Anita Baker was one of my favorite pop jazz singers in the eighties-not only because she could trounce Mariah Carey's high falsetto with a gorgeous contralto, but because she was and still is a sophisticated and classy symbol of where jazz can go.

That is why I jumped at the chance to see Anita perform at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, NJ.

I was not disappointed.

Although Anita is far from the svelte vixen of the eighties, the gorgeous woman is still able to deliver the goods  and bring the sold-out house down with recognizable hits like "YOU BRING ME JOY" and "SWEET LOVE."

I could hardly contain myself as I watched  one of jazz music's great vocalists engage the audience.  Everyone sang along with recognizable tunes Like "RAPTURE" and "ANGEL" and Mrs. Baker even tantalized us with the promise of a CD release.

It has been years since that performance and I still regard it as the best jazz concert I have ever attended.  What sets it apart is the easy accessibility that Anita seems to have, like you can sit down and have a real conversation with the woman.

Somehow, Anita's ease and charm translates into her music.  This warmth has crossed even generational lines, as my young nieces and nephews have asked to borrow my old CD's after hearing her stuff.  It is this down to earth affability that appears to be lacking today, even in the candy coated, pink and fluffy pop world that record execs assume all teenagers want to visit.

The fact that young people are re-making old classics or listening to rock legends more and more attest to the fact that this is not the case.

Luckily, people like Anita are still around doing their thing.  Let's hope she is able to fill the music  void that even some young music lovers have begun to notice.

And now I suppose I come to the crux of Anita Baker's legacy.  I mean, there is something absolutely magical about the ability to create music that can be enjoyed by the first people who heard it, and the masses of people who stumble upon it decades after.

Yes, The Taj Mahal in NJ housed a legend on its stage that fine evening. A legend not only in the realm of music, but of vision whose voice will enliven both   body and the soul for years to come...