Great concept, great vocals, great solos and great evening! What more can be said about Pamela Luss and her CD release party at The Jazz Standard where she teamed up with John DiMartino on piano, Ray (Bulldog) Drummond on bass, James Chirillo on guitar, Alvin Alkerson on drums and special guest, Houston Person on sax, to recreate the magic that they achieved in the studio when recording Luss’s fourth CD for the Savant/High Note Records label.

With two back-to-back sold-out shows, Luss demonstrated what made the pairing so special. Sounding, at times, like a sexy saxophone herself, Luss brought intelligence and charm to the John di Martino arrangements, showcasing what has been described as “a total collaboration” between vocalist and Person, her legendary tenor saxophonist.

Given that Halloween was days away, her renditions of ”Witchcraft” (Coleman/Leigh) and (“The Theme from) Bewitched” (Greenfield/Keller) were both timely and well delivered and she was especially impressive on two of the more contemporary songs in her song list, Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine” and Carole King’s “It’s Too Late.”

Person gave several numbers added depth with his solid and soulful solos, particularly on "Maybe You’ll Be There" and “I Wonder Where Our Love Has Gone.” The warmth of his sound and the thickness of his tone combined with the smoothness and smokiness of Luss’s vocals worked in a uniquely satisfying way. Person and the late Etta Jones performed together for years and it’s high praise indeed that he now chooses to partner with Luss as both instrumentalist and producer.

One minor quibble…no need for the bottle of water when a glass would do just fine!

Lynn DiMenna
Cabaret Scenes
October 28, 2009
www.cabaretscenes.org