Groom

In your eyes, I have found my home.

In your heart, I have found my love.

In your soul, I have found my mate.

With you, I am whole, full, alive.

You make me laugh. You let me cry.

You are my breath, my every heartbeat.

I am yours.

You are mine.

Of this we are certain.

You are lodged in my heart.

The small key is lost.

You must stay there forever.

Bride

You are my inspiration and my soul’s fire.

You are the magic of my days.

You help me laugh, you teach me love.

You provide a safe place for me, unlike I’ve ever known.

You free me to sing my own song.

You are more of an amazement to me, each day I rediscover you.

You are my greatest boon.

I am yours.

You are mine.

Of this we are certain.

You are lodged in my heart.

The small key is lost.

You must stay there forever.

Photograph by Elizabeth Messina

Legendary jazz saxophonist Charles Austin wowed the crowed with his searing renditions of some classic tunes. Legendary nightlife impresario and owner of the Vagabond, Carmel Ophir, tore up the turntables and had us moving like we thought we were on Soul Train. And Vivian Dunn made everybody real happy with the best soul food sweets you’ve ever tasted. Normally, I give away leftovers to deserving causes, however, my greedy butt brought some tinfoil and stuck it in the back of Max Pierre’s office. Max is the really cool guy who owns the AE gallery space and who kept rubbing it in my face about how hot his b-day party was featuring Talib Kweli. I missed it a few weeks earlier when I opted to throw on my snuggie instead of my skinny jeans that night. Bad decision. Anyway, I thought I’d wrap up some red velvet cake to go at the end of the event. Too bad everything was gone even though Vivian prepared food for hundreds. It really tasted that good, especially alongside Cîroq.

The goal of Amy’s project is to bring back some of Overtown’s historic luster with a series of multisensory concerts in historic area landmarks as well as in venues all over the City. There was an exhibit on Overtown curated by The Black Archives, original photographs of jazz musicians from the exclusive collection of the Barbara Gillman Gallery, and words of wisdom and poignant stories by Dr. Dorothy Fields, Dr. Philip Wright, Charles Austin and Commissioner Richard Dunn.

The most beautiful thing about the event was to witness music transcend boundaries. On Saturday night, residents of Overtown were dancing with residents of Fisher Island. The young danced with the old. And me and my hubby danced to “My Baby Just Cares For Me,” by Nina Simone like it was nobody’s business.

P.S. Thanks to Carmel Ophir for hosting us at the Vagabond afterwards – an unforgettable night (and morning) of partying! See you again very soon. And on another note, thanks to John Kozyak, my beloved mentor, for teaching me the importance of giving back to one’s community.

Nathalie Cadet-James of Luxe Fête and legendary jazz saxophonist Charles Austin

[Click here] to see more pictures from gallery featured on NBC6.

More great pics from Gesi Schilling, that’s the fabulous Amy Rosenberg below:

IMG_2947_3 IMG_3037 IMG_3022 IMG_3020 IMG_3019_4 IMG_3015_3 IMG_2988_3 IMG_2977 IMG_2974_3 IMG_2970 IMG_2964 IMG_2962_3 IMG_2958_3 IMG_2957_3 IMG_2951_3 IMG_2948_3 IMG_2917 IMG_2909 IMG_2903 Picture 7

More great pics from Laura Coppelman [here]. There are many wonderful events lined up, so be sure to check the Overtown Music Project website for updates.