MARBLEHEAD — Love wasn’t the only thing in the air around Abbot Hall Saturday night. The brassy notes of The New England Yankees 17 Piece Band echoed around the historic building, bringing together generations of jazz-lovers, Marblehead couples, and friends.
With the band in full swing, Marbleheaders Matt Arnold and Holly Cameron sang crooner classics, including songs from Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra, along with classic disco and pop songs, which surely made Abbot Hall the most romantic place in town for the “Big Band Valentine’s Day Bash.”
The performance also featured guest appearances by Marblehead High School Senior Eldar Yahorau and local musician Johnny Ray.
Saturday’s concert was Yahorau’s first time performing with a band. He was invited to perform by Arnold and Cameron after the couple saw a video of him performing Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” at a senior show, which was posted online.
Cameron said having Yahorau perform with the band was a “great way to showcase young local talent, and can really make it a great community experience.”
Yahorau said, “I love people’s reactions to my singing. As long as they enjoy it, that’s great for me. Singing is also just generally fun, like reaching for notes, whether they’re high or low, just different techniques, that’s also fun to experiment with. But it’s more for everybody to like it, so I was very excited to lighten some people’s day or evening.”
After graduating from Marblehead High, Yahorau plans to attend college close to home and continue singing.
Throughout the night, Arnold and Cameron danced and sang along with many friends in the audience.
“Marblehead is very unique. It’s such a tight-knit community. And our group of friends here, I think, is very unique in that we’re just very, very close. And we get to be because we all live in town, and we’re all so close by, so we get to see each other all the time,” Cameron said.
She added, “We love Marblehead. We love performing for our friends and neighbors. I lived in a lot of places, and there’s just not really a lot of towns like Marblehead. They have such an inclusive community that is very supportive of each other and also is very supportive of the arts, especially.”
The couple’s music stylings not only attracted locals but also fans of the big band genre.
Camille Cooke from Boston said it’s rare to hear big band music played live, and “it’s worth it to make the journey.” She spent the evening dancing with her boyfriend, Julian Cerino, and pointed out that it’s also a uniquely American genre of music.
Cooke said, “In this day and age, it’s hard to be proud of being American.”
Cerino responded, “While we were dancing, we were both like, ‘I love being American,’ despite it all.”
