John Gabriel loves songs, adores songwriters and loves to sing and that love shined brightly at the Gardenia. He kept it simple: brief stories about the songs and the songwriters. There were some stories that you have heard before and some that you haven’t, but all contributed to a gracefully flowing evening. Cy Coleman’s “The Best Is Yet to Come” appropriately started things off and the held note on the final "mine" at the end of the tune showed the pipes were still in fine shape.

Moving from Coleman to the Gershwins (“They All Laughed”), Styne & Cahn (“Saturday Night”), Rodgers & Hart (“Little Girl Blue”) and Cole Porter (“At Long Last Love”), Gabriel presented the songs in a straightforward manner that emphasized the beauty of the material. His introduction to “I Remember You” as a reflection of Johnny Mercer’s love for Judy Garland gave the tender reading of the Mercer lyrics a particular poignancy.

Ben Lanzarone’s musical direction provided the perfect support for Gabriel. They both created an atmosphere that celebrated the Great American Songbook with style and class.

Les Traub
Cabaret Scenes
July 10, 2009
www.cabaretscenes.org