Remember the horse of a different color in The Wizard of Oz?  Think Joe Bachana in the music world. He’s a classical pianist, a producer, a jazz and rock musician, as well as a competent songwriter. Lots of colors and he wears them all so brightly!

Joe was schooled at Mannes where he studied piano and voice and soon found out that jazz was not part of the curriculum.  

Bachana’s show (piano/vocals) at the Metropolitan Room is a window into his life starting at the tender age of thirteen when he wrote one of his first songs, “Special Woman.” It’s the story of his passionate love for a seventh grader and is the song that most reminds him of his childhood. It’s a dream of being all right because of this special woman. In 1979, while sporting a Dr. J. Afro and using a pick to keep it neat, he related to Joe Jackson's “Is She Really Going Out With Him.” Here’s a line from the song, “pretty women are walking with gorillas down my street. . . if my eyes don’t deceive me, there’s something going wrong around here.”  Like he said, “it all made sense at the time!” 

His songs are reminiscent of '70’s style which is his favorite era of music because he just loves the sound. So “Big Shot” (Billy Joel) was one of the only songs in the show not his own because it had such a big impact on him. The other, “Vanity,” was written by 100-year-old Bernie Bierman, his friend. Many songs are about love lost and are a major part of his songwriting repertoire - the rock ballad “Better Than Before,” “Shed Another Tear” and the mixed time signature “Inside Your Heart.” He refers to wife, Nancy, and his two daughters as the loves of his life and his song, “Heading Home,” expresses the beauty of coming home to wife and baby and how love is having a truly loving wife.   The encore song which he wrote in high school is about a girl named Cindy and is icing on the cake: love is priceless in every way. . ."the only thing I have to spend for you is my love.”

Joe Bachana is backed by brilliant musicians Kenny Shanker on saxophone (and on piano when Joe got up from the piano to take center stage and sing), Jay Ditamo on drums, Freddy Shehadi on guitar and Freddie Simpson on bass guitar.

There is one additional show remaining at the Metropolitan Room on September 17^th at 7:30 p.m.

Sandi Durell
Cabaret Scenes
September 10, 2008
www.cabaretscenes.org