By Anne Semmes
“What a feel-good, perfect musical gathering of friends, family, fans, neighbors and out-of-towners all come to hear live music after such a drought,” so described Kelsey Jillette, the starring singer of her debut (nearly) post-Covid concert in the Banksville parking lot. “It felt wonderful to get together as a band and play again, and even better to share it with an audience,” said Jillette.
“It was charming how everyone knew each other,” shared Christine Salazar, co-owner with brother Tom Tegtmeier of the Banksville-located Happiness Is caterers who host and serve up those gourmet box dinners for the parking lot concert attendees. “Building our community is what this is all about!” said Salazar.
This was the fourth outdoor concert hosted by Happiness Is since the onslaught of Covid.
“We wanted to do something to give everybody a chance to get together safely and locally, so we hosted our first concert in July of 2020,” noted Salazar. “It turned out to be a beautiful evening and everybody truly enjoyed it. Locals brought their friends, and everybody had such a nice time they asked if we would host again.” Thus, a second concert last August, and third in September.
“Everyone enjoyed a beautiful evening with a simple but delicious meal,” added Salazar,”and that is how it became a tradition.” With a fourth concert on a beautiful spring evening last Thursday week, with 80 and more attendees – and 73 parking lot tickets sold at $10 a car in support of Jillette and her band of three musicians.
Jillette is a local, having grown up on her mother Easy Kelsey’s backcountry Kelsey
Farm, But she’s traveled far and wide, so brings a continental mix to her music. “We have a lot of fun adapting favorite songs from both continents to suit our Afro-Peruvian flavored Americas Project Quartet,” she shared. Her guitarist Tony Romano co-leads her Americas Project group. “Everyone contributes songs and often we arrange together as a band.”
Some of those song titles show that continental mix: “Azucar de Caña,” by Peruvian Kiri Escobar, “Al Otro Lado del Río,” by Uruguayan Jorge Drexler, and “Cucurrucucú Paloma,” by Mexican Tomás Méndez.
“Kelsey Jillette has a lovely voice, singing lyrical songs in, inter alia, Portuguese and Spanish,” noted concert attendee Dick Schulze. “It’s nice to hear a voice with a heart and soul behind it, and not the loud, raucous sound of most of today’s singers. Her singing really lifts one’s spirits.”
It was Jillette’s rendition of George Gershwin’s “It ain’t necessarily so” that grabbed friends David and Susan Brownwood. They have followed Jillette’s career over the years of her performing. “She has gone from great to even greater as the years go by, as I told her,” said David Browning.
Playing an important part in Jillette’s career is her partner, Aire Drewes, with experience in music management. She cites Jillette’s interest in the Latin American region. “She speaks Spanish fluently – she went to a bilingual elementary school and took those languages through high school.”
Drewes confirmed that the Banksville concert was Jillette’s first gig since March of 2020. “Kelsey and her guitarist Tony Romano were playing together in New York City for the North Square’s Jazz Brunch Series – the day that New York State had its first case of COVID. Her regular venues in Greenwich Village, like The 55 Bar, are still uncertain to reopening as those are very small inside venues.”
Jillette is also looking to expand her venues where she and 10-year old daughter Bix and partner Drewes live in Kingston, New York, along the Hudson River, as well as venues in the Westchester area “given the opportunity” said Drewes.
Meanwhile, Jillette is grateful to be headed back to Banksville on June 17 for her second Happiness Is concert, also on
a Thursday evening. “I think Happiness Is owners Christine and Tom really spotted a need to bring people together with music after so much time apart,” said Jillette, “and how cool that they took a chance on this series. One of our long-time fans commented that it felt like that time honored Jazz haunt, The 55 Bar, but open air! We can’t wait to be back.”
“It was the perfect setting,” confirmed Louisa Fisher, “and ambience being surrounded by family and friends in the sweet town of Banksville we all know and love. Knowing Kelsey and growing up here, Kelsey sang beautifully from the heart and soul.”
