Saturday, August 11, 2012

A Songbird Sang in Blues Alley Stable



Eva Cassidy
February 2nd 1963 – November 2nd 1996


I am moved to write about Eva for several reasons, the most important of which is the inspiring nature of her incomparably beautiful inner spirit. She would have been 49 years old this autumn.

Perhaps my muse was also triggered by announcements of next week’s tributes to her at Strathmore or perhaps nagged by my long-held intention to write about Blues Alley stable – with which she is inextricably and eternally connected. Regardless of the reason, the time has come. Her music and life have inspired and lifted me for years, through hard times and easy times and I owe her much.

Eva’s story is haunting, heart breaking and almost mystical.

She did not pander to popularity. She did not play to the right or the left or the mainstream. Eva proved herself to be a true artist, dedicated to perfecting her craft and driven by a passion, which was guided by her soul. She listened to the strings of her heart. In her lifetime she was well-loved and little known. She refused to be bullied into singing what would sell, preferring to sell what she was singing. Her musical talent spread across a broad spectrum of genres amongst which she moved with grace and ease. People tried very hard to pigeonhole her but she was no pigeon. She was a “songbird.” She was true to herself. There was no need to “sell” and she was no shill. She simply was.

She was humble and even shy. During her life she did not seek fame, yet after her death it found her. She will never age.

Friends and family have lovingly nurtured her memories and kept her spirit alive to share with a world, which has come to revere her. http://evacassidy.org/eva/

She was courageous, not only in overcoming insecurities about performing in public but also about holding true to her creative instincts. Her courage continued to the end as she faced her mortality so early in a life that had really just begun to click for her.

Eva left a legacy of life lessons for everyone.

When she died, she had created one self-published live recording album that she sold almost reluctantly from the trunk of her car. She had a couple of hundred fans.

In 2005 when Amazon published their 25 top selling artists from the company’s first ten years, the little known songbird who sang in a Blues Alley Stable had soared to the #5 spot, surpassing Elvis, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen.

She was courageous, not only in overcoming insecurities about performing in public but also about holding true to her creative instincts. Her courage continued to the end as she faced her mortality so early in a life that had really just begun to click for her.



Eva’s musical sensibility and raw talent remain breathtaking even through recordings and videos that are unpretentiously produced and archived. When you listen to her, the world stops for a little while.

When Chuck Met Eva, Washington Post, Sunday March 8th 1998



Blues Alley, located one block below M Street off Wisconsin Avenue behind #1073 has become a Washington icon and destination site. The architectural features of the stable have been well preserved and include the hayloft beam, paired hay loft doors, carriage and horse entry arch. An addition has been built beside it.  Its future was not always secure; for it was nearly destroyed by developers who had “master plans” that included destroying the stables and old homes in Cady’s Alley and along the canal walk. The community and historic preservationists rallied and successfully blocked this. 
Canal Walk
According to the Blues Alley club website http://bluesalley.com/visit.cfm: -
“Founded in 1965, Blues Alley is the nation's oldest continuing jazz supper club, having showcased internationally renowned concert hall artists such as Dizzy Gillespie, Sarah Vaughan, Nancy Wilson, Grover Washington Jr., Ramsey Lewis, Charlie Byrd, Maynard Ferguson and Eva Cassidy in a small intimate setting. Located in the heart of historic Georgetown in an 18th century red brick carriage house, Blues Alley offers its patrons a unique ambiance, reminiscent of the jazz clubs of the 1920's and 30's."

In a May 1st, 2002 writer Sherri Dalphonse wrote a wonderful tribute to Eva Cassidy in the Washingtonian Magazine. It skillfully captured the essence of who she was.

“Songbird”
“Eva Cassidy's Voice Was Pure and Rich With Emotion. When She Died Five Years Ago, That Might Have Been the End of the Story. But Her Music Has Lived On, and Now It's Making Her a Star.” http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/songbird/

Other articles about Eva Cassidy.


You can listen and watch Eva still powerfully speaking for herself (and to us)  …


Fields of Gold
Eva Cassidy Live at Blues Alley 

Somewhere over the Rainbow  

Danny Boy 

The Water is Wide
Imagine
 Eva Cassidy SongBird 

Yesterday