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| Lizz Wright |
The vocalist Lizz Wright sings jazz, the
blues, R&B, folk, and gospel so perfectly during her live performance’s someone
might feel for a moment she had a hand in creating those genres. That’s how I
felt Friday evening hearing Wright’s 90-minute set at the Paradise Jazz Series.
Wright put on an eclectic show that might’ve disappointed some of the series regulars
expecting a straight-up jazz set offered in the past by jazz vocalists Kurt
Elling, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and Dianne Reeves, who’ve scored big at the series
over the years. Wright is surely in the same league as far as pure talent and stagecraft
go. However, what sets her apart is that she offers gospel, folk, pop, blues,
and jazz all in one show. Wright hadn’t performed with her band much recently,
but they didn’t show any visible signs of rust. She walked on the stage and
blessed the audience with an acapella version of “Amazing Grace” that was so
touching it could’ve made a hard-ass construction foreman cry. That opening
number was so satisfying; I could’ve left the concert after that, confident that I’d
gotten my money’s worth. Wright gave the audience every square inch of her gift.
Every song she performed and every solo her bandmates took were moving. The most unforgettable part of the set was when she sang “Grace”
and Walk with Me Lord!” She had some folks in the audience carrying on like
they were in church, thrusting their arms in the air and shouting Amen.
