Halie Loren Trio delights Grand Opera House audience

BY: ANN MIRE

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

An enthusiastic audience at the Grand Opera House on Monday night enjoyed a jazzy Christmas evening courtesy of the Halie Loren Trio.

Opening the show with two songs, “Let It Snow” and “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” that recognized the evening’s cold, wet weather, the delightful trio and their music set a completely opposite mood of warmth inside the Grand.

Mentioning that this was their first trip to Louisiana, the Trio, who live in Eugene, Ore., considered this weather balmy. 

Loren’s performance of an original Christmas tune, “I’m Sending You My Heart This Christmas,” as well as “No Place Like Home for the Holidays” further set the tone for the 70-minute concert. 

Among the Christmas songs the Trio performed were “Grown-up Christmas List,” “Winter Wonderland” and “Do You See What I See?” They also played the bluesy tune “Nothing for Christmas.”

Pianist Matt Treder showcased his talents in performing “Sugar Cookies,” while bass player Mark “Moe” Schneider lent his deep voice as Santa to “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town.” Both gentlemen were more than talented on their own, but their combination with Loren’s vocals was quite entertaining.

The Trio’s jazzy style added an interesting and delightful twist to the traditional Christmas songs that were performed. Jazz selections from their newly released album, “Simply Love,” included “On the Sunny Side of the Street” and a quaint little ditty that Loren wrote while on a trip to Hawaii entitled “Bare Feet.” 

During the show, Loren noted that she liked to visit small towns during the Christmas season because of the decorations. She complimented the city of Crowley’s downtown decorations for the holidays.

The nostalgic “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” closed the show, and there was no doubt that that was the sentiment the Trio wished for all of the audience.

The next show in this season’s Grand Opera House line-up will be a performance by Jordan Bennett on Monday, Feb. 10, 2014. For more information, call the Grand Opera House at 785-0440 or visit http://www.thegrandoperahouse.org.