Evangeline Harris is piquing the curiosity of some pedestrians outside of Mova Lounge, an upscale gay bar in Washington, D.C.’s Logan Circle neighborhood. It’s a gorgeous Sunday evening in late April, and Harris and her four-piece E & Me band are entertaining a sparse group of patrons. As some people chat and clink martini glasses in the rectangular-shaped bar, the musicians stand behind three large open panels, allowing the music to seep outside.
People hear music blaring inside Mova every day, but this time it’s different. Harris is not a drag or disco queen; she’s a jazz singer. Tonight’s set includes admirable renditions of Nat “King” Cole’s “Straighten Up and Fly Right,” Herbie Hancock’s “Watermelon Man” and Norah Jones’ “Don’t Know Why.”
As a mere five bargoers sit close to the players and listen intently, the performance turns ironic during Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me,” which is given a mid-century torch-ballad treatment. Harris’ anodyne soprano nearly goes unnoticed as she embodies the song’s angst-ridden protagonist. Given jazz’s status in mainstream gay culture, the disinterest seems apropos. Harris could have been personifying jazz itself, desperately seeking affirmation from the patrons, most of whom appear ambivalent about its presence.
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