Making sweet music

Bangkok’s jazz fans are in for a treat tonight as the Living Room plays host to a one-off fund-raising concert by American duo Tuck and Patti.
For more than three decades, this unique vocal and guitar pair has been enchanting music lovers around the world with their virtuoso talents that span jazz, R&B, and crossover recordings. The gifted husband-and-wife duo – real names Tuck Andress and Patti Cathcart – from the San Francisco Bay area has been performing together since 1981. A string of albums including “Tears of Joy”, “Learning to Fly”, and “A Gift of Love” have enjoyed international acclaim while their live shows continue to thrill audiences.
“Tuck and Patti are one of America’s enduring treasures,” reports CNN while another glowing review says “Tuck is a world-class guitarist imbued with a rare gift. Patti is an uncommonly soulful and inventive jazz stylist and among the best scat singers since Ella Fitzgerald. Together they create magic; a kind of jazzy chamber music that’s deceptively simple on the surface but reveals layers of subtle complexity.”
Ten-time Grammy Award winner, Bobby McFerrin describes them as “The best duo on the planet”.
In the intimate surroundings of the Living Room, music aficionados will enjoy a rare performance of extraordinary musicianship from the gifted duo. Tuck and Patti’s close friend, harmonica player, Matthew Kelly, will be in the audience and is expected to take to the stage and delight the crowd with his exceptional style.
Kelly’s friendship with Patti spans four decades and in the early 1970s, the two of them played in a band that backed blues guitarist, T-Bone Walker. Kelly also had the privilege of sharing the stage with John Lee Hooker, Brownie McGee, Albert Collins and Champion Jack Dupree. After years of playing in his own band Kingfish, along with Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead, Kelly and his wife Mary settled in Thailand where they devote their time to charitable works helping children at risk, developing educational opportunities and working with impoverished communities.
All proceeds from the concert will go to the Mechai Bamboo School, an innovative secondary facility that provides alternative education for youngsters, as well as social and economic development for the wider community. The charity was established by Mechai Viravaidya, chairman of the Mechai Viravaidya Foundation. He is the recipient of numerous awards including the Bill and Melinda Gates Award for Global Health, the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship and the Prince Mahidol Award for Public Health.

ALL PLAYED OUT
Tuck and Patti are performing at the Living Room in the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit tonight from 9pm. Tickets are Bt1,800 net.
Call (02) 649 8353 |or e-mail [email protected].