Most renditions of George and Ira Gershwin/Buddy G. DeSylva’s “I’ll Build a Stairway to Paradise” envision a dapper dude in white tie and tails poised on a pristine stairway headed somewhere upwards. Jane Scheckter casts the classic 1920s tune firmly on earth in a smoky jazz club, where she belts her way with determination up the steps of ambition. Adding J-P Perreaux’s sound and lights for theatricality and Scheckter’s trio – Tedd Firth on piano, Tom Hubbard on bass and Peter Grant on drums – she delivers a rock solid jazz/blues sequence at the Metropolitan Room.  This is a highpoint in a show touting romance through images of The Moon, The Stars, Albert Einstein and Love.

Scheckter, like Rosemary Clooney, loves singing and loves good songs.  She can swing hard with the best of them, she phrases intelligently, and her husky voice is lush and rich in its lower tones. She exudes a sense of confidence and relaxation in her tunes, songs as disparate as Harold Arlen’s complex, emotional “Written in the Stars” (lyrics Leo Robin), Phillip Namanworth’s wry “Is There Life on Other Planets?” and the comical “The Man in the Moon” (Jerry Herman).  “Old Devil Moon” (E.Y. Harburg and Burton Lane) gets a furious samba beat and in her laid-back way, she cast a rueful look at a lost romance in “Oh, You Crazy Moon" (Johnny Burke/Jimmy Van Heusen).

The minimal patter is limited to celestial connections to love. Myths tell us that the moon and stars blind us, beguile us, and hypnotize us, but where does Albert Einstein come in?  No hidden pop song has popped up so far among Einstein’s memorabilia, but Scheckter tells us that he was a violinist before he was a scientist. Maybe staring at the heavens was his inspiration.  At any rate, Einstein's name prompts attention so let’s just call the title catchy and appreciate the great songs Scheckter chose to include, because fine taste in songs is always her trademark.

Jane Scheckter again proves how a professional raises the bar, “Nice ’n Easy,” with a fresh look at her songs, and confident swing.

Jane appears at the Metropolitan Room Nov. 15-17.

Elizabeth Ahlfors
Cabaret Scenes
November 8, 2010
www.cabaretscenes.org