Vocalist and recording artist Gabrielle Goodman will honor her mentor, Roberta Flack, during a headlining performance this weekend at The Cambridge Jazz Foundation’s ninth annual Cambridge Jazz Festival – and said she is still drawing inspiration from Flack’s career to make small changes to her set.
The free festival is Saturday and Sunday – Goodman performs on the second day – from noon to 6 p.m. at Danehy Park, 99 Sherman St., in Neighborhood 9 just east of Fresh Pond, Cambridge.
Goodman has experience planning a tribute: She performed an Aretha Franklin tribute at the festival in 2022. “Whenever you perform a tribute, you try to do a wonderful salute,” Goodman said.
Flack, though, stands apart from Franklin by still present in Goodman’s life – and calls Goodman “one of the finest singers around today.” Flack has promoted Goodman during shows, pushing her from backup singer to the spotlight to sing “Funny Valentine” or other songs she had written. This experience led Goodman to include her own songs in the tribute, knowing Flack would say, “Well, if you’ve got a new CD out, why aren’t you doing at least a few of the songs from your own CD?”
Goodman has put together a combination of jazz, R&B and soul to showcase the genres Flack represents. “We’re just going to have a tremendous time singing her music. Most of the music everyone’s heard throughout their lives, because her music has been the soundtrack of our lives, from ‘Killing Me Softly’ to ‘Feel Like Makin’ Love’ to some of the pieces that she did with Donnie Hathaway, including ‘The Closer I Get to You’ and ‘Back Together Again,’” Goodman said.
Representation in the culture
One addition to Goodman’s set is Dennis Collins, a New York musician who sang background vocals for Flack with Goodman. After Collins agreed to perform with Goodman, she altered her setlist to include songs that would showcase his talents.
Goodman remembers watching Flack plan her own sets and adding a twist each time. Whether it was arranging a song differently or putting a new vocal spin on it to offer a fresh take, Flack tried to give each audience a singular experience. Goodman said she looks forward to also offering the crowd different arrangements of songs they know and love.
As a woman in the profession, Goodman said, she tries to pave the way for others as Flack did for her. It’s work that seems even more important as the place of jazz in American culture is challenged, Goodman said, and so she approaches her work the way she’s seen Flack do it: “She always took control of the situation, and had the music and business together.”
Representation is also important to Ron Savage, artistic director of the festival and co-founder with Larry Ward, former Cambridge city councillor. Since the organization’s first festival happened after eight months of planning in July 2014, gender parity and making jazz music accessible to young audiences has been the priority.
Savage recalled how the organization’s first festival started on a rainy morning with a crowd of 230 people but grew quickly to a crowd of 3,000 after the sun came out.
Savage wanted to start the festival to continue building a legacy of jazz and offer it to all interested, regardless of financial circumstance. The festival is free for all to attend, as the organization “doesn’t expect children and young people to become experts, but definitely wants people to have a chance to be exposed to the joy and the loveliness of jazz music,” Savage said.
Dance and other delights
Attendees will have the opportunity to hear performances by Jacques Schwarz-Bart, a French saxophonist who played with D’Angelo and Erykah Badu; and Cecilia Smith, Kristalis Sotomayor and several other musicians.
Eguie Castrillo headlines the festival Saturday with his 12-person band as they perform what Castrillo refers to as “danceable salsa.” During his performance, Castrillo hopes people feel free to dance, jump around and let themselves feel free.
“I expect that everybody will go to the festival to dance, not to see a concert,” Castrillo said.
Savage hopes the community will continue to come together for the ninth year whether they decide to dance to soulful jazz, buy food or clothing from local vendors or make use of the Cambridge Jazz Foundation’s Mobile Jazz Museum.
While the festival is rooted in community and accessibility, to Savage it goes deeper: “I see music as a superpower, and it can heal. It can bring people together. It can enlighten and inspire people. Part of what we hope to do is inspire people to bring whatever it is they do to the community,” Savage said.
Free tickets and a chance to donate are available for both days through Eventbrite.
A stronger
Please consider making a financial contribution to maintain, expand and improve Cambridge Day.
We are now a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and all donations are tax deductible.
Please consider a recurring contribution.