funnel clouds, and the sky was electric with lightning. Dee made it through two tunes in front of an incredibly brave crowd of about 50-100 people before the venue pulled the plug on the show. It's future was uncertain since the shows are presented rain or shine, but word came that the park wanted to do the show again, and it was rescheduled for September 11th.

Take two was a much more successful event. Clear skies on a beautiful fall night, and the one and only Ms. Dee Alexander paying tribute to two incredible musicians: Dinah Washington and Nina Simone.

There isn't a singer in the world I'd rather hear do a tribute to Dinah and Nina. I had no doubt that Dee's expressive range would easily span the careers of these two women with ease and grace, and I was not disappointed.

Joined by a band that in addition to the rhythm section included a three piece horn section, a string section, and then to top it off, Walt Whitman & The Soul Children of Chicago gospel choir came out for a show stopping finale.

When Dee sang "What A Difference A Day Makes," it worked on many levels: one day rain, the next day shine; many lives were taken, touched, and changed, and our national paradigm shifted in the 24 hours between September 10th,  2001 and the 11th. Dee announced at the top of the show that she would be celebrating the lives of those people that perished on Sept 11th, and she certainly did.

Some personal highlights included This Bitter Earth, Mississippi Goddamn, I Put A Spell On You, and Young Gifted And Black with the gospel choir. There was great playing throughout, although one standout solo came from perennially underrated local saxophonist James Perkins.

It was a great end to the series in Millennium Park this year. Every time I see Dee I'm astounded that the hasn't broke on a national level, and it's still a head scratcher for me. She has incredible talent, charisma, and presence,  and mixes innovative vocal techniques with an accessible traditional understanding of vocal jazz and blues. I still believe it's only a matter of time before she busts out nationally; in the mean time I guess we'll just keep her for ourselves here in Chicago.