Let’s Hear It for The Men!

Alas, there are so many fewer male cabaret performers than female. Here’s some worthy listening whether CD or Spotify

Two from Steve Ross – Steve Ross & Cole Porter – Close – Steve Ross is arguably our best living interpreter of Cole Porter. Embodying vulnerability, urbane malaise, rancor, despair, and mischievous glee, each in its place, Ross’s refined approach seems to mirror the songwriter’s intentions. Lyrics are pristine. Every droll, sophisticated turn of phrase sounds natural. Intimacy can be palpable. Piano is accomplished, historically savvy and inventive. The performer wears Porter (and Noel Coward) like second skin. A wonderful collection of the Master by a Master.

Travels with My Piano – 2CD Set from the BBC Radio Series – This is fun! Predominantly older material saluting New York, Paris (some in French), London, and generic country. With a lilt, a wink and touching recollection, we hear songs by, in part, George M. Cohan, Vernon Duke, Charles Trenet, Burton Lane, Alan Jay Lerner, Noel Coward, Richard Rodgers, Alec Wilder, Irving Berlin, Harry Warren, and Mr. Porter, of course…bridged by a bit of genial repartee. The next best thing to travel? Good company.

Jeff Harnar’s Latest – Dancing in the Dark – Arranged and Conducted by Alex Rybeck. Jeff Harnar harks back to the best of tradition. One of a few who set the standard for standards, he imbues performance with authenticity, plumbing lyrical intention, sweeping us along. The artist can sound like a fresh-faced innocent or world weary, bringing natural finesse to both. A breezy “Taking a Chance on Love” (Vernon Duke/John Latouche) is infectious. Jule Styne/Sammy Cahn’s “Put’Em in a Box (Tie It with a Ribbon)” arrives winking with bravado, conjuring 1950s nightclubs. “I Say Hello” (Harold Rome) has rueful dignity.

Shall We Dance? (George & Ira Gershwin) seamlessly enmeshing “I’ll Build a Stairway to Paradise” and “I Can’t Be Bothered Now” works wonderfully. Textural weaving by bass, guitar, flute, violin and artful piano elevate. This many musicians threaten to overwhelm a vocalist whose wise tendency is to avoid 11:00 o’clock numbers. Harnar skillfully holds his own- and nobody orchestrates with the imaginative ear of Rybeck.

Sammy Cahn-All the Way – A tandem “It’s Magic” & “I’ll Never Stop Loving You,” (Cahn with Jule Styne; Nicholas Brodsky) respectively embellished by piano and flute, is utterly captivating. “I Fall in Love Too Easily” easing in on dusky horn and “Blame My Absent-Minded Heart” embrace the listener (both with Jule Styne.) The vocalist has a seriously creamy long note. 1950s “Be My Love” (with Nicholas Brodsky) is prime, witty nostalgia. Harnar ably sings his own back-up.

Danny Bacher – Still Happy – Arrangements by Alan Farnham and Danny Bacher. Bacher on vocals and sax. A suave tonic for the times. “Laughing at Life”(Bob Todd/Cornell Todd/Charles F. Kenny/Nick A. Kenny) is mellow, nonchalant. Bacher’s own “In Spite of All This, I’m Still Happy” enumerates a series of irritating incidents through which the author perseveres. It’s a contemporary song with a hat-over-the-eyes insouciance. His “Joie de Vivre” conjures a bandstand, dinner-jacketed musicians who stand up to solo with clarity and sass.

Irving Berlin’s “Shakin’ the Blues Away” (remember Ann Miller?) is an easy, lyrical swing. Wah-wah muted trumpet sashays with the tenor sax. “Lucky to Be Me” (Adolph Green/Betty Comden/Leonard Bernstein) floats in crooning. “Lazy Afternoon” (Jerome Moross/John LaTouche) offers layers of musical chiffon through which the tune exhales and stretches.

Swing that Music – showcases an urbane performer who has swing under his skin like bones. Arrangements celebrate and respect. Call/respond numbers are performed with brio. Solo vocals arrive with attitude that sounds authentic even from a young man. With splendid guest vocalist Cyrille Aimée, here rounding consonants, trailing “s,” partnering Bacher’s translucent long notes.

Ronny Whyte – Shades of Whyte Asked once where he was from, Ronny Whyte responded, “The past.” A torch bearer for songs with nimble lyrics and engaging melodies, the artist embodies taste and understatement. Burton Lane/Alan Jay Lerner’s “Too Late Now” arrives reflective. Charming carnivale music includes: “It’s Time for Love” (Ronny Whyte/Bob Levy), a lighthearted number that hitches a ride on the playful spirit of twirling flute and “A Little Samba” (Duncan Lamont) hand in hand with “So Danco Samba” (Lamont/Antonio Carlos Jobim/Vinicius de Moraes.)

“I Love the Way You Dance” (Ronny White/Frank Grant) emerges as if every word were a caress. “Love Me Tomorrow” (Vernon Duke/John Latouche) is the warning of a a rogue embodied by take-it-or-leave-it trumpet and clean, tart guitar licks. Whyte’s own “Blame It On the Movies” sums it up with “If I expect to find romance/With love scenes underscored/Blame it on the movies….” Who hasn’t experienced these feelings? The CD hits a sweet spot again and again.

Opening headshots left to right: Steve Ross by Stacy Sullivan, Jeff Harnar by Stephen Jacobs, Danny Bacher by John Abbott, Ronny Whyte by Judy Kirtley