Billy Stritch, consummate jazz pianist/singer, served as Artistic Director and co-scriptwriter with Mark Waldrop on this comprehensive and insightful program into the life, words and music of Mel Tormé.  Tormé started singing with the radio at the age of one.  By age four, he was standing on a chair performing at the Black Hawk Restaurant in Chicago earning him a five-month gig at $15 per show. He made his film debut at seventeen in Higher and Higher, which also debuted Frank Sinatra. Some may remember Tormé as part of a vocal group known as The Mel-Tones in the late '30s and '40’s, with a sleek harmonic sound that later influenced Manhattan Transfer.

Billy Stritch pulled together some of the finest singing talent to tributize Tormé, a prolific writer of music and lyrics. “County Fair” (1948 with Robert Wells), sung by Stritch, is an entire production consisting of great rhythm changes and lyrics. The beautiful, willowy LaTanya Hall spiced up Peggy Lee/Duke Ellington’s “I’m Gonna Go Fishin’ and resonated sultry tones on Rodgers & Hart “Blue Moon.” Porter’s “What Is this Thing Called Love” was a four-part masterpiece of harmonies and scat featuring LaTanya, Hilary Cole, Johnny Rodgers & Stritch.

Johnny Rodgers regressed back to childhood with Oscar Brown,Jr./Bobby Timmons “Dat Dere.” Rodgers’ honeyed crooner tones on “The Best Things in Life Are Free” are reminiscent of "The Velvet Fog" himself. A multi-talent, Rodgers was at the piano while Stritch, Hall & Cole performed a blow-the-roof off “Comin’ Home Baby” (Dorough/Tucker).  Hilary Cole reached down deep with her lilting vocals on Tormé favorite “The Folks Who Live on the Hill” (Hammerstein/Kern) and scatted effortlessly with Stritch on Berlin’s “Cheek to Cheek” perched atop the piano.

Completing the package was favorite Marilyn Maye who entices her audience with the simple truth – it’s all about the lyric! It doesn’t get any better than “Mountain Greenery,” (Rodgers & Hart) a duet with Stritch, or the Mercer lyric for “When the World Was Young,” providing Ms. Maye the opportunity to strut her stuff.

Tormé the Stritch way was didactic, harmonically polished and a fitting end to this season’s Lyrics & Lyricists series. Completing the package were David Finck on bass and Mark McLean on drums.

Sandi Durell
Cabaret Scenes
June 6, 2009
www.cabaretscenes.org