‘Spokane at its finest’: Music in Manito features ‘new sounds’ with classical, Brazilian and hip-hop tunes

Those who attend this year’s Music in Manito shouldn’t expect to classical music in the typical, quiet concert hall experience. Instead, this family-oriented outdoor program offers room to roam, lush lawn space for chairs or blankets, an invitation to bring your own food and beverages and perhaps a more upbeat, modern sound.

“It’s kind of perfection,” Northwest BachFest artistic director Zuill Bailey said. “One of the most beautiful places, certainly, that I’ve ever seen let alone to showcase the beauty of Spokane.”

The long-running annual series used to be called “Mozart on a Summer’s Eve,” when, over a decade ago, Bailey first got involved. It was renamed Music in Manito in order to expand the event’s musical horizons.

For around five years, the two-day event has acted as a double-pronged show. The evening opens with a chamber orchestra establishing outright classical music before progressing to a more experimental group that takes classical music in a different direction than many might be used to.

This year, both Tuesday and Wednesday night will open with an ensemble of local musicians, featuring the Grammy Award-winning Bailey on cello and guest violinist Helen Kim from Atlanta.

Afterwards, a group blending Brazilian music with that of jazz and American hip-hop will be taking the stage on the lawn just east of the iconic Duncan Gardens fountain.

Biriba Union consists of Grammy winner Mike Block on the cello and vocals, Patricia Ligia on electric bass and vocals, as well as Christylez Bacon on the guitar, beat boxing and rhymes.

“When I heard about this group Biriba Union, it blew my mind,” Bailey said. “It incorporates, with three people, multiple facets that are way beyond that of three people.”

Bailey, like many, finds the human voice to be the most “perfect instrument” truly capable of outright musical communication. The comparable range of the cello lands the instrument nearly parallel to it. Block, an innovative expert of his craft, doesn’t sit and play like the vast majority do. Instead, he has the instrument strapped to his body while he stands, dances, sings and uses the bow for percussive elements.

With her electric bass, Ligia is not only able to explore the instrument beyond the relative confines of a double bass, but plays across multiple styles including funk, samba and many more.

Bacon’s many simultaneous talents may just impress Bailey the most. Between his storytelling and guitar playing abilities to the impressive beat boxing and his own physical percussion, Bailey can’t help but be memorized.

“If you were to shut your eyes, you’d think there were 15 people on stage completely blowing everyone away,” Bailey said. “But you open your eyes, and you see virtuosity that I’ve never seen before.”

This wide spectrum of sounds will be displayed amongst the historic beauty of Manito Park, only adding to the experience, as Bailey believes.

Bailey “can only speak for (himself),” but he tends to go about his existence with a constant soundtrack inside his head. At places like Manito Park, surrounded by the assortment of radiant flora, that musical experience is expanded and freed.

Thursday evening, a special performance titled “Afterglow” at Barrister Winery will offer a more intimate experience. The smaller crowd will be treated to Kim and Bailey performing a beautiful Bach double violin piece, arranged for the violin and cello, before Biriba Union gives a close-up performance.

Between the dynamic Music in Manito lineup and the personal Afterglow performance, Bailey and Northwest BachFest have pulled out all the stops for a distinct experience.

“This kind of experience, it really is Spokane at its finest,” Bailey said. “My goal is to have everyone’s faces be a little bit sore from smiling so much. My goal is to have everyone have something that brings them great comfort and joy, but also incredibly invigorated inspiration through new sounds.”