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"The light is meant to serve, as light serves for other philosophies and religions, as a symbol of truth and love…and hope. Hope that even in a dark season we may begin to see the world BENDING TOWARDS THE LIGHT.”
Charles Kuralt, Host
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SNOW ENVELOPS REGION
BUT THE LIGHT OF “THE JAZZ NATIVITY” SHINES THROUGH
Trumpeter Ingrid Jensen becomes Jazz Nativity’s first Quing
After a year of planning for the eighteenth annual performance of “Bending Towards the Light…A Jazz Nativity” writer/producers Anne Phillips and Bob Kindred almost saw their glorious production come to a skidding halt. The show was scheduled for Saturday, December 6th at the magnificent, newly renovated Patriot’s Theater at the War Memorial in Trenton, New Jersey. Predictions of heavy snow began during the week but forecasters continued to say that the second and more powerful of the two storms heading for the northeast might turn out to sea. There was nothing for it but to go on and hope for the best.
As always an extraordinary cast had been assembled. The Three Kings were trumpeter Jon Faddis, tap dancer Jimmy Slyde and trombonist Slide Hampton. Legendary trumpeter Clark Terry was to appear as the “King of Jazz.” ABC-TV’s Gil Noble was the host and Allen Harris, the overture singer of the title song, “Bending Towards the Light.” Mr. Harris was also to play the role of one of the Guardian Angels singing “What Child is This” with Jackie Cain who performed it for many years with her husband Roy Kral. Mr. Kral passed away last year.
On Friday morning Clark Terry was scheduled for an interview about the show on jazz station WBGO in Newark. As flakes began to fall, Phillips and Kindred, (Mr. and Mrs. Kindred) decided that the safest thing to do was to pack up everything they needed for the show and after taking Mr. Terry to Newark and back, head for Trenton. As they drove Mr. Terry from his home in Haworth, New Jersey to Newark, the snow became heavier and heavier and the roads more treacherous. By the end of the interview the world outside was a stormy winter wonderland. Slowly they crept back to Haworth and after a bite to eat with the Terrys, giving time to let the rush hour traffic go by, they started for Trenton. It was an arduous drive and they didn’t get there until 11:00 at night.
Saturday morning when they arose, all was quiet. The ground was covered with snow but there was nothing coming down. Maybe, just maybe, the second storm had indeed turned out to sea.
After breakfast The Kindreds with their directors, Tad and Beth Jones who had driven up from D.C. through the first storm that came from the south, headed for the theater to start rehearsal. The sound and lights had been loaded in the day before so the whole tech crew was there. But by 10:00 it was apparent that the second storm had not turned out to sea…it was hitting Trenton! And heading north…the route of most of the performers. By 12:00 singers from Trenton’s Shiloh Baptist Church Gospel Choir began to appear shaking the snow from their coats. Then a band of laughing, excited singers who had slogged their way to Penn Station and taken New Jersey Transit train from New York came bustling in. They were singers who had sung in the Jazz Nativity for many years and wouldn’t miss it. By 2:00 most of the band and cast had assembled…zero visibility on the turnpike, a jack-knifed trailer truck, cars skewing off the road, not withstanding. Only the bass player and one of the percussionists were missing…they were on the road together. The other percussionist, the legendary Candido, had left his New York apartment at 8:30 AM to make the 10:14 train!
Calls went out to all those whose were scheduled to be there later…the Kings, the special guests (players who come up from the audience and join in the finale), the host.
King Slide Hampton was on his way, King Jimmy Slyde had taken the train from Boston on Friday and was continuing by train, King Jon Faddis, who had bought show tires for the occasion, was planning to leave shortly. But there was bad news from others…Dave Valentine was socked in at his home near LaGuardia airport in the Bronx, Terell Stafford was under a foot of snow in Philadelphia, and host, Gil Noble couldn’t get out of his driveway to even get to the train! They were all so disappointed. None of them had ever been in it before and had heard so much about it. But Clark Terry, a King in the very first production in 1985 was expecting to be picked up at 3:00 and the driver was on her way.
Then reports of a “snow emergency” began to come in…no vehicles allowed on the roads except in the case of emergency! Would there be an audience? Would the show be canceled? Could the show be postponed until Sunday? Was the theater available for a Sunday matinee? Was the band? The cast? Amazingly all but one of the band and cast were available. Anne continued to rehearse the choir while a second round of calls went out to the Kings and special guests. They were all available, providing they could dig themselves out by then! Time was ticking by. Postponing was an enormous temptation. It suddenly seemed the rational thing to do. Either way the rehearsal had to begin!
Then word came from the theater that unless the governor declared an official “state of emergency” (different from a “snow emergency”) the cost of postponement or cancellation would lie in the lap of the Jazz Nativity company … the cost of putting up the entire company overnight… extra union crew hours… A decision had to be made. But would there be anyone in the audience? An 1800 seat house could look pretty empty! Would the special people the producers had invited to the show be more likely to get to it on Sunday? But the cost of postponement could break the company (the Kindreds.) Maybe the Marriott next door would put everybody up…maybe they wouldn’t. Could they expect a good will gesture? They could probably get some television coverage…part of the storm story! But there was no time to find out. On the other hand…look at the energy in the theater…all those musicians and singers who had gone through so much to get there. “We can’t lose this momentum” said Bob Kindred, “I think we have to go for it, tonight.” Anne agreed and the company tore into rehearsal which was now one precious hour behind schedule.
Another round of calls were made to tell all those that couldn’t get there that the show was going to have to go on without them. One mix up with Clark had the driver there but Clark’s last communication being that the show would probably be on Sunday. By then it was too late to get him to Trenton…a big disappointment. The rehearsal began… lights were focused, sound adjusted, costumes fluffed as the musicians played and the phones continued to ring madly on stage and off. Santi DeBriano and Joe Cardello, the bass player and percussionist and special guest trombonist Art Baron arrived at five.
Six o’clock came, time for the dinner break…a full buffet served in the ballroom. Everyone was in high spirits.At 7:00 special guests trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, saxophonist Virginia Mayhew arrived by train and Savion Glover sauntered in. Someone ran in to say “The lobby is FULL!” All was well with the world…everyone was here…the show could go on. Then the realization suddenly hit. The third King! Where was Jon Faddis? The last the stage manager knew, she thought he was on his way. Anne made a quick call…and there was that awful moment when he answered the phone! He was home! He and his wife had left a message on Anne’s cel at 3:00 when they realized they could not dig out of their driveway! It was a special disappointment to them because it was the 10th anniversary of their first meeting at the Jazz Nativity when Laurelyn Douglas was Anne’s assistant! But Anne had been conducting. And though for most of the rehearsal she had the baton in one hand and her cel at her ear in the other, she hadn’t heard that ring and had not gotten the message. So many phones, so many numbers!
We TWO Kings of Orient Are? No! Who could be the third King? The directors and Anne and Bob slowly looked over the cast assembling in the ballroom in preparation to going on and as one, they turned to each other and said “Ingrid!” …” We’ll have our first lady King!” “YES!!!!” said Ingrid when they asked her, “I’ll be a Quing!” And so Ms. Jensen was rushed to wardrobe and decked out in the glorious gold and red robe and sparkling crown worn by other jazz greats like Lionel Hampton, Tito Puente, Stanley Turrentine and, of course, Jon Faddis when they played the role. Ingrid Jensen, The Jazz Nativity’s first “Quing” strode regally down the aisle with jazz kings Slide Hampton and Jimmy Slyde. Her presence and her playing brought down the house.
And there was a house! The theater was almost full despite the weather! And what a performance! The adrenaline was running high. Bob was right. All the effort the cast had put into getting there poured into their performance. Allen Harris taking over the role of host as well as overture singer, Kindred’s stunning “Silent Night” on tenor saxophone in the darkness at the opening, alto saxophonist Jon Gordon’s roaring solo on “The First Noel,” shepherd boy Elvie Williams’ soprano voice that brought tears and a standing ovation when he sang the title song, “Bending Towards the Light,” the addition of Joseph, James Mayo, singing a duet with Mary, Lori Williams on her lullaby “Softly Falls The Gentle Night” … breathtaking. The Three Kings were spectacular! And when the Kings laid down their gifts in front of the light representing the Christ child, as he stepped forward, Slide Hampton did something that no one in that role had ever done before…he began to play, softly, beautifully, his own little lullaby. The cast and the audience were spellbound. And when Ingrid stepped forward, she echoed him….magic. During the finale of “Deck the Halls” Savion Glover came up from the audience and he and his mentor, Jimmy Slyde, tapped together with all the love they have for each other.
As the Archangel, Margaret Galbraith and the choir sang “And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out…You are like a light for the whole world. Let your light…Shine!” and the band broke into a dixieland “Joy To The World” the audience was on its feet. The light of The Jazz Nativity continued to shine…perhaps brighter than ever before!
The wondrous night of The Jazz Nativity 2003 didn’t end there. The 11:11 New Jersey Transit train from Trenton to New York was filled with fans, the Jazz Nativity “Alumni Choir” members, and musicians, including the newly crowned “Quing.” Led by singer Amy London, who had put together the vocal group for the show, a Christmas sing-along began. A young trumpet player got on in New Brunswick and took out his horn and joined in AND met some of his heroes. A young woman who found herself in the middle of it all got out her cel/photo phone and held it up for friends all over the country to hear. The conductor announced to the whole train “If anybody feels like singing go to the last car!”
And so the Light shines on. Even a blizzard couldn’t put it out!
Photo credit: Ellen DiPiazza
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