Livia Gazzolo @Midnight Tea, Or, An Evening Of Sta(i)rs That Will Take Your Breath Away

Cover Photo: Livia Gazzolo. Midnight Tea, 1/25/25. Photo by Dominic Guanzon.

By Dominic Guanzon

Saturday, 1/25/25

When all you can see are the operator’s legs through the elevator door windows, you know you’re not taking that elevator. Eight flights of stairs later at the Fine Arts Building on Michigan Ave, and I find my out-of-breath self in the intimate recording studio/venue Midnight Tea.

There’s a gorgeous spread of traditional Kurdish food on a table, and small bags of spices that attendees can bring home with them. All of it provided by Cafe Gulistan, the restaurant owned by the father of tonight’s featured artist.

Last month, Livia Gazzolo returned triumphantly to Chicago from a residency in Guangzhou, China. Now, she’s nearing her debut single release. It’s been a long time coming. 

“We just recorded this morning!” She told the packed crowd. “We haven’t played some of these songs live before.”

(Top Left) Catering provided by Cafe Gulistan, owned by Livia’s father Ibrahim Parlak; (Bottom Left) Spice packets provided by Cafe Gulistan; (Right) Livia Gazzolo (voc) and Mohamed Radwan (oud). Midnight Tea, 1/25/25. Photos by Dominic Guanzon.

Livia’s songbook pulls from a sprawling variety of cultures, but one of her staples is Brazilian bossa and tropicalia. She begins the first set with the saudade-riddled original “When I Close My Eyes” followed by the João Bosco classic “Coisa Fieta,” aided by Ari Lindo. The songs have been part of her songbook for a while, including a year and a half ago when she performed at The Red Room in Wicker Park, and to great effect.

After, she brings a fellow Kurdish singer onto the stage, the Chicago-based Arash. With his rich, powerful baritone, their combined melisma and joyful chants on a Kurdish song called “Malan Bar Kir” repeated the following lyric:

They moved, moved to foreign lands

My beloved, beloved, beloved of mine

Mice and snakes ate the meat of our bodies

Girl, beautiful girl, friend of mine.

I only later received the rough English translation from Livia. To hear such tragic words sung to the sounds of celebration is a juxtaposition that can only come from the diaspora of a people.

“The song is a powerful expression of the pain of displacement and the loss of home,” Livia informed me. “It is a reminder of the importance of holding on to our culture and traditions, even when we are forced to leave our homes.”

That tradition indeed carries on, even temporarily, as the Chicago crowd clapped and (as best they could) chanted along.

Livia Gazzolo (left) and Arash (right). Midnight Tea, 1/25/25. Photos by Dominic Guanzon.

Another piece hastily-added to the setlist saw playing from bassist Jeff Wheaton and Livia’s long-time mentor Reynaldo Certain on classical guitar. According to Livia, they had just written it that morning, and I wasn’t even able to catch the name of it. Something about flowers? I reckon we’ll hear it eventually.

Later, pianist Patrick Leary and percussionist Marwan Kamel came onto the stage, along with Eric Novak and Mohamed Radwan. Novak and Radwan are part of a jam collective called The Rind, which performs as the house band at Lemon every first Friday.

Noak’s Coltrane-esque whirling dervish soprano sax proved a highlight, spitting 16ths up and down the scale, and much like his many strands of hair, landing wherever they lay. He made sure to almost never play the same instrument twice throughout the night, switching between the soprano, clarinet, flute and bansuri. Radwan played the more subtle, but critical, role of laying down an entrancing drone on his oud (see it in action from Novak’s YouTube channel). Livia would join in solos, using drones and malisma as vocal improv.

Eric Novak (ss). Midnight Tea, 1/25/25. Photo by Dominic Guanzon.

She also previewed her upcoming debut single “Porcelain Doll,” an original composition. The minor tune harkens to the classic torch songs of the 1940s and 50s:

I’m a person, not a porcelain doll

On a shelf, leaning ‘gainst a wall.

A painted smile, and a shy hello

Imitations are still mine to dole.

As they go into the B section, the song demands a total stop on the downbeat, with the rest of the bar in silence:

Out – with assumptions that you’re welcome.

Out – sorry I’m not home.

Out – of the kindness I was serving.

It’s a pointed song that demands attention to general feminist viewpoints, but on a personal level, it almost sounds like Livia’s rebuke of the perception of herself. Delicate and dainty as she can come off, there’s much more there, as she’s evidenced so far. The song ends with a direct quote of the last four bars of Ellington/Strayhorn “Satin Doll,” maintaining its minor key and putting sass on Johnny Mercer’s lyrics.

One of Livia’s favored closers is the Four Seasons song “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You,” which she did perform in the group’s preferred funk style. This time however, they closed with a faithful rendition of the 1957 ballad “Old Cape Cod,” popularized by Patti Page, putting a sentimental spin on the end of the night.

Something I’ve noticed when attending Livia’s shows is how she knows nearly everyone in her audience. That’s usually a sign attendance is low, but of the 40 or so people there that night, I think I found the only person who didn’t know her personally – a photographer that happened to hear the music from down the hall. The love and support shone through, as halfway through her set, her mother arrived, much to Livia’s visible surprise.

Livia informs the room her mother has arrived. Midnight Tea, 1/25/25. Photo by Dominic Guanzon.

As she inches closer towards her first official release, Livia Gazzolo’s shows continue to be warm, intimate affairs. Meek and delicate at times, but inevitably bursting – with color, culture, and a diversity of tongues – into a roar that seemingly tells the world: “I am here, and to stay.”

Livia Gazzolo (voc)

Ari Lindo (g)

Reynaldo Certain (g)

Eric Novak (ss, fl, cl, bansuri flute)

Mohamed Radwan (oud)

Pat Leary (p)

Jeff Wheaton (b)

Marwan Kamel (perc)

Arash (voc)

This performance was partially recorded and uploaded to YouTube by Eric Novak.

Midnight Tea, 1/25/25. Photos by Dominic Guanzon.

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