Two weeks ago one of the first things I did on Campus was buy a ticket to see Christine Bovill tonight. This show is an ode to the 1920's American music development of popular Jazz. Except it also is a narrative that takes you on a brief history of the period of which the songs correlate to what part of the decade we are in and the general mood of society.
Christine Bovill is an Alumni of Stirling University and finished her degree in French Language Education before her music concept took off. So far she has done 3 different composed shows featuring songs from the era, including one in French.
When I had noticed the poster for this show the title is what caught my attention because it is the song that my Best Friend Antonia and I sing together. Here is a video of us singing it.
I was the youngest in the audience by about 20 years, but I like being the youngest because then it feels like I am in on a secret.
This show is beautiful. It was more and less than I expected. It was simple and easy to follow and understand and find a deeper meaning in and I would kill for a lower register like Bovill's.
She opened with the solo version of "Tonight You Belong to Me" which is the original version released in the early 20's, and I thought it was so very pleasant. All of the in-between context building was beautifully spoken and you could tell highly researched. Each song is beautifully done and I am feeling very calm and relaxed as the show goes on.
Thanks to chronological order I could tell we were coming up on the ending number, the duet version of "Tonight You Belong to Me". As she sang it I was overwhelmed with emotion whilst humming along.
Emotions of longing to sing it with my best friend again, emotions of happiness for feeling the comforting reminders of home while so far away, emotions of desperately wanting to sing with my Jazz ensemble, and emotions of gratitude for my luckiness in stumbling across a poster and taking a chance on it.
On the way out I see Bovill's mother selling CD's of tonight's show recorded earlier in the year. Thinking it was a great souvenir for my Scotland experience, I bought one for myself. I was informed that Christine would be signing them in a couple minutes if I wanted to wait.
It wasn't that I wanted an autograph, while still very cool to get, I just really wanted to make sure she knew what her show had meant to me. So I get up to her and start to explain myself of which I am soon doing through tears. And then this lovely Scottish Jazz singer gave me a really good hug.
I hummed "Tonight You Belong to Me" all the way back to my flat and then felt a rather large urgency to share with you this magnificent experience.
So while I didn't get what one could expect, I got exactly what I needed. A little bit of home and a good hug.