Lost Wages jazz legend

Just a few days after the gargantuan Venetian opening last week, jazz giant Dee Dee Bridgewater descended upon Macau and reminded her audience to hold on to what’s really important: not just our money, but our identity.

"I'm from Lost Wages [Las Vegas], and I can tell you a thing or two about what happens to people who spend their hard-earned money in those casinos,” Bridgewater said. “Macau, try not to let those casinos get too big, ok? Hold on to this wonderful multi-national, multi-cultural identity you have going on here. It's beautiful and make sure you keep it.”

If you've ever been to concerts in Hong Kong and Macau, you can appreciate how difficult it must be for artists to interact with the audience. Frankly, the audiences here are stiff. We don't get up on our feet, sway with the music and dance. We tend to sit there, observe and clap at just the right times.

But Bridgewater would not have any of that. She had us laughing so hard, we were begging not only for more music, but more jokes.

“Ah, Macau. What's the tax like here? I might just think about moving here if it's low enough. What's the percentage like?”

Half the audience shouts: “6%” and the other half, “12%”!

“Wait a minute. Is it 6% or 12%?” Bridgewater pauses. “Oh I get it…it's who you know, isn't it? Some of you have friends in the right places. I got it. I'll have to give some real thought to moving to Macau.”

She ripped right through the silence, and we were laughing hysterically.

“The way she was speaking to us, I felt like we were in her living room,” said Arnold Deparis, owner of a local French restaurant, “Paris”. Deparis came to watch her perform again after seeing her 17 years ago in Prague.

Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Bridgewater blew us away with the ease in which she sang French songs off her J'ai Deux Amours (2005) CD. She is a celebrated artist in France, much like Josephine Baker was in her day and J'ai Deux Amours pays tribute to the people of France. Even Deparis and his wife Dora, were impressed.

While the French lyrics may have been unfamiliar to others of us, her voice carried the familiar sounds of Ella Fitzgerald and she performed a few funkier songs like Girl Talk, in English.

“Girl Talk [Dansez Sur Moi] is about my life in Flint, Michigan,” she told us later that evening after she moved on from the cultural center to the Vasco bar where she sang Fever with the hotel's resident band, “The Chill Trio”.

I for one hope that Macau can bring in many more performances like Dee Dee Bridgewater. CATS, which will perform for the first time in Macau this Christmas, is another step in the right direction. For this, we can be grateful for the gaming revenue that brings in such talent, and tickets can continue to be sold at extremely affordable prices for everyone to enjoy. The Venetian's Cirque du Soleil opening act on August 28 is also testimony to the artistic performances they can bring to the new Macau.

- Jennifer Welker