Bed and Breakfast Hosts Jazz Concert

Throughout the years, certain music has stood the test of time.

Some songs are still enjoyed many years after they are written. Several jazz pieces created from the 1920s to 1940s are a testament to that.

The historic hosted a Feb. 11 performance featuring popular jazz songs from that era.

The show, billed as “Swing Jazz for Valentine’s Day,” brought about 30 people to the inn’s living room to hear music from The Great American Songbook. The specially assembled musical trio for the night was Natalie Rankine (vocals), Mike Karoub (cello) and Glenn Tucker (jazz piano). 

Tucker, a 21-year-old Ann Arbor resident and University of Michigan student, replaced Grammy-nominated James Dapogny, who was originally scheduled to perform. Tucker said he has been playing jazz piano for 10 years and describes himself as a “protégé” of Dapogny.

Karoub said he has been playing the cello for more than 40 years and teaches private cello lessons in Wyandotte during the summer.

Rankine, a Wyandotte resident, said she was very happy to have Bishop-Brighton serve as the evening’s venue.

“It brings awareness that we have a bed and breakfast in Wyandotte,” said Rankine, who works as the city’s special projects coordinator.

Bishop-Brighton is an English Tudor Revival-style home originally constructed in 1902. Current owners Vicki and Gerry Lucas opened the three-room B&B in 2003.

This month's event was the fifth show in a series of concerts held at the inn. 

“It’s a small, intimate setting,” Gerry said. “It’s always very nice.”

The concert began with Tucker and Karoub performing an instrumental version of Roger Wolfe Kahn’s 1925 song “I Never Knew.”

After another instrumental piece, Rankine joined the group to sing, “It’s Only a Paper Moon.” The song, originally written in the early 1930s, gained most notoriety after later versions by Nat King Cole and Ella Fitzgerald.

Other highlights of the show were performances of Irving Berlin’s “How Deep is the Ocean?” and Connie Boswell’s “Me Minus You.” Both songs were first recorded in the early 1930s.

Karoub described the evening’s song selections as “traditional jazz from between the two world wars.”

He said the period’s distinct sound resulted from jazz mixing with other musical genres, such as Broadway show tunes.   

The group’s lively banter between songs had the audience laughing on several occasions. Those in attendance also were encouraged to occasionally sing along. 

Following the concert, Valentine’s Day-themed desserts were available for audience members. Attendees were encouraged to bring a bottle of wine for themselves and others to enjoy during and after the concert.

Reggie and Linda Williams of Detroit were guests at Bishop-Brighton on the night of the show. They said it was their fourth stay at the inn and that they were staying specifically for the evening’s jazz performance. 

“(The musicians are) very talented, very entertaining,” Reggie said. 

The couple also said they enjoy the hospitality shown to them at Bishop-Brighton.

“Vicki and Gerry are great,” Reggie said. “They are friendly, they make us feel like family.” 

“Coming here for us is a getaway,” Linda added.