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| Continued from previous page | Mary Frometa and Mary's Band |
Celia Cruz |
And Mary's Band is always ready for the audience. "Every show is different," she says. "But I always try to do my best on any of the events I attend...[It is] the same for me if I have three people in the audience or 2,000 people."
As each audience is different, somtimes they start dancing as soon as the music starts playing. Sometimes they wait. Mary herself plays a great part in determining how the audience reacts. She usually dresses casually, sometimes a little sexy. One night, she strode across the dance floor in a little black dress. Every man in the club almost dropped his drink. No one was thinking about dancing that moment. A Scotsman, sitting next to me on another night, shook his head as Mary walked toward the stage at Elvia's and said, "She is a goddess." This was a man who had extremely curvaceous 20-something girls chasing him across the city. Mary has that kind of an effect. Girls love to dance to Mary's Band, but otherwise distant, aloof men fall in love with Mary and forget the girls. The audience is always looking at Mary, and she is looking right back. "I always have to look good and do the best show ever," she says simply. The show is obviously not just about the music, it's also about Mary's interaction with the audience. She makes friends easily, and often wanders through the club between sets, greeting friends warmly. She waves as people enter, she bids them farewell when they leave. She sings "Happy Birthday" as if it's for the first (and last) time. She smiles at anyone who is having a particularly enjoyable evening. One might easily mistake Mary's casual openness for a lack of experience, but she has toured other cities, including in Japan and Korea. I was curious about her audiences there. In Houston, many people in the large Asian community love Latin music, particularly Cha Cha. Did Mary see Latin dancing in Asia? "Not as much as here (in Houston)," she tells me. "But I was impressed anyways. They love their music there and they try their best to do it right. In my opinion, they are really good and I'm sure they will get as good as Latin people. It is just a matter of time!" Just as the Asians have been inspired by Latin artists like Mary's Band, Mary herself claims broad influences. "I like a lot of singers from kinds of music," she admits. "I love the passion that Madonna [had] when she [performed]. Also...Celia Cruz was great in what she did, very persistent and talented in her own way. Everyone has a different talent and I respect everybody's way to do Art....Practice and experience will give you that particular way of performing, or that personality you need when you are in front of a crowd." NEXT PAGE |