Bebopping the opening “That’s All Right” (Arthur Crudup), Curtis Stigers’ band played like honey, complimenting the singer’s masculine and flexible (as shown in his discreet yet impressive scatting) voice.  Stigers also plays the sax and was joined by Rich Germanson on piano, Cliff Schmitt on bass and the distinctive John Sneider on trumpet.

This was a real jazz band, playing off each other under Stigers’ unerring leadership. Without a doubt, Mr. Stigers is one of a handful of today’s male singers who have earned the position of being a headliner. He told us of his pop career and his appearances on late night TV as if we were all new friends and he just wanted to fill us in a bit. The guy is charming and real, and his music was an extension of his genuine personality.

Much of the show was dedicated to his original pieces, with a couple of pop tunes and a bit of Sinatra to close the evening. A sucker for the “classics,” I was most impressed with his “In the Wee Small Hours.”  There is nowhere to hide in this simple ballad and with his smoky, yet healthy, sounding voice and compelling phrasing, I was holding my breath with the rest of the audience, savoring every note. I would like to hear more standards from him, as he might be one of the very few worthy to carry the torch.

His original tunes went down easily enough, with the charming bossa “You’ve Got The Fever” (lyrics Tom Jenson) being the lightest romp and “I Need You” (lyrics Larry Goldings) being the heaviest, as it was a sad meditation on the conflicts of a married man deeply in conflict with his emotional attachment to his spouse. There was a classical style chord progression in this tune and some others that enhanced the evening without being intrusive or awkward.

The trumpet played a very important part of the evening and set the pace for many of the songs, with its running commentary on the melodies once again sounding almost classical with Bach-like counterpoints. Stigers introduced us to the music of Dan Zanes with the irresistible tune “Night Owl.”

The ambience and the staff of the Oak Room must be given its due. Discreet and gracious, the servers made us feel very special. I would recommend this room as an essential “big night out” in NYC, especially when presented with a quality ensemble like Curtis Stigers and Company.

Melody Breyer-Grell
Cabaret Scenes
June 9, 2009
www.cabaretscenes.org