Since You've Asked
The Metropolitan Room dates went so very well artistically that I am still in the spell of the wonderful arrangements Tex Arnold wrote, and of the musical excellence of the trio I was so blessed to have: Tex on piano, Tom Hubbard on bass, and Richard de Rosa on drums. Some of you have asked which songs I sang - here is the list, with the credits:
Something's Coming Leonard Bernstein/Stephen Sondheim
East of the Sun Brooks Bowman
Once in a Million Moons Jerome Kern/Yip Harburg / Folhas Secas Nelson Cavaquinho/Guilherme de Brito
The Right Thing Don Breithaupt/Jeff Breithaupt
Noir Medley: Blue Pacific Blues Lester Lee/Ned Washington / Pete Kelly's Blues Ray Heindorf/Sammy Cahn / Laura David Raksin/Johnny Mercer / I'll Cry Tomorrow Alex North/Johnny Mercer
Have You Got Any Castles, Baby? Richard Whiting/Johnny Mercer
My Ideal Richard Whiting/Leo Robin/Newell Case
Burcham Woods Hubert "Tex" Arnold
Blue Rondo Dave Brubeck/Bill Crofut/Chris Brubeck/Laurel Massé
Can't Teach My Old Heart New Tricks Richard Whiting/Johnny Mercer
Stay Away Chris Thile
It Only Takes a Moment Jerry Herman
The Blackest Crow Traditional/Laurel Massé
I had never sing in Portuguese before, so that was a challenge, and all but three of the tunes are new additions to my repertoire. Because I had been ill, we were behind schedule in rehearsing; I only heard the final versions of the new arrangements on the Monday before the Wednesday opening night. This is where being a jazz singer pays off, as one develops a certain comfort level with the not-completely-known ...and I have a great great arranger, who made the songs fit me like a glove.
Also - I have been working with Wendy Lane Bailey on the structure of the shows I have done since I moved back to New York City, giving more attention to intention, to a more thought-out style of performance than was possible over my years in jazz clubs where the lighting often consisted of on or off, the stage (if there was one) was the size of a suitcase, and the patrons sometimes louder than the band. I haven't been "staged" since my days with the Transfer. I understand the reasons for it so much better now. Yes it can be artifice for the sake of artifice, and a burden for the artist. But good staging can take away everything that stands between the singer and the song, and between the song and the audience. And that is magic.
