Jacqueline Tabor photo by Daniel Sheehan
Wednesday, April 13, 7:30pm
The Royal Room
5000 Rainier Ave S
$15
BY HALYNN BLANCHARD
A thrice-awardee of Earshot Jazz Vocalist of the Year and dynamic presence in contemporary jazz, Jacqueline Tabor pays tribute to the music of Nina Simone and Billie Holiday with an emotive set of songs and story in her “Don’t Explain Project” on April 13 at The Royal Room.
Tabor on vocals is joined by Marina Albero on piano, D’Vonne Lewis on drums, and Jonti Simon on bass, for a theatrical, evolving dialogue between Eleanor and Eunice, the voices of icons Billie Holiday and Nina Simone. Tabor and Albero pair masterfully together, as they pay tribute to the brave actions of these American heroes. In response to today’s modern Civil Rights movement and coming from activist families of their own, both Tabor and Albero felt this a fitting time, opportunity, and space to process and tell the truth through the voices of Holiday and Simone.
Expect this highly personal performance to span beyond a Black History Month or Women’s History Month tribute. Audiences are encouraged to be intentional in their presence and to witness the weight of their art, from the struggles to the resilience that runs deeply and echoes loudly across generations upon generations. Of the material that was prepared with Albero during the pandemic, Tabor says: “It’s been like carrying a backpack, and we’re ready to unpack it, and leave it all on the stage.”
Tickets available online at strangertickets.com/events/121232793/jacqueline-tabor.
