Canadian jazz singer George Evans came to New York for two nights this month. His second show, Glad To Be Unhappy was devoted to sad, "slash your wrist", torch songs.

Evans’ New York trio (John DiMartino on piano, Norico Ueda on bass, Shinnosuki Takahashi on drums) played an overture of Dave Brubeck’s "In Your Own Sweet Way" with stunning pyrotechnics. Evans appeared singing "Lonely Hours" (Glaser/Solomon), one of those "wee small hours" songs, in rich melodious tones. DiMartino who seems to feel every mkusical note in his body did wonderful improvisations on the break.

Evans sang "What Do You See in Him" (Frank Weldon/Hal David), a song recorded by Jeri Southern and Dakota Staton as "What Do You See in Her, without changing the gender, giving the object of the song a bisexual character which Evans, an openly gay singer, made work for him. His voice wrapped around the heartbreak and grief in the lyrics and called to mind Johnny Hartman and Mark Murphy. He followed with Hoagy Carmichael’s "I Get Along Without You Very Well" which he sang tenderly at first before sensitively scatting on the second chorus. On a rare Cy Coleman-Carolyn Leigh collaboration, "Moment of Madness," Evans carefully dramatized the music and lyrics which depicted his unsuccessful efforts to survive an addictive love.

Evans sang the verse of Rodgers & Hart’s "Glad To Be Unhappy" a capella, but when he sang the familiar chorus, DiMartino’s work made the trio sound like a full symphony orchestra. Luis Bonfa’s "Empty Glass" (English lyrics by Dick Manning) was a stunning discovery and Evans performed strongly every emotion of the lyrical and musical toast to a lost love. The funny torch song in the set was Malty & Shire’s "I Don’t Remember Christmas" and Evans told a revealing story about how he acquired the lead sheets.

Evans stated that "Time Heals Everything" was his favorite Jerry Herman song and he sang it quietly and beautifully, tears welling up in hope. He broke into the gospel-like verse to Arlen/Harburg’s "Down With Love," trying desperately to rid himself of his depression with Sinatra-like "scooby doo bee doo" gentle scats on the second chorus.

Another unfamiliar beauty was "Good Times," (Hugo& Luigi-George David Weiss) a morning after song that begins with the toast "Here’s to love." Evans sang it slowly and sadly before breaking into a heart-wrenching big finish.

Evans closed his set with the rarely sung Richard Rodney Bennett’s sensitive "I Never Really Went Away." It was a gentle and tender ending to a perfectly structured musical evening.

Joe Regan, Jr.
Cabaret Scenes
November 2, 2008
www.cabaretscenes.org