Photo by Julia Beauregard
The performer shared bits of music history between each song
By Julia Beauregard
Hometown Weekly Editor
Jay Daniels, a pianist and vocalist of Virginia, came to The Center at Medfield to perform "It Might As Well Be Swing: A Tribute to Frank Sinatra and Count Basie.” This was Daniels’ first show in Massachusetts and he was able to kick off this leg of his tour with a delightful crowd at The Center.
This event was co-sponsored by the Medfield Council on Aging and The Medfield Public Library and was open to adults of all ages. Despite the dreary weather conditions this evening, several attendees braved the weather to listen to the southing sounds of Frank Sinatra.
Daniels opened up his set by sharing this with the crowd: “this is as much your time as it is mine; if you want to sing along, feel free. If you want to dance, there’s room.”
Aside from performing these classic tunes, Daniels shared a variety of facts about the eras of Frank Sinatra. Though, this performance primarily focused around the Sinatra/Basie era of the 1960s. The title of this performance, “Might As Well Be Swing,” took inspiration from the album, “Might As Well Be Swing,” which was recorded during this era of Sinatra’s career.
Daniels played a variety of songs, including: “You Make Me Feel So Young,” “Come Fly With Me,” and “The Good Life,” just to name a few. He played both version of “Fly Me To The Moon,” as the original was a ballad and Sinatra’s version was swing, encouraging the audience to share what version they preferred. Though, the general consensus was that the swing version was more lively.
The performance of “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” filled the room with rhythm as every audience member loudly sang along to this beautiful tune.
While Daniels had a remarkable voice, his skills as a pianist were unmatched. He performed beautiful interludes to transition from one song into the next, as well as providing a musical ambiance while he shared pieces of musical history to immerse the audience into the 1960s when these songs were recorded. The cover of “The More I’ll See You,” was absolutely ethereal, imprinting goosebumps upon the arms of listeners.
Daniels concluded the set with an additional “surprise song,” which was “I’ll Be Loving You Always.”
Attendees stayed after the performance concluded to chat with Daniels, hopeful that he will return to Medfield soon
For more information about Jay Daniels, please visit his website: https://www.jaydanielsmusic.com/
