Kansas City musical treasure Eboni Fondren takes you on a musical voyage through the leading ladies of jazz.
In “Jazz: The Women Who Shaped Me,” Fondren goes through a who’s who of jazz from the renowned like Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Etta James to Kansas City’s own Julia Lee, and sends us on a trip down memory lane.
Following brief video biographies (narrated by Fondren) of each singer, she then performs a homage to the ladies, even dressing outfits the singers may have won during their prime.
While this was a love letter to the ladies of jazz, it really was a testament to Fondren’s versatility. Whether she was performing bold and brassy number by Bessie, scatting like Ella, the silky sounds of Sarah Vaughn or the haunting tones of Billie, she nailed them effortlessly. It was not an imitation, but her own interpretations of their classics.
And at the end, we learned how they shaped her, as she performed original songs based on the ladies who came before her.
With the support of a skilled keyboardist and drummer, Frondren’s commanding vocals resonate throughout the space, guiding the audience through this provocative musical journey.
