loves who she gets to be in Key West
Jennifer Lowe loves who she gets to be in Key West
Jennifer Lowe far right (violin) loves who she gets to be in Key West. L – R — Ross Brown, Daniel Clark, Collette Campbell, Geoff Lowe.
Jennifer Lowe is from Brookfield, Wisconsin, a suburb of Milwaukee. She began taking ballet and violin lessons at five years old and continued through high school. She gained a full scholarship to University of Wisconsin in Madison performing with the school orchestra, graduating in 1988. She continued dancing with the cheerleading squad.
Jennifer had just bought this colorful jumpsuit – perfect!
Jennifer gained a summer internship with the Milwaukee Symphony, writing press releases and public relations, that continued full time into the early 90s. After graduation, she joined a group dancing professionally for the Milwaukee Bucks. While writing press releases full time for the symphony, she kept getting requests to help make the orchestra more visually appealing. Jennifer became the master of ceremonies, introducing the conductor and soloists before a performance.
In 1992, Jennifer met bass player Geoff Lowe who was performing at the Field Museum in Chicago, IL. He was performing with a “society band” that varied from 15-20 musicians performing at special gigs. Interestingly, when they first met and shook hands, Jennifer felt very calm and relaxed – an “everything is going to be okay” feeling. She was the last chair violin which would sit next to the bass player at every concert. They would always get in trouble for talking too much. They were bandmates for six years and were married in 1998.
In the winter of 2000, Geoff and Jennifer vacationed with a friend in Big Pine Key for a few weeks. They would venture to Key West and were amazed at all the music. In 2005 they started renting in Key West for the winter months and visiting their friend in Big Pine.
Geoff met drummer Randy Morrow playing with the Carter Brothers at the Hog’s Breath. They became friends, and Randy helped them meet others in Key West including Larry Smith. In 2007, Larry had scheduled an Island Alex CD release party during his Sunday Showcase gig at the Pier House. Due to a snowstorm, bass player Kim Wroble’s flight was cancelled so Larry called Geoff and asked if he ‘could learn twelve original songs in a few hours and bail him out”.
Of course, Geoff studied the tunes and nailed his performance. Larry also knew that Jennifer could play violin and asked if she would sit in on violin tracks on several songs. Jennifer and Geoff both play with large ensembles in Chicago, reading charts in more rigid formal and classical concert environments. Jennifer had never just sat in with a small group and played music, and especially never played solo. She performed the tracks on the songs that she had studied and, like Larry Smith has often done, he kept her on stage with the group and had her continue to play on several other tunes. Larry would yell “play the violin” and Jennifer would break loose with a solo. She hadn’t realized that it would be so much fun.
With the help of Larry Smith, Jennifer discovered a lot about herself. When asked her opinion of Key West, she quoted another longtime visitor, Debra Dean Lawler, saying “I just love who I get to be when I’m here.”
Jennifer says Key West is magical – the energy of the place is so strong when they are here.
Around 2007, Jennifer’s band leader in Chicago asked her “what would be her dream gig?” She responded that she wanted to stand on a stage dressed like Shania Twain and play “Stairway to Heaven”. He was hooked. She had three fellow violinists from the band to perform pop songs, with Jennifer’s choreography. It was such a hit that they were asked to be booked separately. The band leader however wanted a restrictive proprietary contract which Jennifer refused and severed a long-standing relationship.
Jennifer and Geoff have a great musical life together.
After a couple of years, Jennifer came up with the name “Cover Girls” and interviewed a group of violinists. She chose five they performed in long sequin gowns, dancing and playing violins, with their first gig in 2009. The original five are still performing together.
Collette Campbell in the middle fely like part of a “string sandwich”. She tried several times to move but had no place to go.
The manager of the band Chicago saw their performance in 2019 and invited them to perform for a month in Las Vegas at the Venetian. Chicago performed this past January at the Coffee Butler Amphitheater. Jennifer and a group of friends got to visit the band backstage. They all remembered their performance in Las Vegas. They spoke to their manager about continuing together. The Cover Girls will be performing July 4th and 5th this summer in Chicago (with Chicago I know its a bit confusing) and then back to the Venetian again with Chicago in the winter.
While playing a gig at the Sunset Pier this past January with Ross Brown and Collette Campbell’s “CC & the Sunsetters”, Jennifer connected on songs with Ross’s guitar from across the stage. Collette said she felt like part of a “string sandwich” in between two inspired performers. They played dueling solos on several songs. A long version of Kris Kristofferson’s “Me and Bobby McGee”, made famous by Janis Joplin in 1971 was special. Collette’s strong vocals were matched by dueling equally strong guitar, violin solo and blended harmonies by Ross and Jennifer, sometimes playing the same riffs at the same time. It was one of those things that neither musician expected to happen – it just did.
The term “deep and meaningful” can be applied when a musician becomes a servant to the music. When Jennifer is listening to the music, she sometimes finds a wellspring of emotion internally and then she feels her violin provides color commentary to a piece. Jennifer & Geoff’s two-day ride back home to Chicago is part debrief, part stories of the Key West music scene and particular gigs, and then, a transition back home. Come back soon.
Jennifer just loves who she gets to be while in Key West
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