Chris "Big Dog" Davis with his "Stetson Star" Award. Abiba Biao Photos.
When Melba Moore took up the stage, it was as if the world stopped. She sang the first bars of “Over the Rainbow,” her voice smooth as silk. She pressed forward, jumping from high octaves and whistle notes to a rich bass voice. She was warm and gentle, but demanded the audience’s attention.
“You know, you got to have a dream. Ev-errry-body-s got a dream. God gave it to you. If you have a dream—" she paused to take the microphone away from her mouth— “How you going to make a dream come true?”
Holiday spirits were high early this month at the Stetson Branch of the New Haven Free Public Library, as the Village Holiday Celebration took over the building’s second floor for a bright and merry afternoon of music. The semi-annual celebration, led by Grammy nominated producer and performer Chris “Big Dog” Davis, featured artists including Dawn Tallman, Mike G., Moore, Rahsaan Langley, and Timmy Mala.
The event had a turnout of over 11o attendees, according to Stetson Branch Manager Diane Brown. During the music-filled afternoon, Davis received the second-ever “Stetson Star” award, given to community members who have nurtured and supported New Haveners of all ages in reaching their dreams.
“I just wanted people to come and enjoy the holiday spirit and being together as a community and being together as one,” Brown said, describing the inspiration behind the event. “I'm very appreciative to the producer, Chris Davis, for doing what he does. He does it for free every year.”
Davis is the second Stetson Star awardee this year; the first went to Hamden native and Olympic athlete Alexis Holmes in November. Davis, who has made Stetson something of his musical home in the past several years (read more about that here, here, and here), described earning the award as a “humbling experience.”
With his band, Chris Davis and Friends, Davis kept the concert moving on piano, with Carl Carter on bass guitar, Bryce Thompson behind drums, and Will Davis as audio engineer.
“Chris is just a genius. He really is a genius,” Carter said in an interview after the performance. “I haven’t played with him in a while so it’s good to reconnect with him.”
Davis, who grew up in Waterbury and comes from a musical background, took time Saturday to remember his humble beginnings at a a Yale after-school program at the Dixwell Avenue Congregational UCC. It was there he got exposed to many of the creative resources at Yale, honing his classical abilities, and was able to experience what it was like to be a Yale student.
Later, Davis went on to study at the Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford.
“I give my mother all of this because she seen everything in me,” Davis said in a speech to the crowd. “So I say to the parents, when your kid is doing that and you see it push them, push them, push them.”
Mike G and Rahsaan Langley. "To see her up there singing just touched my heart," Mike G said of Moore's performance.
Mike G and Rahsaan Langley quickly took up the mic, with Mike launching into a R&B version of “Deck the Halls” and Langley performing “Let it Snow.”
Mike G’s infectious energy soon rubbed off on the crowd. As he jumped into the hook, participants got up and started waving their hands in the air. He later said this is part of the show’s magic: he gets to hype up the audience, but also takes time as an attendee to watch people perform.
“To see such an icon like Melba Moore come up there, I had to come from the back and sit on the floor watch it … because she pioneered the way for all of us, you, her and everybody, all of us,” he said. “And to see her up there singing just touched my heart.”
The musician also had some words of advice and encouragement for up-and-coming artists.
“Respect the art. Put the time in, put the work in. It doesn't have to happen overnight,” he said. “I always tell people, you know, [as an] artists microphone is my paintbrush, you know? And just like you paint a picture, you write a song. You want people to hear the song. You want to hear their different takes on what you just did.”
In the crowd were friends Ella Smith and Beverly Barnes. After hearing about the event from a flier in the Stetson Library, the friends knew they had to turn out for a chance to see Moore.
“She's just so unique. It's going to be a twist, whatever it is. And as you were listening, I'm sure you could see her voice range can go up and down without effort, without effort! She can hit a high note, low note, just all in one beat. And that is, it's a naturally gifted person, just amazing,” Barnes said.
Barnes said that she liked the free, accessible nature of the event and emphasized the importance of accessibility to recreational activities and barriers of attending concerts and shows due to high costs.
A self-proclaimed jazz fan, Barnes’ never misses an opportunity to attend free shows, like the free jazz concerts every summer on the New Haven Green hosted by the International Festival of Arts and Ideas.
“Melba touches people,” she said. “I'm excited to see who Chris is going to bring next year, but I'm sure it'll be something special.”
To hear more from the celebration, click on the video above or listen to this episode of "Dateline New Haven" on WNHH-LP New Haven.