I am always afraid when someone invites me to a play, musical, concert or art show. Mainly because I have been doing The 1st three for so long in an assortment of capacities and art is subjective. I state this because in a sense it is truly unfair for me to judge a singer. Repertoire is never a surprise for me especially if it is in the musical theater, jazz or standard category. My knowledge of this is vast. I am especially reticent if I know and like the person and worse if I know their manager. Thus I write this column with trepidation. Let's start with the plus side. I was invited to Enzo's a jazz/cabaret space that is truly wonderful. Located at the Jolly Hotel 38 E Madison. The room is like a male lounge in it's comfortability. Couches and over stuffed chairs add to the ambiance. My favorite part is two fold. On the walls and on the mantle are schooners and visions of the sea. The wooden beams on the ceiling add not only to the sailing motif but promote a soaring of sound. I immediately wanted to test my chops in the room and see what pyrotechnics it would allow. Enzo himself is adorable and runs the Italian Jazz festival. In addition to the drinks which run $10 for a glass of wine they offer a complimentary cheese and prosciutto appetizer which was welcoming considering I had forgoten to eat. This is a gem of a find and I was glad I attended.
I came to see Deanne Kirk a jazz artist known for her legendary club Deanna's in the East Village. Deanna's voice is remarkable with a clarity and smoothness that melts like a fine wine, velvety in its texture. Technically this is a perfect instrument however as much as her voice is glorious if one does not connect to the material the saying "Beautiful but vapid" comes to mind. Lets start at the beginning. The show started with Deanna introducing her band which was a quartet. A pianist, a bassist and two saxophones. Now all the musicians were talented in their own rights but two questions are brought to mind: Why give up your power? And why two sax's? After Deanna introduced the band they were suppose to play, but it took a full five minutes. By the time "How High the Moon" started the impact was stale. Her voice proved her vocal prowess and her slides were impeccable. Now as for question two, the bassist wasn't miked and the sax's overpowered. Then one of the sax's was given a solo, his passion over shadowed her voice. The second song was "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered". This is a song about longing for a younger irresponsible man who has left you climbing the walls with heat. I love when other people show me a new way to understand a lyric but we sing to communicate and if you are not expressing that, I become the one who is bewildered. Deanna has amazing control but her timing surprises me. The funny thing is she is reminiscent of Rita Hayworth in the movie. In "My Heat belongs to Daddy" and "Daddy" I wanted her to engage the audience and vocally let go. She doesn't. She stays in her comfort zone and it becomes irritating, because like a high powered car you want to see what it can really do. The last song "CC Rider" is 60's driven and Lalo Sheffren influenced, the piano was hot! The piano also shinned in "How Insensitive". To me if you are playing in such an intimate environment then it does become cabaret and there are rules.
1: Engage your audience
2: Connect to the lyric
3: Connect with your band
Deanna's voice is glorious and technically perfect which is maybe why this is hard to write because I would still recommend listening to her and I hope maybe I saw an off night. Deanna's original music has been featured in such television shows as "Felicity", "Hyperion Bay" and "Cupid" and on such movie soundtracks as "Down To You" and "Me Myself I". She is also a concert-level pianist and I wish she showed these talents. I love the fact her father is a retired Navy Captain (yes, Captain Kirk) which made the room perfect for her and that's a F.A.C.T.
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