With the release of her third album, Every Little Star, Chicago's leading jazz lady, Abigail Riccards, is proving she can wish on just that. Riccards will serenade her captive audience with two shows at 8 and 10 p.m. at the official CD-release party Monday, June 17, at Jazz Showcase, 806 S. Plymouth Ct.
"I had a great producer," Riccards told Windy City Times. "Internationally acclaimed vocalist Jane Monheit produced ["Every Little Star"], and she sings a duet with me on a cover of Joni Mitchell's 'Circle Game.'"
Riccards has a special reason to celebrate this third release.
"Jeannie Tanner actually wrote an original song for me for this project. She knew I was doing a project with a kids' theme [for the love of the kids in our lives, rather than a romantic love[, so she composed 'Endless Joy' for me. It's an honor to sing it," Riccards said. "All of the proceeds of this album are going to a great kids' music nonprofit I work with called ArtStrides. I used Indiegogo to raise the funds to make the album, and rather than make a profit, I want to reinvest the money in something I believe, just as all of my friends and fans invested in me."
And believe in her they do. Riccards is a beloved fixture in Chicago's LGBT community. It's a community the New York transplant has embraced as her own on many levels.
"I grew up doing theater and music and many of the people in my life were part of the LGBT community," she said. "It wasn't until I was older that I realized it was even a social issue. ... These people were just my friends, my loved ones," she told us. "Throughout my life many of the people closest to me have been a part of the community and have actively welcomed me into their homes, their art, their work ... whatever. I feel very blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life."
The New York City scene, specifically, touched the music educator's heart.
"I moved to Chicago almost two years ago from New York City," she said. "When I was there, in addition to being a performer I was also teaching a lot of parent/child music classes. This was really cool because I think it was the first time I got to witness the same-sex parental role
"It was a beautiful thing. Being New York City (Brooklyn and Greenwhich Village), no one in the classes gave a second thought to the family structures. There were families with one parent, families with heterosexual parents, same-sex parents. It was never an issue."
Riccards offered her talents to the 2012 LGBT Christmas film Scrooge & Marley.
"It was awesome and hilarious and moving to see all these great people coming together for this film they've created. I enjoyed getting to see that sense of unity and pride in the arts," she said.
Riccards also weighed in on the marriage-equality battle that appears to be spreading across the U.S. in the current decade.
"It's beyond time," she said. "It's basic civil rights. I'm incredibly passionate about this—more so than I am about any other political issue.
"I sincerely hope that one day my kids ask me questions about this point in time the way that I ask my parents (who are in their 60s) about the civil-rights movement, Martin Luther King and segregation. It seems so ridiculous to me to think that our country was segregated such a short time ago that I can't even wrap my head around it. I hope that's how my kids feel about same-sex marriage."
"There's a great poster in NYC from a storage facility that has catchy ads. It says 'If you don't like gay marriage, then don't get gay married.' That's exactly how I feel. The whole situation is just a sad state. While I'm glad that states are slowly coming around, I just want it to be over with and see equality for everyone. It's painful to watch these constant debates, votes, critics. ... It's a no-brainer. Let's just get it done."
Tickets for the June 17 event are $10; see www.JazzShowcase.com/calendar.
Free music downloads are offered for the first 100 advance ticket buyers. For more information about the event, call the Showcase at 312-360-0234. Visit www.AbigailRiccards.com for details about the new CD, artists, recording and more.
