Tayari's Blog: Tracie Morris @ The Stone

Posted by TayariJones on March 10, 2008 07:23 AM
Filed under Living For The City

On the weekend, I went with a bunch of the cool kids to The Stone, an avant Tracie Morrisgarde performance space in Alphabet City. The headliner: Tracie Morris and her band. It was raining like you wouldn't believe. I almost drowned getting out of the cab, but I made it, gasping for air.

Tracie gave a multi-layered show, combining spoken word poetry, cabaret-style singing, and experimental work that put me in the mind of the daring work of the Black Took Collective. Wikipedia describes what she does as "sound art" and that feels just about right.

Of all her performances, my favorites were re-arrangements of the classics. The stand-out was her performance of "Give It To Me Baby," made popular by the late Rick James. I wish I had recorded it. Tracie crooned it slow, accompanied by a mournful guitar. "Give It To Me" became a plea. This was not from the Spike Lee "please, baby, please" school of begging, but from the Luther Vandross, Superstar, "baby, baby, baby, oh, baby" (old) school of loneliness.

If she's in your town catch her act. Make sure you bring your open mind and your open heart.

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