The Lincoln Eagle IX July, 2007   Page 13

Smooth Jazz and Cascade Mountain Wines make for a magical night!

By Michael Marnell 

It was an enjoyably relaxing evening for the over 30 crowd at BSP in Kingston on Memorial Day weekend when the smooth jazz sounds of the Dangling Success complemented a wine tasting by Cascade Mountain Winery.

The Dangling Success is a far cry from the dinner jazz of yesteryear. It is a smooth sound with a groove reminiscent of rhythm and blues. A horn section pushes some memorable melodies that would surprise those who didn’t think they understood jazz! One eager audience member gushed that she had no idea she liked jazz until she heard the Dangling Success. Maybe that’s because the Dangling Success has struck a nice balance between today’s adult contemporary music and the new genre of smooth jazz. 

Regardless, an evening that began with a sampling of some of the Hudson Valley’s award-winning wines from Cascade Mountain Winery took the audience on a flavorous, savorous, and auditory adventure. The wine pleased the taste buds and the nasal passages, and the music delighted the ears! It was a surprise evening, one more reminiscent of a large cosmopolitan metropolis, not a quaint Hudson Valley city.

Once the concert began, concertgoers received a program, which contained psychoanalyses of each song written by Dr. Ivan, a fictitious psychologist who markets himself as a Guru of Love. For example, the song titled Mischievous Kiss was described as the type of kiss that “may explain why the kids were prematurely put to bed fully clothed that evening.”

All in all, as people sat at small cabaret tables sipping their wine, reading their program and listening to the music, they were transported away, even if only temporarily, to a relaxing place. It was certainly the best place to be that night.

 The Dangling Success continues its Smooth Jazz and Wine Tasting Concert Series with Cascade Mountain Winery next on June 24th on the “Spirit-on-Hudson” river boat which leaves from Poughkeepsie. Visit their website for more dates and details at www.danglingsuccess.com.