Kasi Jones wove her musical magic over a roomful of friends and fans as she gave herself a terrific sendoff before shifting her base of operations from Los Angeles to Tokyo for nine months.

Just two weeks before moving to Japan for a gig with “Big Band Beat” at Disneyland Tokyo, Jones sang a set of songs that demonstrated again her brilliant voice and beguiling stage presence.

Only four months after making her cabaret debut, Jones exhibited more self-confidence and vocal prowess than she had in two earlier shows, with every sign of becoming a cabaret headliner if she continues to pursue the intimate art.

She kicked the show into high gear with “I Don’t Care” (Jean Lenox/Harry O’Sutton), building from a soft, coquette-like tease to a strong vocal and employing a confident strut during an instrumental break.

Jones demonstrated complete control on “Blues in the Night,” (Johnny Meercer/Harold Arlen), then cooed her way through a very up-to-date arrangement of Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle’s “Gee, I Wish That I Had Someone to Rock Me” and a sassy take on Fats Waller’s “Keepin’ Out of Mischief Now.”

She adopted a more serious tone on “People Like Us,” a Gary La Chiusa downer about down-and-out people (which she sang with musical director Todd Schroeder); a down-and-dirty “Love for Sale,” the Cole Porter standard that’s become a standard part of Jones’ repertoire; and Coldplay’s “The Hardest Part,” about letting go of love — something the young Miss Jones has experienced, as related in previous shows — before shifting the mood and attitude with the Gloria Gaynor declaration, “I Will Survive” (Freddie Perren/Dino Fekaris) to which Jones added a hustle and, once again, a strut.

Finally Jones bid sayonara to L.A. with a sweet version of “I’ll Be Seeing You” (Sammy Fain/ Irving Kahal), before encoring on two of her standards — Eubie Blake’s  “My Handyman Ain’t Handy No More” and “Astonishing” from the Broadway musical Little Women (Mindi Dickstein/ Jason Howland).

As that song says, “Here I go/There’s no turning back/My great adventure has begun.”  For her fans, the adventure that leads her back to Los Angeles can’t come soon enough.

Elliot Zwiebach
Cabaret Scenes
July 22, 2009
www.cabaretscenes.org