Sam Harris is a consummate entertainer. He bubbles with enthusiasm, and he’s able to make his audience bubble along with him through ballads, up-tempo tunes and amusing and often highly personal patter. And what a set of pipes! In singing an unmiked version of “Swanee” (George Gershwin/Irving Caesar), he hit what he told Cabaret Scenes later was a high D-flat on the next-to-last note—a tremendously thrilling vocal moment in an evening of such moments.

Harris has a sly sense of humor, opening with “The Bitch Is Back” (Elton John/Bernie Taupin), followed by a self-deprecating take on Randy Newman’s “Lonely at the Top,” with a series of Fosse-like poses to make sure the audience knew he wasn’t taking himself too seriously. His humor also came out in other moments during the show—coupling an a capella verse of Irving Berlin’s “What’ll I Do?” with “I Bust the Windows Out Your Car,” a rap-style number by Salaam Remi, Jazmine Sullivan and Deandre Way, with some of his own self-penned lyrics thrown in; or discussing the state of the economy before launching into a ballad-ized version of “Ain’t We Got Fun” (Richard Whiting/Raymond B. Egan/Gus Kahn); or singing his own lyrics to Stephen Sondheim’s “I’m Still Here” to discuss personal aspects of his life.

After talking about his toddler son Cooper, he sang Kevin Fisher’s “I Love You More”—explaining that he used to sing it to his partner “until Cooper stole it”—followed by Maury Yeston’s small masterpiece, “New Words,” which Harris sang tenderly while looking down as if at his son.

There were other contemplative ballads, including Jonathan King’s “Everyone’s Gone to the Moon” and his closing numbers—a coupling of “All I Need to Know” (Barry Mann/Cynthia Weill/Tom Snow) with a tour-de-force version of Paul Simon’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” plus his encore, a quiet “In My Life” (John Lennon).

The evening wasn’t all sweet and tender, as Harris wailed on “The Wail of the Reefer Man” (Harold Arlen/Ted Koehler), got down with a powerful vocal on Jimi Hendrix’s “Red House Blues,” and brought down the house with a coupling of the Harold Arlen/Ted Koehler songs “I Got a Right to Sing the Blues” and a powerful over-the-top take (the kind Harris’ audience come to hear) on “Stormy Weather.”

Harris—presented by Scott Sanders & Associates, Sherman Oaks, Calif.—was ably abetted throughout by his one-man orchestra, Todd Schroeder on piano, who sang subtle harmonies during many of Harris’ songs.

Elliot Zwiebach
Cabaret Scenes
November 13, 2009
www.cabaretscenes.org