Who Could Ask For Anything Moore?
When Melba Moore sings “Blue Skies” (Irving Berlin), she soars into the wild blue yonder, as if the roof above our heads at Joe’s Pub didn’t exist. This woman can do most anything with her voice. Her effortless vocal pyrotechnics are stunning, though rarely in the service of a lyric. This is not to say that interpretations are empty: She may not connect with the words but she certainly connects with the music and provides idiosyncratic renditions of her song selections that are thrilling for the ear if not for the mind.
Her show starts as a remembrance of her mother, Bonnie Davis, who was a singer in her day. Each number in the song list relates in some way to Moore’s memories of her mom. For example, she sings Duke Ellington’s “It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got that Swing” simply because her mother loved The Duke. But Moore’s reading of this famous song is not what you’d expect; it’s slower and more contemplative than what we’re used to. Nonetheless, the performance is in the groove, and it accumulates power as it progresses.
The show hits “Stormy Weather,” literally, when Moore tells us that her mother wanted to be the next Lena Horne. Moore’s version of this classic number lacks the careful lyric reading that Horne gave it, and no amount of high-flying vocalism can stand up to the comparison. One wishes that in this case, at least, Moore might have combined her extraordinary voice with a more carefully considered interpretation of the lyric. Ironically, one of the few times that she reigns herself in during the evening is when she recreates her own youthful recital version of “Summertime” from Porgy and Bess. Her restraint made this number one of the highlights of the act.
At about this point, the show changes from being about Moore’s mother and essentially becomes a journey through her own career. She notes that she was the first black actress to replace a white actress (Diane Keaton) in a Broadway show (Hair) and she performs songs from her Broadway successes Hair and Purlie, but Moore particularly shines in her amazing tribute to Ella Fitzgerald. It’s a scat number that includes bits of songs as diverse as “Davey Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier,” “Day-O,” and “That’s Amore.” Moore has two more shows scheduled at Joe’s Pub on Sunday, July 27 at 7pm and 9:30pm.
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Lea DeLaria just completed a short run at Birdland in a show devoted to swinging versions of the songs of Cole Porter and the Gershwins. Always fun, challenging, thoughtful, and inventive, DeLaria had some hits and misses; hey, when you stick your neck out you’re going to get it snapped a few times. But by the same token, when you stick your neck out (and you’re truly talented), you can create — or, in this case, re-invent — great songs and make them sound brand new.
When that happens, the effect is musically intoxicating. DeLaria’s versions of two Porter tunes, “Miss Otis Regrets” and “Night and Day,” were nothing short of brilliant. No kidding — brilliant! In DeLaria’s interpretation, “Miss Otis Regrets” is no longer dripping with sarcasm; rather, it’s defiant, angry, and pulsating with attitude. (Did we say brilliant?) And her “Night and Day” is all night but little day as it becomes the dark, obsessive stalker’s anthem that’s right there in the lyric. DeLaria didn’t do anything other than interpret the words on the sheet music and make perfect, skin-crawling sense of them. Next time, we hope, she’ll have a longer run.
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One quick note about last Monday’s Cast Party at The King Kong Room. Elena Bennett, one of cabaret’s great talents but seldom seen in these parts in recent years, came back to New York and helped make Monday Night Magic at Jim Caruso’s once-a-week salon soirée.
Folks, it doesn’t get any better than Elena Bennett singing with her longtime musical director, the sensational Fred Barton; there was much joy in cabaretland on this particular Monday evening. At one point, Bennett put down the microphone and walked throughout the King Kong Room, singing all the while.
Voice, presence, style, and talent — that’s Elena Bennett. Wow, have we missed her! Thank you, Jim Caruso, for bringing her back — even for one night.
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[Ed. Note: The Siegels’ CD Picks of the Month celebrations will begin at Dillon’s Restaurant on Sunday, August 3rd at 7pm. That night’s event will feature performances by honorees Steven Lutvak and Amanda Green and by guest artists including musical theater stars Jonathan Dokuchitz (The Look of Love), Julia Murney (MTC’s The Wild Party), Jenn Colella (Urban Cowboy), and Brooks Ashmanskas (Gypsy). Green’s musical director is Tom Kitt. For more information, click here.]
