Bobby Caldwell is at home in front of a big band. Add some Great American Songbook tunes and terrific arrangements and voilà!: magic is worked. The swing era may well be over, and practitioners of the craft few and far between, but this genre is neither forgotten nor forsaken. Caldwell follows in the great tradition of Bennett, Darin, Vaughn Monroe and Dick Haymes, to name but a few. He is closely associated with the sound of perhaps the greatest, Frank Sinatra, whom he played in a Vegas run of The Rat Pack.

When Caldwell sails through “Come Fly with Me,” “Fly Me to the Moon” or “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” comparisons to the Chairman of the Board are inevitable and well- deserved. Bobby’s styling and swagger add to the allure of the self-assured male crooner. Newcomers like Michael Bublé and Peter Cincotti should take a lesson from this master.

Caldwell works a song like few others. Known as a fine, blue-eyed soul singer with smash hits like “What You Won’t Do for Love,” this show highlighted classic standards like “Come Rain or Come Shine,” “Old Devil Moon” and “The Best Is Yet to Come.” The horn section laid the full background for Caldwell’s sharp deliveries of these big band staples. Whether blasting through a swing tune or crooning a saloon ballad (“Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me”), Caldwell pleases his fan base and introduces newcomers to the genuine big band sounds of days gone by.

(Photo: Pat Johnson)

Steve Murray
Cabaret Scenes
February 14, 2010
www.cabaretscenes.org