We parked the car and started heading to the Triad Theater on West 72n/a Street on Saturday evening February 12; my wife and I noticed that the foot traffic on the streets of Manhattan’s Upper West Side seemed a bit quiet. We were surprised as it was the first sixty degree day of 2022 and usually that gets everyone out. I think we thought everyone was somewhere celebrating with their Valentine’s Day a few days earlier. I looked forward to sharing a wonderful evening with my wife, listening to the sounds of Acute Inflections – A Jazzy Love Affair, which she described as a “work date night” on her social media post from the place. For us, the evening ended somewhere in the middle of these two descriptions.
The duo Elasea Douglas and Sadiki Pierre form Acute Inflections, and their jazz music is so wonderful to listen to. Sadiki is the bass player – it’s the only musical instrument of the evening – and eL (how she introduced herself to the sold-out audience) is the vocalist. Together they create sounds so nice and full that you forget there’s no drums, piano or any other musician filling the air of the theater or taking up space on a fully candlelit stage. .
The evening’s setlist was all about love songs and romance, which certainly set the mood for all the couples in the audience that night. Perhaps the music was more romantic that night since Acute Inflections were also celebrating their 10th anniversary as a couple. With their own jazzy take on a wide variety of genres like Whitney Houston (“I Will Always Love You”), The Cure (“Lovesong”), Prince (“Kiss”), George Gershwin (“Summertime”), Bee Gees (“How Deep Is Your Love”), and a Blackstreet (“No Diggity”), there was plenty of holding hands, arms around lovers, and even dancing in the aisles. Acute Inflections featured a nice mix of original songs, such as “Come Out Love” and “All” – which got some audience participation through some singing action. It was through some truly loving banter that audiences learned about the duo’s relationship journey but also the musical journey that led them to the top of the jazz charts and the TV show’s theme song for the series. Discovery+ The Great Soul Food Cook-Off.
This reporter recommends keeping an eye out for the band’s performances in the tri-state area and asking a significant other to join you for a great night of jazz.
—Tom Salus
Find great shows to see on the Triad website HERE.
Acute Inflections has a website HERE.
Thomas Salus is a New Jersey/New York based photographer specializing in theater and sports photography. For nearly ten years, Tom has offered his photography skills to community and regional theatres, supporting their productions and showcasing artists through his images. In addition to theater, he works with area professional, college and high school sports teams to capture the action on their stages. Tom has worked with New York based cabaret artists, freelanced for local newspapers and worked with organizations like Little League International. Tom’s photography began when he and his wife Kelly were raising their four children and capturing moments of their theatrical and athletic accomplishments. Tom is thrilled to work with Broadway World as a Contributing Photographer and to have the opportunity to photograph some of the most incredible talent in this artistic community. Thomas Salus can be found on Instagram HERE and on his website HERE.
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