Cabaret Scenes Review

Outside it was spring, but inside the Café Carlyle, the weather was stormy and then some when Melba Moore took the stage. Over forty years after her smashing Broadway appearances in Hair and Purlie, Moore remains svelte, trim and in vigorous voice. With a five-octave range, her songs scoot and skim from soprano heights to deep alto depths. The show is called Forever Moore, and it is not hard to believe that’s how long she will be performing.

“Blue Skies”er e (Irving Berlin), Moore’s opening song, was a mélange, revealing the swing, belt, jazz, breath control, and stress that would run through the rest of her program, which contained several sections. “Stormy Weather,” a no-holds-barred salute to Lena Horne, was dedicated to her mother and mentor, singer Bonnie Davis, who encouraged her to heed the influences of song legends. “Air Mail Special” (Charlie Christian, Benny Goodman and James Mundy), a nod to Ella Fitzgerald, showcased Moore’s potent scat prowess with familiar snatches of “And the Angels Sing” and “That’s Amore.” Moving into her higher tones, Moore liberally flavored the melody and lyrics of Cole Porter’s “I Concentrate on You.” Her soaring final notes for the words, “…on you” seemed airborne.

Remembering her Broadway career, Moore delivered a moving rendition of “Easy to Be Hard” from Hair (James Rado, Gerome Ragni, Galt MacDermot), and urged audience participation with “Let the Sunshine In.” From Purlie, she sang Gary Geld and Peter Udell’s title song and “I Got Love” with the same youthful ebullience that made her a star. She included some of her pop hits and a crowd-pleasing Motown medley, exclaiming, “I enjoy having a party!” So did her equally enthusiastic pianist, Levi Barcourt. She ended blockbuster-big with the gospel ebullience of Van McCoy’s “Lean on Me.”

Moore was accompanied by a band led by her impressive musical director/piano man, Levi Barcourt, with Rodney Harrison on drums, guitarist David Brown and Leon Dorsey on bass.

Elizabeth Ahlfors
Cabaret Scenes
May 3, 2011
www.cabaretscenes.org



	Melba Moore Forever Moore Café Carlyle New York, NY
Outside it was spring, but inside the Café Carlyle, the weather was stormy and then some when Melba Moore took the stage. Over forty years after her smashing Broadway appearances in Hair and Purlie, Moore remains svelte, trim and in vigorous voice. With a five-octave range, her songs scoot and skim from soprano heights to deep alto depths. The show is called Forever Moore, and it is not hard to believe that’s how long she will be performing. “Blue Skies”er e (Irving Berlin), Moore’s opening song, was a mélange, revealing the swing, belt, jazz, breath control, and stress that would run through the rest of her program, which contained several sections. “Stormy Weather,” a no-holds-barred salute to Lena Horne, was dedicated to her mother and mentor, singer Bonnie Davis, who encouraged her to heed the influences of song legends. “Air Mail Special” (Charlie Christian, Benny Goodman and James Mundy), a nod to Ella Fitzgerald, showcased Moore’s potent scat prowess with familiar snatches of “And the Angels Sing” and “That’s Amore.” Moving into her higher tones, Moore liberally flavored the melody and lyrics of Cole Porter’s “I Concentrate on You.” Her soaring final notes for the words, “…on you” seemed airborne. Remembering her Broadway career, Moore delivered a moving rendition of “Easy to Be Hard” from Hair (James Rado, Gerome Ragni, Galt MacDermot), and urged audience participation with “Let the Sunshine In.” From Purlie, she sang Gary Geld and Peter Udell’s title song and “I Got Love” with the same youthful ebullience that made her a star. She included some of her pop hits and a crowd-pleasing Motown medley, exclaiming, “I enjoy having a party!” So did her equally enthusiastic pianist, Levi Barcourt. She ended blockbuster-big with the gospel ebullience of Van McCoy’s “Lean on Me.” Moore was accompanied by a band led by her impressive musical director/piano man, Levi Barcourt, with Rodney Harrison on drums, guitarist David Brown and Leon Dorsey on bass. Elizabeth Ahlfors Cabaret Scenes May 3, 2011 www.cabaretscenes.org

Melba Moore

Forever Moore

Café Carlyle New York, NY

Café Carlyle
New York, NY