Midnight Muse Las Vegas
The Anniversary Celebration
By Joan S. Peck
How powerful are words? Just ask Ann Parenti! “When Debra Russell asked me one simple question in a meeting in November 2012, my original idea of what I wanted to do began to explode!”
If you know Ann, you can easily understand that nothing is impossible. She seems to have no limit to what she can accomplish … even conducting a seminar series called Possibilities. So began Midnight Muse – The Book, The Music, and The Film under the Forgotten Song Music publication company she formed a few years before. It is an outstanding achievement that pays tribute to the musicians behind the headlines who made Las Vegas a mecca for entertainers to perform 24/7. It also acknowledges some of the city’s artists and poets.
Where did the idea come from? It all began when Ann considered creating an album with several of her favorite jazz and R&B musicians in Las Vegas to perform on. She planned on writing a few songs for the album and personally singing some standards for it. She also envisioned a little spiral ring book filled with art and poetry from several friends to make it a companion set.
“I had it all planned in my mind. Then, I met Debra, who asked me why I was not documenting the project on film since I would be using some of the best of the best in jazz in Las Vegas, who would likely have great stories to tell. A light bulb went on that this would be something much bigger than I had imagined.”
Debra also suggested that Ann press the music onto an LP instead of a CD that day. Remember, LPs in 2012 were not all that popular at the time. Ann thought that was a bit of a stretch and went the CD route instead.
Ann is a believer in messages and promptings from the Universe. She asked for signs while deciding if she should pursue that idea. Two days after that meeting, Ann walked into a recycling store and stumbled upon a spiral binder like the one she had imagined. “However, it had one unusual feature … it was a recycled LP. I contacted the vendor who had created the actual recycled LPs, and I purchased the LPs as the cover for my book. Then I asked several of my friends in the music industry if they would be interested in doing the project with me, and they all said yes!”
And Ann was off and running! Ironically, Ann sang only one song on the 2 CD set but wrote and co-wrote several songs to fit into the sound from those eras in which the songs would have been originally performed.
“I approached the local jazz society called Las Vegas Jazz Society. With the help of Patrick and Cynthia Gaffey, Dan Skea, Judy Tarte, and Carolyn Freeman and the entire board of directors and my book team, which included Joan Peck, Jake Naylor, and Mary Marles, we located and compiled photos and documented history of the early days of the jazz society in Las Vegas.”
(L-R): Mary Marles, Jake Naylor, Ann Parenti, Joan Peck
It took just one year to complete the three-part Midnight Muse—a phenomenal feat. “It was because everyone worked together to honor the musicians who were the backbone of musical support for headliners performing on The Strip. Las Vegas was where many musicians had two or more gigs each day, running from one casino or place to another, ending their day in time for breakfast for a few bucks at various restaurants. We all wanted to thank them for their efforts to make Las Vegas the mecca it was for musicians—the entertainment capital of the world.”
The Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss
Ann’s friends David Tupaz and Carolyn Freeman asked her to help the two of them apply for the Las Vegas Centennial grant for what the three planned on doing collectively called the Viva Awards. The grant was specifically for projects that had a historical value to Las Vegas, and Midnight Muse qualified for that aspect of the grant but not the trio’s idea. Therefore, things got slightly complicated, and Ann had to return to ask for the grant alone. However, to be considered, she had to become a 501c3.
From that Forgotten Song Foundation was born, a sister to Forgotten Song Music. The foundation applied for and received two Las Vegas Centennial grants, which allowed the CD’s reproduction, the book’s reprint, and the licensing and approvals needed for Midnight Muse to be accepted and shown on PBS. Producer Philip Norbert, one of the film’s producers, was instrumental in securing this. David Berry was the other film producer who traveled from Hawaii to film the movie. Dave is the reason it is on Amazon Prime to this day. The foundation will be celebrating its 10th anniversary in March 2024 and has given out well over $100K in scholarships and grants over the years.
Carolyn Freeman in the recording studio.
The trilogy of Midnight Muse gives the reader/viewer/listener an idea of what Las Vegas was like in its heyday with Sinatra, Joe Williams, Count Basie, and so many others listed in the collection. Like many things in life, in time, things circle, and we now have a growing rebirth of jazz clubs popping up all over Las Vegas.
When I asked Ann for a one-word response about that time of producing Midnight Muse, she immediately answered … “exhausting.” (laugh)
“I will speak for all of us involved in creating Midnight Muse; it was our pleasure to honor those wonderfully gifted musicians who helped to make beautiful music that lifted our hearts in the past and continues to do so today.”
Midnight Muse will celebrate its 10th anniversary at Notoriety this May. Forgotten Song Foundation, JOI (Jazz Outreach Initiative), and Chic Compass will be there to help celebrate the night. Ironically, March 2014 was when it all began, and the film’s original release was just two blocks away at the Inspire Theatre.
Fast forward to today, and jazz is again alive and well in Las Vegas!