MUSE/IQUE: QUINCY’S WORLD

Muse/Ique’s new show at The Wallis this past weekend made me realize something—I have always taken the late Quincy Jones for granted. He was a famous music name I’ve always known, so I never thought anything about his gazillion accomplishments.

But a few minutes into their Quincy’s World show, I began saying, “Wow.” And never stopped. What a prolific composer/producer/everything he was!

I had once seen this musical company elsewhere, and, as much as I think the world of Quincy Jones’ music, I was going to give up going to this new show because of my crazy schedule this month. But when I realized that it was at The Wallis in Beverly Hills this time, I changed my mind because I just knew that would be the perfect venue for them. And…I was correct! The intimate theater was perfect for the presentation. I always forget how fabulous live music is, especially when it’s so up-close like it was at the Wallis.

If you’re not familiar with Muse/Ique, (as I was not prior to last August,) it’s a hip orchestra, (of which I counted thirty-two members, but I could be off by one or two,) that performs a series of shows over the year. Each offering features one specific category, such as Latin music and this one—the music of Quincy Jones. Their Artistic and Music Director, Rachael Worby, gives the audience the history of what we’re about to hear before each selection. And, in the two times I’ve now seen them, all the knowledge she imparts is pretty unique.

To me, the most surprising tidbit that Rachael, (her spelling, not a typo,) gave us is that Quincy Jones basically discovered…Lesley Gore!!! Who knew?! (Outside of Rachael, of course.) He produced her first song, It’s My Party, (which has been my anthem my whole life, because the first line continues “..and I’ll cry if I want to!”) I’m such a fan of all of my fellow Brooklynite’s songs that now I hope one of Muse/Ique’s shows next season will be about Lesley Gore’s contributions to the pop world. (I know my love of her music seems a tad strange for my mainly hip-hop and R&B self, but I also adore singable oldies.)

Rachael’s breadth of music history knowledge is mind-boggling. She knows even more about music than I do about beauty queens!!! And that’s saying something. (And on one of my usual shallow notes, her tresses look great from the back, and have just the right movement while she conducts. I promise you that’s a bonus for us hair girls, which I’m pretty sure she joins me in being.)

This was the first show of Muse/Ique’s season, and it was a really good one. Mr. X, (yes, you read that right—he did come to this one because he joins me in my Wallis fandom,) said the show was  “impressive,” and that it was “good to be around real quality, dedicated musicians.” And I’m always thrilled to see musicians be employed. My fave that night was the guitarist, Michael Abraham.

I believe the orchestra is always joined by guest vocalists, and this time they were Brandon Victor Dixon, (who was so dynamic as Judas in the 2018 TV production of Jesus Christ Superstar,) and Vanessa Bryan. They both added so much to the show. Brandon is sooo smooth! His I Can’t Stop Loving You was my favorite number in this show. And I also especially admired the great job Vanessa did on the Michael Jackson song, The Way You Make Me Feel.

Speaking of Michael, Rachael reminded us that his Thriller, (produced by Quincy Jones, of course,) is still the best-selling album of all time, forty-four years later! How amazing is that?

They ended with a rollicking rendition of Let The Good Times Roll, preceded by a special video message from Quincy in 2023, a year before he passed.

One of the most special moments of the evening was hearing concertmaster Alyssa Park play a Stradivarius violin…from 1716! What a thrill that must have been for her! How was that even possible, you may ask? Because it was on loan from generous philanthropists, Terri and Jerry Kohl. (I, of course, got a kick out of the couple’s first names rhyming.) [Note: In looking them up, I see they were also instrumental—see what I did there?—in re-doing the Huntington Gardens’ Tea Room. So it reminded my Afternoon Tea-loving self to pay that place a visit!]

I loved being in an audience of music appreciators. But sadly, outside of yours truly, there were very few boppers. (Meaning people who move to the music.) I inspired the two women next to me to bop along, and noticed only two others in the entire audience doing so. What is up with that? I was happy to notice a few of the musicians bopping, most notably Drew Forde on viola and violinist Marisa Kuney. It was fun to be vibing along with them! (Although I have no idea how they manage to play and bop at the same time. Multi-talented musicians.)

I do have to mention the two little things that bothered me this time, which turned-out to be among the very few things that Mr. X and I have ever agreed on! First is that we wish that the musicians had sat down! It made us both crazy that most of them stood up just about the entire time! And being the Empath that I am, I got tired for them pretty quickly, and could not fully relax for most of the show.

Secondly, going forward for them, we heavily suggest that they dim the audience lights much more than they did this time. Having the audience lit up like that took the focus off the stage for a lot of the time. Mr. X actually thought that there was something wrong with the theatre’s lights! It was sort-of uncomfortable. But at least it made me glad that I had put in the effort to look good that night!

I had experienced that same lack of audience light in my teens, so it also gave me a happy memory. My mother used to take us girls to orchestra concerts at Lincoln Center. I had no interest in seeing shows without what I considered any visuals, (such as dancers or cute guy singers,) but I could not let my sister get all that alone time with my mom, so I had to go. And I was grateful for the lights then because it made it easy to write letters during the show, which I felt compelled to do since there was nothing to occupy my eyes otherwise. Similarly, in the Wallis the other night, I had the easiest time writing my review notes which at all other times I’m writing in the dark, without even looking at the paper. But still, it’s an audience annoyance to leave the lights on so high. Just saying.

On a few more personal notes, I was lucky enough to meet Quincy Jones at a lovely fete Beverly Hills party a dozen years ago. It was a brief introduction by a mutual pal, but I will still always have that memory.

Shortly after I wrote a note that my parents would have gone nuts for this show, I realized that I had also written that about Muse/Ique’s previous offering! Great minds… (But in this case, they’re both mine!)

I love when an entertainment inspires me to do research on one thing or another. And this one did just that. As soon as I awoke the following morning, I looked-up Lesley Gore, some of the songs I heard, and Quincy Jones himself. Fascinating subjects all!

The entire presentation was a reminder that schools really need to help out the arts.

I have to tell you of the beginning specialness that night at The Wallis, which I didn’t even know about in advance. Instead of picking-up the tickets at the Box Office, we were directed to their upstairs patio where there were hightop tables manned by pleasant helpers to check us in. It was the perfect spot for pre-show mingling. There was a bar out there, and the best part was a jazz combo, playing the entire time! Mr. X and I really enjoyed them. I found-out that they’re The Delights, a jazz ensemble from CalArts. When asked about them, Muse/Ique replied, “We like to support young and local artists, and to create a festive environment for our pre-show mingling.” And that’s exactly what they did—it was a very special start to the fabulous event.

So that you never miss any of Muse/Ique’s shows, which happen in various venues all year, you should check-out their upcoming schedule right here: www.muse-ique.com